1.2 作者人生
1.2 The Writer’s life
维克多·雨果1802年2月26日生于贝桑松，1885年5月22日在巴黎逝世。他在整个19世纪的法国文坛始终处于统治地位，因而这一时期被称做“雨果世纪”。当时的各种相互斗争的文学政治运动在他的着作中均有反映，而他本人则是当时正在盛行的科学、民主和自由信念的坚定代表。雨果的作品极多，同时代的作家无人能比。权威的雨果作品集有45册之多。
Victor Hugo was born in Besancon on February 26， 1802， and died in Paris on May 22， 1885. Thushe dominates French literature during the entire nineteenth century， and the period has been called“TheCentury of Victor Hugo.”The varied and controversial literary and political movements of the age arereflected in his works， and he forcefully represents the prevailing beliefs in science， democracy， and liberty.
Hugo overshadows his contemporaries by the vast output of his pen， and the authoritative edition of hiswritings comprises forty-five volumes.
雨果的早年正值“拿破仑时代”，他的父亲是法国军队的一名军官，后来又晋升为将军。雨果的幼年时期是在巴黎和国外度过的。他曾随父亲到过科西嘉（1803）、那不勒斯（1808）和西班牙（1811）。但他是在法国首都接受正规教育的，曾就读于路易大帝公学（1816—1818）等着名学校。公学大约相当于美国的高中和二年制大学。雨果的父母不和，终于在1818年正式分居。1817年，雨果的一首诗获得了法兰西学士院“荣誉提名奖”。15岁时在文学上的这次意外成功决定了雨果的写作生涯。他在笔记中写道：“要么成为夏多布里昂，要么默默无闻。”夏多布里昂是19世纪初期的法国文豪。
The early years of Victor Hugo coincided with the“Age of Napoleon，”and the future writer’s fatherwas an officer and later a general in the French Army. His early childhood was spent in Paris and abroad.
Sojourns with his father took place in Corsica (1803)， Naples (1808)， and Spain (1811). However， his formaleducation took place in the French capital， and he attended excellent schools， such as the famous lyceeLouis-le-Grand (1816-1818)， which is an approximate equivalent of an American high school and juniorcollege. The domestic situation between his parents was very stormy， and in 1818 a legal separation occurred.
In 1817 he won an“Honorable Mention”award for poetry from the French Academy， and this surprisingliterary triumph at the age of fifteen determined him on a writing career. In his notebook， he wrote：“I willbe Chateaubriand or nothing.”Chateaubriand was the leading French writer during the early nineteenthcentury.
1819年，雨果坚定地选择了文学事业，他获得了图卢兹学会奖并再次获得法兰西学士院奖，他还与两个兄弟创办了一份叫做《文学保守者》的杂志。1821年因母亲去世，父亲拒绝为雨果的写作职业提供经济资助，杂志被迫停刊。1822年雨果出版了《颂歌集》，并得到政府及文学界的广泛称赞。夏多布里昂对这位崇拜自己的青年人大加赞扬，国王路易十八还为他发了津贴。同年，雨果与童年时期的恋人阿戴尔·富歇结婚，四个孩子于1824年、1826年、1828年和1830年相继出世，雨果也得到了他最喜爱的头衔“雨果爸爸”，开始了新的人生路程。
In 1819 Hugo definitely made his choice in favour of literature： he secured prizes from the Academy ofToulouse and again from the French Academy； and he founded， with his two brothers， a magazine called leConservateur littéraire (1819-1821). But the death of his mother in 1821 and the unsympathetic reactionto his requests for money from General Hugo to support a writing career caused the end of the review.
Nevertheless， Hugo published Odes in 1822， and the poems received wide acclaim from government andliterary circles. Chateaubriand praised the young man who aspired to his laurels， and the king， Louis XVIII，granted a pension to Hugo. That same year， he married a childhood sweetheart， Adele Foucher， and literallystarted on the path of his affectionate title，“Papa Hugo，”as four children were soon born， in 1824， 1826，1828， and 1830.
这时浪漫主义浪潮正席卷欧洲。与文学和政治上的古典主义相对立，浪漫主义主张把自主和自由作为艺术和生活的原则。1823年，雨果写了一部“哥特式”或者叫做“恐怖”小说的《冰岛的汉》。与古典主义者的井井有条相反，书中着力渲染怪诞和恐怖，例如，魔鬼汉用石斧砍死敌人，然后再喝死人头颅里的血。
At this time， Europe was caught in the onrushing tides of Romanticism， that literary and politicalreaction against Classicism， which urged freedom and liberty as the principles of art and life. Hugo wrote in1823 a“Gothic”or“Terror”novel， Han d’Islande， which emphasized the grotesque and frightful as areaction to the well-ordered world of the classicists. Thus， Hans， the horrible monster， slays his enemies witha stone ax and drinks the blood from a human skull.
除此之外，雨果还写了一些主题平和的浪漫主义诗歌。这种诗歌越来越受到公众及青年浪漫主义者的欢迎。《新颂歌集》（1824）、《短典和民谣集》（1826）以及《东方集》（1829）等确立了雨果在与古典主义抗争的浪漫主义诗人中的领导地位。作为评论家，雨果通过《法兰西诗神》杂志名声大振。虽然这本杂志只存活了一年左右（1823-1824），但在雨果的周围已聚集了许多有才华的青年作家。到了1827年，雨果在自己家中成立了浪漫主义文学社或者叫文学会，并发表了《〈克伦威尔〉序》。这两项举措使雨果成了浪漫主义团队的首领。文学社使雨果有机会接触19世纪最有影响的文学评论家圣佩韦，以及各种浪漫主义观念和原理。剧本《克伦威尔》的序言远比这个剧本本身更为重要。雨果敦促浪漫主义者以莎士比亚为典范，倡导从时间、地点和情节相一致的三一律中解放出来。他还鼓励在一部作品中悲惨与滑稽，怪诞与崇高相互融合。这一序言引起了强烈反响，同时也把浪漫主义战斗引入了戏剧领域。
However， Hugo also composed poetry with more tranquil themes of the Romantic Movement. This poetryachieved increasing popularity with the public and with the young Romantics. Books such as Nouvelles Odes(1824)， Odes et Ballades (1826)， and Les Orientales (1829) secured his leadership of the struggling poets ofRomanticism. As a critic， he won fame with another magazine， Muse francaise， which only lasted one year(1823—1824)， but gathered about Hugo many of the able young writers. By 1827， Hugo was consideredthe acknowledged chieftain of the embattled Romantics through two efforts： the formation of the RomanticCénacle or literary circle at Hugo’s home， and the publication of the Preface de Cromwell. The Cénaclebrought Hugo into contact with Sainte-Beuve， perhaps the most formidable literary critic of nineteenth-century France， and with all the ideas and exponents of Romantic doctrine. The preface to the play Cromwellis far more important than the drama： Hugo urged the Romantics to accept Shakespeare as their model； andhe advocated freedom from the three unities of time， place， and action. He also upheld the mingling in thesame work of the tragic and the comic， the grotesque and the sublime. The preface resulted in an uproar， andthe Romantic battle was joined in the area of the theatre.
雨果此时必须以实际行动扞卫自己的理论：他需要遵循《〈克伦威尔〉序》中的原则写出一部剧本来。这样，1830年便发生了着名的“《欧那尼》之争”。雨果写出的剧本《欧那尼》以西班牙为背景，完全符合浪漫主义题材所要求的异国情调、神秘莫测和中世纪特点等原则。《欧那尼》差不多违反了每一条古典主义原则。例如，雨果将台词的重读从17世纪法国戏剧家高乃依和拉辛的僵硬模式中摆脱了出来，并换之以各种重读方式。正是这种革新引发了双方间的一场“战争”。台上刚念完第一句改革后的台词，台下的古典主义分子便发出一阵不满的叫喊和哄笑。目睹这一事件的着名作家泰奥菲勒·戈蒂埃写道：“两个体系，两个派别，两个阵营，甚至可以说是两种文明在相互对抗，相互仇视，如同人们在吵架时相互仇视一样，随时准备扑向对方。”这部戏共演出了45场，这在当时是一个非常令人敬佩的数字。
古典主义最终败下阵来，不得不接受了这部戏。人们不约而同地欢呼雨果杀死了古典主义巨龙。至此，浪漫主义在各种文学形式上都取得了全面胜利。
Hugo now had to defend his theories in practical form： he had to write a play which would follow therules of the Preface de Cromwell. In 1830， the famous“Battle of Hernani”occurred. Hugo wrote this play，Hernani， utilizing Spain as the background which fitted the doctrine of the exotic， mysterious， and medievalas proper“Romantic”subjects. Hernani violated almost every possible classical rule； for example， Hugoshifted the stress of the lines from the rigid formulae of Corneille and Racine， the seventeenth-century Frenchdramatists， to a variety of emphatic measures. In face， this last innovation started the“battle”betweenthe two sides. The classicists hooted and howled at the very first line of the play which showed this change.
Theophile Gautier， a famous writer and witness of the event， wrote：“Two systems， two parties， two armies，it is not too much to say two civilizations confronted each other， hating each other cordially， as one hates inliterary quarrels， and ready to swoop down on each other.”The play lasted forty-five performances， a veryrespectable figure at that time， and the classicists finally yielded， accepting the drama. Hugo was unanimouslyhailed as the slayer of the classical dragon. Romanticism triumphed now in all genres.
浪漫主义虽已在诗歌和戏剧领域取得了胜利，但雨果仍致力于在这些领域中扩大影响。
他的诗歌使他名声更响，他在1831年至1835年间又写了五部浪漫主义剧作。1838年，又一部以西班牙为背景的剧作《吕意·布拉斯》使雨果攀上了胜利的高峰。然而小说却备受冷落，此前他只是在1823年写了《冰岛的汉》。现在他又把精力投入到小说这一文学形式的创作中，因为1828年他曾签约要写一部历史小说，并要在签约后五个月内交稿。经过编辑的再三讨告，雨果最终在1830年下半年动笔并于1831年发表了《巴黎圣母院》这部小说。根据小说改编的各种版本的电影、教堂敲钟怪人夸西莫多引人入胜的故事以及圣母院和中世纪巴黎的如画风景，使这部英译为《圣母院里的驼背人》的小说可能比《悲惨世界》更能引起人们对雨果的兴趣。雨果自己则称这部小说为“想象、随想和幻想之作”。作为浪漫主义流派的至尊领袖，雨果又开始向法兰西学士院这一堡垒发起冲击。他要求加入学士院的申请在1836年被两次驳回，并于1839年至1840年间被再次拒绝，其后，终于在1841年以17票比15票的微弱优势得到批准。
Victorious in the area of Romantic poetry and now in the Romantic theater， Hugo devoted his time tocontinuing his fame in these genres. His poetry added to his already well-established name， and he wrotefive more Romantic dramas between 1831 and 1835. The height of his victory in the drama came in 1838with Ruy Blas， another play set in Spain. Only the novel had been neglected seriously by him， although hehad written Han d’Islande in 1823. His energies were now channeled again to this genre； for one thing， hehad signed a contract in 1828 to write a historical novel， and the manu was due within five months ofthe signing. As a result of the editor’s howls of complaint， Hugo at last started to write the book in late 1830，and the novel was published as Notre-Dame de Paris in 1831. Translated into English as The Hunchback ofNotre-Dame， this novel has won Hugo more popularity perhaps than Les Miserables because of the severalmotion-picture versions， the melodramatic story of Quasimodo， the monstrous bellringer of the cathedral，and the picturesque setting of Notre Dame and medieval Paris. Hugo himself defined the work as a“workof imagination， caprice， and fantasy.”Unopposed as leader of the Romantic school， Hugo now stormed thebastions of the French Academy. Repulsed in 1836 twice in his bid for membership， and again during 1839-1840， he finally secured a place in 1841 by the narrow vote of 17 to 15.
1841年至1851年这十年是雨果在政治上逐步成熟和发展的阶段。虽然浪漫主义主张的文学上的自由和自主与这些理想在政治舞台上占上风密切相关，但雨果在此前却倾向于保守的保王观点，并到了非常危险的地步。例如，1831年前后，他十分崇拜拿破仑·波拿巴。1832年至1835年间他又热衷于自由主义，还拥护路易·菲利浦领导的、受到资产阶级或者中产阶级支持的七月王朝（1830—1848）。另外，奥尔良公爵曾支持他加入法兰西学士院；1845年维克多·雨果还被封为法兰西贵族。第二共和国（1848—1851）期间，雨果才完全献身于民主、自由的理想，并终身矢志不渝。1848年，他被选入国民议会后，曾试图在受苦的无产阶级和资产阶级的迫切要求之间走出一条中间的道路。因此，他为拿破仑一世的侄子，路易·拿破仑·波拿巴，参选法兰西共和国总统进行宣传。他虽怀疑这位波拿巴有建立帝国的野心，但还是让妥协和解的倾向占了上风。直到1851年，雨果才认识到早先追随一心想独揽大权的独裁者是多么愚蠢，也看清了这种愚蠢行为的后果：路易·波拿巴妄图毁掉共和国，自己当皇帝，做拿破仑三世。三年来，在忍让和沉默中，雨果看到的是法国大众都在追随路易·拿破仑。当雨果决心痛斥独裁者时，他却得不到大众的支持。
The ten years from 1841 through 1851 marked the political education and commitment of VictorHugo. Although Romanticism by its advocacy of liberty and freedom in literature was also linked closelyto the winning of these ideals in the political arena， Hugo had veered dangerously close to the conservativeand monarchical viewpoints during previous years. For example， he showed himself attracted to the cultof Napoleon Bonaparte around 1831， to liberalism between 1832 and 1835， and to the July Monarchy ofLouis-Phillippe (1830—1848) which had the support of the bourgeoisie， or middle class. In fact， the Dukeof Orleans had supported his bid to the French Academy； and in 1845 Victor Hugo was named a Peer ofFrance. During the Second Republic (1848—1851)， Hugo committed himself completely to the democraticand liberal ideals which he followed the rest of his life. In 1848 he was elected to the National Assemblyand at first tried to steer a moderate course between the urgent demands of the suffering proletariat and thebourgeoisie. For this reason， he spoke and wrote for the candidacy of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte， nephew ofNapoleon I， as president of the French Republic. His doubts about the former’s imperialistic ambitions weresubdued by a tendency to compromise until 1851. Then Hugo saw the results of his early folly in following adictator bent upon total power： Louis Napoleon wanted to destroy the Republic and become the emperor ofFrance as Napoleon III. In the three years of compromise and silence， Hugo saw that France was now willingto follow Louis Napoleon. By the time Hugo was determined to denounce the dictator， all popular support waslacking.
尽管如此，雨果还是于1851年7月17日在国民议会上猛烈抨击了路易·拿破仑。他愤愤地说道：“难道因为我们有过大拿破仑就非得再有小拿破仑吗？”“小拿破仑”从此被叫响，成了雨果未来19年中反对拿破仑三世的愤怒呐喊。拿破仑三世在清除了把法国变为帝国时遇到的种种阻力后，于1851年12月3日签署了逮捕雨果的命令。雨果先是逃到比利时，因在那儿继续从事政治活动又被劝离该国，接着他又在伦敦住了些日子，最后在英吉利海峡的泽西岛正式定居下来。在这儿他可以远远地望见法国的海岸。1853年，雨果写了一部反对法国皇帝的讽刺诗集《惩罚集》。在诗中他精确地预见到拿破仑三世会把法国引向节节败退之路。他把拿破仑三世描写成一个窃贼、暴君和懦夫。然而，政治形势却朝着对他的敌人有利的方向发展，在克里米亚战争中，英法结成联盟，共同对付俄国。这样一来，雨果对拿破仑三世的抨击便令英国政府感到难堪。1855年，雨果被迫再次搬家，迁往泽西岛附近的根西岛，同时还被告知不要干涉英格兰的外交事务。
Nevertheless， on July 17， 1851， Victor Hugo delivered a bitter attack in the National Assembly againstLouis Napoleon. He angrily said that“because we had had Napoleon the Great， must we have Napoleon theLittle？”This famous phrase， Napoleon le Petit， became the rallying cry of Victor Hugo against NapoleonⅢ for nineteen years. Orders for his arrest were signed on Dec. 3， 1851， after Napoleon Ⅲ had crushed allresistance to his coming conversion of France into an empire. Hugo fled first to Belgium， where his continuingpolitical activity forced that government to urge his departure. After a few days in London， he settleddefinitively on the Island of Jersey in the English Channel—within sight of the French coast. He composeda book of satirical poetry， Les Chǎtiments， in 1853 against the French Emperor in which he predicted veryaccurately that Napoleon Ⅲ would lead France down the road to defeat. Hugo depicted Napoleaon Ⅲ asa thief， a tyrant， and a coward. However， the tides of political fortunes were flowing in favour of his enemy：
England and France had become allies against Russia in the Crimean War， and Hugo’s attacks wereembarrassing to the British government. In 1855， he was compelled to move to the Island of Guernsey nearJersey where he was likewise ordered to stay out of the foreign affairs of England.
这一打击使他不得不终止公开的政治活动，但在根西岛上的年代却成了雨果不断取得文学成就的时期。雨果对人性、当权人物和19世纪的政治斗争有了更深入的观察和了解。流亡到根西岛后，他决定用文学来表达他历经艰辛才寻找到的真理。《沉思集》（1856）中的诗完全抛开政治而以自然、爱情和死亡为主题，大多既抒情而又富于哲理。在《历代传说》中，雨果力图写一部表现几个世纪来人类进步的历史哲理诗。因反对拿破仑三世独裁，雨果每年要损失约6万法郎的收入，因而不得不过节俭的生活。但追求政治理想所带来的经济损失却也因不多的写作收入而得到必要的补偿。雨果本来可以返回法国，因为拿破仑三世已宣布对流亡在外的政敌实行大赦。但雨果坚定地宣布：要么拿破仑三世去国外流亡，要么他自己去国外流亡。既然前者在巴黎似乎政权稳固，那么雨果只好继续侨居。他还曾写道：“为了遵守自己发自内心的承诺，我要同‘自由’一道流亡到底。只有当‘自由’得以回归时，我才能返回祖国。”
While this latest blow stifled his political activity， at least openly， the years at Guernsey were a periodof intense literary achievements. Hugo had observed and learned much about human nature， men in power，and the political struggle of the nineteenth century. By the terms of his new exile on Guernsey， he decidedto express in literature the profound truths he had acquired at great cost. The poems in Les Contemplations(1856)， are completely divorced from politics； the lyrical and philosophical aspects predominate in thethemes of nature， love， and death. In La Legende de siecles (1859)， Hugo endeavours to write a historicaland philosophial poem about the progress of mankind through the centuries. By refusing to go along with thedictatorical plans of Napoleon III， Hugo had sacrificed a large income of about 60，000 francs a year and hadbeen required to live rather frugally. Thus for Hugo the reduced income from his writings was a necessarysubstitute for his political idealism， which had caused him financial losses. However， he could have returnedto France because Napoleon III announced a general amnesty for all his foes in exile. But Hugo stubbornlyproclaimed that either Napoleon III or he would have to live in exile—and since the former seemed securelyin power in Paris， Hugo would remain abroad. Hugo wrote：“True to the engagement I have made with myown conscience， I shall share to the end the exile of Liberty. When Liberty returns， I shall return.”
这一坚定的立场使雨果有时间创作受到公认的杰作《悲惨世界》。早在1848年雨果积极投身政治活动之前，他就开始写该书的手稿了。1860年流亡在外的时候，他以极大的热情重新拿起笔继续这部书的创作。雨果曾经写道：“但丁用诗歌造出了一个地狱，而我则想用现实生活再造一个地狱。”这部长达1200多页的巨着刚一出版便被称为19世纪的世纪之作。60岁的雨果似乎正转向新兴的现实主义文学，却受到评论界和公众的一致称赞。
This courageous stand allowed him time to compose his acknowledged masterpiece， Les Misérables.
He had been working on the manu， Les Miseres， prior to 1848 when he actively entered politics. Now，in exile in 1860， he had taken up the project in great earnest. He wrote that“Dante created a hell out ofpoetry； I have tried to create one out of reality”. This book of more than twelve hundred pages was almostimmediately recognized as the novel of the nineteenth century； both critical and popular acclaim came toHugo at the age of sixty when he had seemed to be on the sidelines of the new literary movement of Realism.
19年后，雨果关于拿破仑三世独裁会招致灾难的预言得到了准确的验证。1870年，法国在与普鲁士的战争中很快就全面战败，拿破仑三世的精锐部队在色当投降。现在轮到“小拿破仑”去流亡了。虽然雨果成了得到验证的预言家并胜利地回到了法国，但归途所见却使他忧心忡忡，法国到处是战败的景象。第二帝国已经垮台了，雨果匆忙赶回巴黎，请求普鲁士人与刚刚建立的法兰西共和国议和，但他的请求丝毫不起作用。接着雨果又呼吁法国人民继续战斗，他再次被选入国民议会，力图在法德之间实现和平。当德国要求法国接受条件苛刻的和平条约时，法国立刻便着手进行报复。法国左右两派间日益激烈的斗争使雨果的幻想进一步破灭，他只是力图维护一个稳定的政府。雨果最终再次离开了法国，令人费解的是，这一次他是自愿离开的，并于1872年又回到了根西岛上。多少年来，他曾在这里遥望自己的祖国。
After nineteen years， Hugo’s warnings about the disasters which would occur because of thedictatorship of Napoleon III proved accurate. In 1870， France was quickly and completely defeated inthe war with Prussia， and Napoleon III surrendered the cream of the French army at Sedan. It was nowthe turn of“Napoléon le Petit”to go into exile. Although Hugo returned in triumph to France as theprophet vindicated， he cold not enjoy his trip back. He saw the nation in defeat and hastened to Paris wherehe pleaded uselessly with the Prussians to make peace with the new French Republic since the SecondEmpire had collapsed. He then exhorted the French to continue the fight and was elected again to theNational Assembly， and strove for a just peace between France and Germany. When Germany demandedacceptance of a harsh peace treaty， France immediately began to plan revenge. The increasing bitternessbetween Frenchmen on the Left and on the Right further disillusioned Hugo， and he strove to achieve a stablegovernment. At last， he ironically left France again， this time of his own accord， and went back in 1872 toGuernsey where he had spent so many years gazing at his native land in the distance.
1873年，雨果再次回到巴黎，并于1876年被选入元老院。他依旧是那位政坛宿将，对任何可能出现的新独裁迹象都予以坚决痛击。人们不该忘记的是，雨果在忙于政治活动的同时仍然完成了重要的文学着述。例如，流亡时期他曾写了两部象征性小说《海上劳工》（1866）和《笑面人》（1869）；另外，他还写了一部评论文集《威廉·莎士比亚》（1864），书中反映的与其说是那位英国戏剧家的思想，还不如说是雨果自己的思想。1874年，雨果出版了一部关于法国大革命的历史小说《九三年》，又于1877年发表了《历代传奇》续集。在他80岁寿辰之时，雨果被称为民族英雄。然而他的健康状况却每况愈下，他的文学和政治生涯已经走到了尽头。
In 1873， Hugo came back once more to Paris and was elected to the Senate in 1876. Still the oldwarhorse of politics， he fought any possible signs of a new dictatorship. But one must bear in mind that he hadproduced important literary efforts in the midst of intense political action. For example， he wrote two symbolicnovels， Les travailleurs de la mer (1866) and L’homme qui rit (1869) during the years of exile as well asWilliam Shakespeare (1864)， a critical essay which revealed more of Hugo’s thought than that of the Englishdramatist. In 1874， Hugo published a historical novel about the French Revolution， Quatre-vingt-Treize； andin 1877 appeared a continuation of La Légend de siècles. On the occasion of his eightieth birthday， Hugowas eulogized by his countrymen as a national hero. However， his health was gradually failing， and his role inliterary and political activities was clearly at an end.
1885年雨果去世后，评论界对他并非总是善意的，但他的重要地位却得到了同时代诗人的认可。曾写过雨果传记的安德烈·莫洛阿说：“像波德莱尔、马拉美、瓦莱里等一些诗人曾被认为更加完美，而且他们大多也确是如此，因为他们为自己制定了严格而新奇的艺术标准。但是如果没有雨果，就根本不会有他们自己。这一点他们本人也都承认。”作为这些诗人中的一员，保尔·瓦莱里这位在20世纪诗坛颇有影响的人物同样也证实了这种论断：“他就是力量的象征……只有了解到那些生在雨果时代的诗人怎样刻意求新以求与他相匹敌，我们才能看清雨果所达到的境界。”
Although critical reaction after his death in 1885 has not always been kind to Victor Hugo， hisimportance has been certainly recognized by his fellow poets. Andre Maurois， biographer of Hugo amongothers， states that“other poets， Baudelaire， Mallarme， Valery， have been thought to attain to a greaterperfection， and indeed， because of the strict and novel standards which they set themselves， have frequentlydone so. But without Hugo they would never have existed at all， as they themselves have admitted.”Oneof these poets， Paul Valery， a major poetic influence in the twentieth century， confirms this statement：“Hewas the very embodiment of power.... To get a clear view of his stature， one has to realize what eh poets bornwithin the climate of his influence had had to invent in order to be able to compete with him at all.”
1952年6月10日是他诞辰150周年，法国巴黎举行了庆祝活动，热情歌颂和缅怀维克多·雨果。安德烈·莫洛阿写道：“从来没有一个民族像这样紧密地与一个人的文学业绩交织在一起。”人们也许不会认为雨果对当代法国的作家和文学有支配作用，但他却被尊为最能代表19世纪法兰西精神的人。他在《悲惨世界》一书中概括了那个时代各种政治、社会和文学的问题和理想。外国读者对这种情形的了解显然是通过阅读这部小说而获得的。这一点可以从1862年以来各国都在翻译这部小说的事实中得以证实。《悲惨世界》所包含的善行和人道的理想至今在人类追求进步和光明的过程中依然适用。
On June 10， 1952， the 150th anniversary of his birth was celebrated in Paris， and France paid devotedtribute to the memory of Victor Hugo.“Never，”writes again Andre Maurois，“has a nation been so closelyknit with one single body of writing.”While Hugo may not be deemed a dominant influence on the writersand in the literature of contemporary France， he is genuinely regarded with respect as the man who mostnobly represents the French spirit of the nineteenth century. He also epitomizes in Les Misérables all thepolitical， social， and literary problems and ideals of that era. Foreign impressions of this situation obviouslyhave been formed by the novel， as can be seen in the many translations in all countries since 1862. LesMisérables still contains valid and useful ideals of goodness and humanitarianism for the quest of man towardprogress and enlightenment.
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