Victor Hugo (1802–1885) was the son of a high-ranking officer in Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grand Army. A man of literature and politics, he participated in vast changes as France careened back and forth between empire and more democratic forms of government. As a young man in Paris, he became well-known and sometimes notorious for his poetry, fiction, and plays. In 1845, the year that he began writing his masterwork, Les Misérables, the king made him a peer of France, with a seat in the upper legislative body. There he advocated universal free education, general suffrage, and the abolition of capital punishment. When an uprising in 1848 ushered in a republic, he stopped writing Les Misérables and concentrated on politics. But in 1851, when the president proclaimed himself emperor, Hugo’s opposition forced him into a long exile on the British Channel Islands. There, in 1860, he resumed work on Les Misérables, finishing it the next year. With the downfall of the emperor in 1870, Hugo returned to France, where he received a hero’s welcome as a champion of democracy. At his death in 1885, two million people lined the streets of Paris as his coffin was borne to the Pantheon. There he was laid to rest with every honor the French nation could bestow.
God's work never stops. Will you help?
Urgent Need: During the summer months, giving typically slows as the focus turns to time off and vacations. But family ministry doesn’t stop! We need your help to continue standing strong for life, marriage, and family. Will you become one of the supporters needed by 11:59 p.m. on August 31?
Please give now to continue providing biblical resources to save and strengthen families.
God's work never stops. Will you help?
Urgent Need: During the summer months, giving typically slows as the focus turns to time off and vacations. But family ministry doesn’t stop! We need your help to continue standing strong for life, marriage, and family. Will you become 1 of the supporters needed before 11:59 p.m. on August 31?