Since I have arrived to Paris, I have had a mild obsession with Ernest Hemingway. I have read his books, done numerous searches about his life on the internet, read biographies on his wives, visited the places he frequented and have generally fantasized about his past daily activities and how they might differ in today’s Paris. He fascinates me. I think it was his bold sense of adventure that I find the most intriguing and his life’s tale, but I also greatly admire his diligent devotion to his art and his ability to use the simplest of words to evoke such strong images. I also appreciate that I rarely have to use my Kindle dictionary when I read his novels.
However, I am in France, and I also want to learn about the great authors that come out of this great nation. To date, I have finished a few of Balzac’s short stories and am now in the middle of Victor Hugo’s famous, Notre Dame de Paris (or as we across the Atlantic know it as, The Hunchback of Notre Dame). The prose is decidedly different from Hemingway. It took Hugo an entire “book” out of an 11 “book” novel to describe the city of Paris and Notre Dame during the medieval time the story takes place…something Hemingway would have undoubtedly wrapped up in 7, maybe 10, words. But I love it! So this week I decided to take my semi-obsessive nature and direct it to learn more about this 19th century French novelist, poet, intellect and romantic. I retraced his paths in Paris, visited one of his homes, gasped at the famous cathedral that inspired the novel I am reading now and paid my respect at his place of final rest.
Great people all seem to have fantastical life stories…and Victor Hugo’s does not disappoint.
My first stop, Victor Hugo’s House in Paris!
This is the utterly charming Place des Vosges in the Marais and the site of one of Victor Hugo’s homes in Paris. Hugo moved a lot during his life, but the former hotel particulier turned museum is one of 2 residences where he stayed the longest, 1832 – 1848. The second is his exile home on the Channel Island of Guernsey, 1855 – 1870. Both of these homes are now museum’s operated by La Ville de Paris, which means they are gratuit ( Zero Euro!!) to enter! Yet another thing to love about Paris!
Since the museum fare was free, I sprung for the 5 Euro audioguide. I was displeased to see that it was one of those hair-smooshing, head band headsets (I much prefer the ones you just hold to your ear)…but figured a little head-set-hair was a small price to pay to get a more intimate and informed glimpse into my subject’s life.
The bust in the picture is obviously of Victor Hugo. One of his talented friends presented him this marble bust and he proudly displayed it in this reception room.
He, his wife and their 4 children moved into this home when he was 30 years old and a year after he had published “Notre Dame de Paris” (which instantly became a raging success throughout Europe).
The portrait in the above picture is of Hugo’s favorite daughter, Léopoldine. She tragically drowned at the age of 19 along with her husband of 6 months. Their boat capsized in the Seine river and the weight of her dress pulled her under. Her young husband died trying to save her.
Victor always traveled with this portrait.
This is a portrait of Victor’s mistress, Juliette Drouet.
Can you imagine the number of text messages that would equate to nowadays!?
Victor had strong political beliefs, and in protest to the anti-parliamentary government that Louis Napoleon set up in 1851, Hugo called Napoleon a traitor and became a political exile (one of his most notable quotes of the time that caused Napoleon III angst was, “We have had Napoleon the Great, now we have to have Napoleon the Small.”). After a few moves outside of France, he and his family…and Juilette….landed in Guernsey.
The room above was decorated completely by Victor (he even painted all those cool designs) and shows his creativity that expanded outside of the written word. This Chinese-inspired room was created in the home for Juilette…who lived just down the street from the family. Convenient.
It was in his home in Guernsey that he wrote one of his other most famous works, Les Miserables (1862), as well as other novels.
Second Stop, a little church called Notre Dame!
Do you see Quasimodo scaling the towers??
I looked and looked too…to no avail. Actually I tried to get a picture of where Quasimodo was found “one fine morning, on Quasimodo Sunday” (which, so you know, is the first Sunday after Easter). But I couldn’t figure out where the wooden box he was deposited in would have been situated L. I thought it would be easy per the book description…”left vestibule and opposite the great image of Saint Cristopher”…but I realized very quickly I have no idea what Saint Cristopher looks like…or if he still exists in any vestibule! 🙂
Argh! Because I didn’t climb the 400 steps to view Paris from the top of the bell towers, I don’t have a very good picture of the most photographed…and cutest…gargoyle of Notre Dame.
This is the bored little guy who infinitely has his head resting in his hands as he is watching all of us tourists wait in line to get inside his home. I am sure he was a favorite of Quasi’s…although at my current point in the book, he hasn’t been mentioned at all.
Inside the great nave!
The popularity of Hugo’s book sparked thousands of tourists to flock to Notre Dame to visit. The renewed interest in the 1163 cathedral and its architecture gave the government of Paris needed incentive to restore the then dilapidated building.
Next year marks the 850 birthday of Notre Dame! Another great restoration is planned…including repairing or remolding all the bells so that the toll as they did when Quasimodo had that task. Hopefully, however, they new bell ringer will wear some ear plugs so he doesn’t go deaf like his poor, deformed predecessor!
I could not post pictures of Notre Dame without capturing her text book flying buttresses…plus I also thought this picture looked kinda scarey and Halloweeny…perfect for a post a day before Halloween!
Victor’s stature in his later years made me believe he may have been an ice cream fan! So after my trip to Our Lady, I headed to the most renowned ice cream shop in Paris. This parlor is located on the Île de Saint Louis and about a 15 minute walk from the cathedral. As my luck would have it, the shop decided to close for “traveaux”…what!
Ah, yes…of course there is an “Esméralda” cafe next to Notre Dame! (She is the French gypsy girl from the novel) In the book she is always seen with her clever goat, Djali, so I wonder if The Esmeralda cafe serves lots of chevre! 🙂
I know, “Cheesy, Jen!”. I couldn’t resist!
Final stop, the Panthéon.
I ended my week with Victor Hugo at this grand structure where he was interred.
Throughout Victor’s life he advocated for many social and moral changes. He championed against the death penalty, for more rights for women and children as well as the plight of the poor (Les Miserables was written to display the social misery and injustice of his time). In fact, in his last will he expressed the following, “I leave 50,000 francs to the poor, and want to be buried in their hearse.”
When he died in Paris on May 22, 1885 (he had returned from his exile in 1870), he was indeed put in a pauper’s coffin. However, a funeral procession starting from the Arc de Triomphe followed by 2 million people took him to his final place of rest amongst other VIPs from his homeland, the Panthéon.
Here, with the likes of Alexandre Dumas, Jean Rousseau and Marie Curie, this national hero, literary genius and great political philosopher of his day lays eternally.
As a note, when Victor died in 1885 he was only survived by one of his children, Adèle. His mistress, Juliette, had died 2 years earlier and his wife had died in 1868. Adèle, the youngest of his children, had been admitted to an insane asylum in the 1870s after Hugo’s return to Paris. It was thought she had been driven mad by an unrequited love. There is an interesting article from The New York Times detailing more on the mystery of her insanity. It was published in 1915, a few days after her death. Here is a link: The Tragedy of Hugo’s Daughter
Not only did she inspire a great, classic novel and a Disney movie…but now this blog post!
What a week! And what a talented, inspiring and brilliant man! I was a pleasure getting to know Victor Hugo better…
Now I need to snuggle in bed and finish Notre-Dame de Paris! Quasi awaits me…. Bonne Nuit and Happy Halloween!
