Être libre, dit Combeferre

he had so much sex his biographers straight up gave up trying to document all of his sexual partners. he was reported to fuck up to 3-9 times a day. He had a secret sex diary written in code. He had “official” and “unofficial” mistresses. One estimate was that he had ~200 sexual partners in two years. 

Many articles make similar claims to those above. However, much of this information circulates without a clear source, and I have struggled to find reputable/high level sources for some of this information. Therefore, keep in mind that some of this may be exaggerated or potentially unreliable.

Obviously, I cannot account for the sexual of history of every human who has ever lived, but evidence does suggest that Victor Hugo had a… lively sex life.

From Medium: ‘Sex was so involved in Hugo’s daily life that one biographer wrote the following while describing a typical day in Hugo’s life:

“It was not unusual for him to make love to a young prostitute in the morning, an actress before lunch, a courtesan as an aperitif, and then join the also ­indefatigable Juliette for a night of sex.”

[…] Hugo claimed that on the wedding night, he and his wife had sex nine times.’

His encoded sex diary is referenced on Wikipedia, but when I found an English translation of the source, I couldn’t find where in it they were sourcing.

From Wikipedia: 'He systematically reported his casual affairs using his own code, as Samuel Pepys did, to make sure they would remain secret.’

The source is listed as: 'Hugo, Victor, Choses vues 1870–1885, p. 529, ISBN 2070361411, pp. 371, 521 (n. 1).’

I’ve found Choses Vues here in the original French and here translated into English. If anyone can find anything in here about the encoded sex diary, please let me know!

His 'official mistress’ is likely in reference to Juliette Drouet.

From EBSCO: 'Since 1833, Hugo had maintained a liaison with a beautiful female actor, Juliette Drouet, who for twelve years followed a cloistered existence relieved only by six-week summer holidays with her lover.’

His 'unofficial mistress’ is likely in reference to Léonie d’Aunet Biard.

From The Common Reader: 'Overlapping was a seven-year affair with travel writer and Arctic explorer Léonie d’Aunet Biard, whose husband finally brought a police officer to the Paris hotel and caught them in flagrante.’

I have found articles that circulate the '200’ claim, but none that give a source for the information.

From Medium: 'Not only that but he bedded 200 women in this hotel in just two years.’

The claim that brothels were closed on the day of his funeral is again circulated frequently without claim. The only sourced part of the claim I can find is a second hand report that sex workers had 'draped their gentials in black crepe’.

From The Guardian: ’[…] when Hugo died the brothels of Paris closed down for a day of mourning, allowing all the city’s sex workers to pay their last respects to a loyal client. Literary critic Edmond de Goncourt claimed a police officer told him that sex workers even draped their genitals in black crepe as a mark of respect.’

And an estimated 2 million people attended his funeral procession.

From Funeral Conflicts in Nineteenth-Century France: 'Two million people came to see Hugo’s body lying in state at the Arc de Triomphe’

June 5th | the barricades rise

some normal barricade boys that are also not doomed

somehow makes it sound like this 1,400-page epic historical novel is a bland self-help book ("practical"?)

honestly, contender for funniest sentence of all time: "it feels as though the author has no definite opinion on politics, religion, or even the central plot of the story."

VICTOR HUGO???

NO OPINION?

bonus runner-up, because i like how it makes it sound like javert is the one droning on about the sewers:

Conventionist G_ but it's the wrong kind of convention.

@lesmisshippingshowdown

Bonus next convention:

This is a modern adaptation of the iconic novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. Our screenplay is built on a strong foundation of classical dramaturgy, and adaptations of this work have always achieved great success. All roles in this story are complex and compelling, with each character having a powerful dramatic arc. This is a low-budget film with strong potential for success, featuring beautiful locations and driven by a solid script and an award-winning director.

Storyline: A young student, Tina Morgan, falls into a relationship with the wealthy and influential Felix Trask, only to be abandoned when she becomes pregnant and refuses his offer to erase the problem with money. Left alone with her newborn daughter Colette, Tina spirals into poverty, exploitation, and desperate choices, including selling her body online, until a violent encounter with a client leads to her arrest. Saved by the mysterious Madden—an ex-con seeking redemption—Tina tries to rebuild her life, finding hope with the idealistic law student Marius, but her past resurfaces when explicit content is leaked and weaponized in a political scandal tied to Felix’s senatorial campaign. As powerful forces close in, including Detective Jarrett and Felix’s legal machine, Tina must fight to protect her child, her dignity, and the truth, while the hidden connections between Felix, corruption, and manipulation threaten to destroy her completely.

The notice included breakdowns for two characters:

[ TINA ] 20 to 27 years old; Hispanic, Mixed Ethnicity, White; woman. A fragile and beautiful young woman. Tina Morgan is a resilient yet vulnerable young woman whose life is shaped by love, betrayal, and survival. Once a bright and hopeful student, she is drawn into a relationship with a powerful man who ultimately abandons her, leaving her to face pregnancy, poverty, and social isolation alone. Driven by her fierce devotion to her daughter, Tina is forced into morally difficult choices to survive, but beneath her hardship lies strength, dignity, and an unbreakable will to protect her child and reclaim control over her life. This is a complex dramatic role featuring a powerful character transformation. For the period in which the character has short hair, a wig will be used. INTIMACY: The role includes kissing scenes with her boyfriend Marius and her ex-boyfriend, the antagonist Felix. There is also a scene in which she appears in underwear in front of a webcam while trying to earn money in a desperate situation to support her six-month-old daughter. This is intended as a powerful and heartbreaking moment, not exploitative. Additionally, there is a scene where a man attempts to assault her; however, the act does not progress. He pushes her onto the bed, she resists, hits him, and escapes. She is fully dressed in this scene. This moment is important for the character’s dramatic arc, as it leads to her arrest and ultimately to Madden helping her. All scenes will be handled with sensitivity, and details can be discussed to ensure the actor’s comfort. There will be an Intimacy Coordinator present.

[ MADDEN ] 35 to 45 years old; Mixed Ethnicity, White; man. A handsome and imposing man with a deep, penetrating gaze that conceals the secrets and pain of his past. Madden is a quiet, enigmatic man with a troubled past and a strong moral code forged through hardship. A former convict who reinvented himself, he now runs a foundation helping vulnerable women, seeking redemption by giving others a second chance. Beneath his calm and controlled exterior lies a man capable of both compassion and intimidation, willing to confront powerful enemies to protect those under his care, especially Tina and her child.

I found the project on Backstage, with only the Madden breakdown, but also a PDF of some of his scenes. Plus, an AI-generated poster with the accent facing the wrong way!

“I didn’t think you of all people would be so squeamish,” Jehan tells Combeferre. “Aren’t you a man of science? Don’t you dissect things all the time?”

“Well but I do not RUB BLOOD ALL OVER MY FACE ON A REGULAR BASIS,” says Combeferre. “WAS THAT REAL BLOOD, JEHAN? IT SMELLED LIKE REAL BLOOD. WHERE DID YOU GET A REAL HEART?”

Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

HUH?? IS THAT BLOOD?? why is it so. UH????

2/10 would accept this as a cover for Dracula

Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014

F O R E H E A D

11/10 (the size of his forehead)

I FINISHED IT!!! LET’S GO LESBIANS 💘

over 50k words of crossdressing eposette slow burn…..waow

Chapters: 14/14 Fandom: Les Misérables - Victor Hugo, Les Misérables - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Cosette Fauchelevent/Éponine Thénardier, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Cosette Fauchelevent & Jean Valjean, Éponine Thénardier & Jean Valjean, Javert & Éponine Thénardier, Azelma Thénardier & Éponine Thénardier Characters: Éponine Thénardier, Cosette Fauchelevent, Jean Valjean, Javert (Les Misérables), Azelma Thénardier Additional Tags: Canon Era, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Crossdressing, Identity Issues, Gender Confusion, archive warning for Major Character Death bc I did manage to kill one of the only characters, who doesn’t already die in canon, (R.I.P. Marius), Falling In Love, Background Javert/Jean Valjean Summary: