Victor Hugo (1802-1885) was arguably France's most acclaimed author and playwright. He enjoyed writing about France, the working people, and the underlying politics that ran the country. He is the author of Les Miserables, one of the greatest historical novels of the 19th century, as well as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Toilers of the Sea, and many others.
However, life wasn't always simple for Hugo, and he suffered the loss of his eldest (and favorite) daughter when she drowned at 19- a death that devastated Hugo and haunted him for the rest of his life. He also lived in exile from his beloved Paris for several years, missing the funeral of his first wife and her interment alongside their daughter.
Then, there's the mental health aspect. Along with a family history of schizophrenia, historians speculate that Hugo also suffered from graphomania and erotomania.
For more information about this renowned author, check out the link above, or visit his Wikipedia Page for a Bibliography of his works.
