Victor Hugo and Juliette Drouet were two of the greatest French writers of the 19th century. Their love story, which began in 1833, was secret, intense, but also tumultuous, because it took place in the shadow of Victor Hugo’s legitimate wife, Adèle.
👉 How did they meet? What are the highlights of their relationship? What was the impact of their love on their life and their work? Here are some answers, based on biographies and correspondence.
The beautiful secret love story between Victor Hugo and Juliette Drouet
Their meeting: a twist of theater
Their meeting took place in 1833, in Paris, during rehearsals for Victor Hugo’s play, “Lucretia Borgia”. Juliette Drouet, then aged 31, was an actress who played the role of Princess Négroni. Victor Hugo, also 31 years old, was a famous writer, who had just published “Notre-Dame de Paris”. Between them, it was a dramatic turn of events, despite the fact that Victor Hugo was married and the father of four children.
They became closer thanks to their shared passion for theater, literature, and politics. They discovered an intellectual, artistic and sentimental complicity.
According to Victor Hugo’s biographer, Max Gallo, their meeting was a shock for the two lovers, who recognized each other’s genius, their sensitivity, their audacity. He affirms that their love was sincere, deep, exclusive, and that they loved each other until death.
Their relationship: a clandestine passion
Their relationship was a clandestine passion, because they had to hide from society, the press, the family. They found themselves in apartments, hotels, trips, in Paris, in Brussels, in Jersey, in Guernsey.
They wrote fiery letters to each other, which testify to their tenderness, their admiration, their loyalty. They shared their love of France, of freedom, of justice. They made plans, such as publishing their works, supporting republican causes, living together.
According to Juliette Drouet’s biographer, Gérard Pouchain, their relationship was a source of happiness, but also of sacrifice, for the two lovers, who had to face obstacles, scandals, and exiles.
He says that their love was marked by moments of joy, such as the birth of Victor Hugo’s daughter, Adèle, of whom Juliette Drouet was godmother, or Victor Hugo’s success with the publication of “Les Misérables”, but also by moments of drama, such as the death of Victor Hugo’s two sons, Charles and François-Victor, or the madness of his daughter Léopoldine.
Their separation: a heartbreaking farewell
Their separation took place on May 11, 1883, when Juliette Drouet died of cerebral congestion, at the age of 81. She was in her apartment on rue de la Tour-d’Auvergne, in Paris, where she had lived since 1852. Victor Hugo, also 81 years old, was at her bedside, and held her hand until her last breath.
It was an immense sorrow for the writer, who lost his muse, his confidante, his companion. He paid tribute to her by dedicating several poems to her, such as “To the one who stayed in France”, “To the one who is veiled”, or “To the one who is too gay”.
According to Victor Hugo’s biographer, André Maurois, their separation was the final blow for the writer, who sank into solitude, illness, and silence. He explains that their love was the greatest of his life, and that he could never replace it, despite his numerous affairs. He affirms that their love was eternal, and that they met again after the death of Victor Hugo, in 1885, in the same vault of the Pantheon. 💔
Conclusion
Victor Hugo and Juliette Drouet therefore lived an exciting and touching love story, which marked the history of French literature. Their love story, which began with a twist, was a clandestine passion, which ended with a heartbreaking farewell. Their love story, which was sincere, deep, exclusive, was also a source of happiness, sacrifice, drama.
Their love story, which was celebrated, admired, but also criticized, was a model, a myth, a legend.
Also read: Extraordinary love story: Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron
