William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (1864) is an experimental biography by Victor Hugo that was written while the poet was living in exile on the island of Guernsey. It is a sweeping biography of literature itself, a touching tribute to the spirit of creativity that defines humanity's life on earth and beyond. Hugo leans into this tendency to immortalize the artist while forgetting the art, and this edition of Victor Hugo's William Shakespeare is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 318 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: West Margin Press

William Shakespeare, an experimental biography by Victor Hugo, was written while the poet was living in exile on the island of Guernsey. Despite being doomed to failure at its conception, William Shakespeare is a sweeping biography of literature itself, paying a touching tribute to the spirit of creativity that defines humanity's life on earth and beyond. Hugo emphasizes that there are men, oceans, and all the elements that make up the world, and that these can exist in one spirit, known as genius. He compares the minds of these great thinkers to the ocean, recognizing their immense depth and complexity. For a writer of Hugo's stature, there is always the risk that the myth will outlast the man and that his work will be idolized. In William Shakespeare, Hugo leans into this tendency to immortalize the artist while forgetting the art. Initially intended as a simple introduction to his son's translation of Shakespeare's works into French, the project grew into something much greater, allowing Hugo to meditate on the nature of creativity and to place the contribution of one writer within the history of humanity itself. This edition of Victor Hugo's William Shakespeare is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers, with a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781513135656