Top 8 Most Famous Works by the Renowned Author Victor Hugo

Although part of the novel “Les Misérables,” this work stands on its own merit. It vividly portrays the character of Gavroche, a carefree, brave, and altruistic boy. Despite his poverty and a bit of street wisdom, Gavroche shines with noble qualities. He despises the rich and cruel, always ready to help the underprivileged. Representing the young generation of Paris in the early 19th century, he is a street child, a heroic soldier, a gem in the mud.

As Paris rises in revolution, Gavroche eagerly heads into battle with a gun without a trigger, singing tunes “a symphony of birds and workshop sounds.” On the barricades, he makes the lazy men ashamed, provokes the idle, revitalizes the weary, and annoys the dreamers. The giant barricade seems to feel his presence as if he is riding on its back.

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Drafted and completed between 1866 and 1868 during Victor Hugo's exile from Brussels to Guernsey and back to Brussels, The Laughing Man exceeded the author's initial intentions. The book was not only a political work but also a philosophical, historical, and poetic masterpiece. When asked why he wrote The Laughing Man, the author would reply: as a philosopher, he wanted to affirm the soul and consciousness; as a historian, he aimed to expose the lesser-known realities of monarchy and expound on democracy; and as a poet, he sought to create a tragedy – 'The Tragedy of the Soul.' (From the draft preface)

Émile Zola praised it, saying: 'The Laughing Man surpasses everything Victor Hugo has written in the last decade (since 1859). It embodies a transcendent spirit,' and 'a poignant and magnificent work... My readers understood every detail of this book. Like me, they loved it. Like me, they regarded it as a great and profound work.'

However, the truth is that upon its release, The Laughing Man was not warmly received by readers. Victor Hugo himself acknowledged this failure, partly attributing it to his excessive ambition: 'I wanted to turn my work into an epic. I wanted readers to ponder every sentence I wrote. That's why they became angry with me.' It wasn't until the 20th century that the value of this literary masterpiece was finally acknowledged, and The Laughing Man regained its rightful place in literary history.

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The Last Day of a Condemned Man (French: Le Dernier Jour d'un Condamné) is a short story by Victor Hugo first published in 1829. The story recounts the thoughts of a man sentenced to death.

'The social structure of the past rested on three pillars: the priest, the king, and the executioner. Long ago, a voice was heard proclaiming: The gods are gone! More recently, another voice cried out: The kings are gone! Now, it is time for the third voice to rise and declare: The executioner is gone! Thus, the very foundation of the old society will crumble; thus, God will complete the downfall of the past...'

And order will not vanish with the executioner; do not believe this. The future society's vault will not collapse for the lack of that abominable keystone. Civilization is nothing more than a continuous series of transformations. The gentle law of Christ will eventually enter the legal code and shine brightly. Crimes will be seen as diseases, and these diseases will have their own doctors instead of your judges, their own hospitals instead of your harsh prisons. Freedom and health will be the same. People will pour fragrant oils and medicinal ointments where they once used iron and fire. They will treat evil with compassion instead of anger. It will be simple and noble. The cross will replace the gallows. That's all.'

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Les Misérables (French: Les Misérables) is a novel by the French author Victor Hugo, first published in 1862. The work is considered one of the most famous novels of 19th-century world literature.

Les Misérables tells the story of French society in the first two decades of the 19th century, from the time Napoleon I ascended the throne and the decades that followed. The central character of the novel is Jean Valjean, a former convict seeking redemption for the wrongs he committed in his youth. The novel explores not only the nature of good and evil, and law and justice, but it also serves as a monumental encyclopedia of Paris' history, architecture, politics, philosophy, law, and beliefs during the early 19th century. Victor Hugo himself wrote to his editor: "I believe that this will be one of the greatest works, if not the greatest, of my literary career." Les Misérables is also renowned for being adapted into numerous plays and films, with the most famous adaptation being the musical of the same name.

The first Vietnamese translation of Les Misérables was done by Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh and was published in 1926, titled "Những kẻ khốn nạn" (The Wretched), by Trung Bắc Tân Văn in Hanoi, a bilingual 10-volume edition spanning about 3,000 pages. Most subsequent translations have been abridged.

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Notre-Dame de Paris (French: Notre-Dame de Paris, 1831) is a novel by the renowned French writer Victor Hugo. The creation of this work stemmed from the author's intention to write a novel about the famous cathedral in Paris, France, which he first visited in 1828. He visited the cathedral numerous times to admire its ancient architecture, which inspired him to write a historical novel set in medieval Paris. Hugo aimed to portray the cathedral as a magnificent structure that transcends time and all the upheavals surrounding it.

The novel reflects a philosophical grandeur, capturing the fate of the characters tied to the cathedral, leading them to their deaths and destruction. This tragic inspiration lends the work a sense of magnificence and wildness. The work was published in 11 volumes.

Remaining true to his distinctive writing style, Hugo uses the novel to praise love and humanity, while asserting that even the most unattractive exterior can hide a noble soul. It is a tale without a happy ending, yet it remains beautiful due to the love that unites its characters.

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‘The Toilers of the Sea’ (Les Travailleurs de la mer) has captivated many Vietnamese readers familiar with French over generations. This is not only a realistic work reflecting the bourgeois society of France in the early days of its capitalist era but also one where the author successfully constructs representative characters embodying both Good and Evil. With a seasoned and powerful pen, the author exposes the cunning, immoral schemes of characters like Rantaine and Clubin. At the same time, he vividly portrays the hardworking, genuine people like Gilliatt. Through the tragic and unfinished love story of Gilliatt, readers are moved by his unfortunate fate while also enraged by the injustices of the world. Could this be the ‘fate of all things’?

Nevertheless, after reading the final words and closing the book, readers will still reflect on the noble yet bitter aspects of humanity. For in the end, Victor Hugo remains a representative writer of the great writers of the world, with his noble humanistic thoughts.

Religion, society, nature; these are the three struggles of humanity. These three struggles are also three essential needs. People need faith, hence they build temples; people need creativity, hence they create cities; people need to live, hence they engage in farming, fishing, and boating. But these three solutions contain three wars. The hidden difficulties of life arise from these three areas. People face obstacles in the forms of superstition, prejudice, and fundamental elements. Three destinies weigh upon us—the destiny of dogma, the destiny of law, and the destiny of all things. In Notre-Dame de Paris, the author condemns the first; in Les Misérables, the author emphasizes the second; and in this book, the author clearly discusses the third.

Along with these three overarching destinies, there is also an internal fate, the greatest power, the human heart. Hauteville House, March 1866.

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