Victor Hugo, one of France's most prolific nineteenth-century authors, wrote novels, poems, and dramatic works. His career as a playwright began in 1816 and ended almost sixty years later. The dramas and prefaces that he wrote between 1826 and 1843 constitute his most important contribution to the history of French theater. Literary critics and historians consider Hugo to be one of the most influential theorists and practitioners of the Romantic movement as it affected the French stage. Hernani, whose premiere took place in 1830, ushered in the new direction that the French stage was to take during the next decade. Although Hugo did not invent the historical drama, he perfected it. He also created some of the most memorable characters in the history of French theater and wrote some of the most eloquent prose and verse to have ever been spoken by a French actor or actress.

Victor-Marie Hugo was born in...