Everywhere him!” When Victor Hugo published his poem “Him” (“Lui”) in 1827, no one could doubt the identity of the “him” in question.
Six years after Napoleon Bonaparte ’s death, and just 12 after his final defeat at Waterloo, his presence still loomed massively over the Western world.
When Hugo wrote his poem, and for decades afterward, opinions about Napoleon tended to divide along the lines first set during his rule.
It could hardly have been otherwise, given his enormously disruptive impact on the Western world.
Here was a man who in 1799, when just 30 years old, seized dictatorial power in a coup and five years later crowned himself emperor of the French.
Persons:
“, Victor Hugo, “ Lui ”, Napoleon Bonaparte ’, Ridley, Napoleon, Joaquin Phoenix, Hugo
Organizations:
Waterloo
Locations:
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