Die Kunst, Grossvater zu sein

Do we know Victor Hugo? Many would likely answer this question affirmatively. From numerous film adaptations and musicals, we associate this author with The Hunchback of Notre-Dame or Les Misérables. But do we really know him? In France, Hugo is regarded by many as one of the greatest authors alongside Molière, Voltaire, or Balzac. This is not least due to his extensive lyrical work. His poems "The Art of Being a Grandfather" have been part of the canon in France for decades, considered classics in schools—similar to the poems of Goethe, Heine, or Schiller in Germany.