“He set out for Toulon. He arrived there, after a journey of twenty-seven days, on a cart, with a chain on his neck. At Toulon he was clothed in the red cassock. All that had constituted his life, even to his name, was effaced; he was no longer even Jean Valjean; he was number 24,601.”

French Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician

Victor Hugo was a French Romantic writer, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist, and politician. He is known as one of the leading figures of French Romanticism. His work spans several literary forms, and his public life also included political engagement and advocacy for human rights. His writing helped define the Romantic movement in France, and his reputation rests on both his literary range and his influence in public debate.