André Maurois, a classic of French literature of the 20th century, a true master of psychological prose, also became famous as the author of novelized biographies of Dumas, Balzac, George Sand and others. One of his best books in this genre is “Olympio, or the Life of Victor Hugo” – dedicated to the great Frenchman, who left a unique mark on the history of not only French, but also European culture. The famous poet, playwright, prose writer, Victor Hugo bravely rushed into politics, became a peer of France, a defender of the outcast and persecuted. He fought on the barricades for the ideals of freedom and democracy, and then spent almost twenty years in exile. His compatriots considered Hugo the conscience of the nation; it was not for nothing that Romain Rolland called him “The Leo Tolstoy of French literature.” Andre Maurois, with inimitable skill, creates a surprisingly vivid portrait of this many-sided man.