"Victor Hugo raconté par un témoin de sa vie": Literary fortune of experiences and childhood memories

Abstract

Although Adèle Foucher, Victor Hugo’s wife, always lived apart from her husband’s literary profession, she used information and sources provided by her husband to write the memoir entitled Victor Hugo raconté par un témoin de sa vie (1863), an insightful view of Hugo’s life up to1841. The text reflects the impact that childhood memories had on Hugo’s later life and works. For instance, his stays in Italy and Spain left an indelible mark on the writer, which would later be reflected in his oeuvre, particularly in his plays, but visible as well in his poems and novels. Using these memoirs as a starting point, the present article will draw attention to ideas, topics, and characters in Hugo’s works inspired by his decisive childhood and adolescence experiences.