VICTOR HUGO: A Tumultous Life

by Samuel Edwards ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 25, 1971

Like attracts like and Mr. Edwards (also Noel Gerson) is almost as productive a figure as Victor Hugo although this is shorter by half than Maurois' stalwart Olympio. Areas of surmise and disagreement still abound in Hugo's life and are acknowledged by Edwards: i.e. was Juliette Drouet, his surrogate wife of fifty years really as placid and permissive as she appears here -- or intensely jealous (Quennell)? Is the stress on all tire affiliated tragedies of mental instability (from his brother to his daughter, etc.) justified or does it make this popular biography more readable? Certainly, whether you like the man who had Ego Hugo carved on his signet ring and who made King David seem like an amatory slouch or not (it's hard to), his story is an interesting one and Edwards concentrates on that. The works are given token acknowledgement-admiration. Hugo of course typified romanticism at its apogee and there was almost nothing to which he was unequal whether as amorist, writer, politician, philosopher or observer. Even where Edwards cuts the ""superb poet"" (page one) and ""superb poetry"" (page two) with ""rank romanticism"" or ""sloppy sentimentalist,"" Ego Hugo is not really diminished. It would be inconceivable lo expect otherwise since Mr. Edward externalizes rather than analyzes.

Pub Date: May 25, 1971

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: McKay

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION