1793

Victor Hugo is considered one of the most significant authors in European literature. He is regarded as a co-founder of French Romanticism and created two of the most famous historical novels with "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" (1831) and "Les Misérables" (1862). In his stories, he often addressed the criticism of the prevailing conditions in France. For instance, he wrote in "Les Misérables": "A society that allows misery, a religion that permits hell, a humanity that tolerates war, seems to me an inferior society, religion, and humanity." As a political author and activist, Hugo also garnered considerable support, although his position changed significantly over the years: Initially, he supported royalist groups, but later he gained attention for his socially engaged and left-liberal ideas, and in 1851, he was even exiled due to his criticism of Napoleon III.