"Victor Hugo on Things That Matter" gives English speakers the social, historical, cultural, and biographical context essential to enjoying the writing and art of this genius of nineteenth-century France. The book's topical organization lets readers investigate Hugo's ideas about private, personal concerns - love, children, grief, nature, God - as well as public, politically important issues - liberty and democracy, tyranny, social justice, humanity, peace, and war.Unlike other Hugo anthologies, "Victor Hugo on Things That Matter" offers introductions and notes in English and includes twenty-five of Hugo's watercolours and drawings. Readers will find key Hugo texts in the original French, along with the following supplemental information in English: an overview of Hugo's importance and his private and public personas; introductions to each chapter; historical and cultural explanatory notes; a time line of Hugo's life and work; and opportunities for further reading.

Marva Barnett is professor at the University of Virginia, where she also serves as director of the Teaching Resource Center.

"Much carful thought has gone into the book's organisation, making it a pleasure to explore. . . . This theme-based approach is ideal for realising the author's intention of helping the reader 'make contact' with Hugo the man through his writings and engage with his ideas and thoughts on 'things that matter.' . . . Barnett's overview of Hugo's life and ideas is lively and illuminating, valuable in its own right independently of the anthologized pieces. The author achieves the difficult balance of including a wealth of information without excessive detail or denseness. . . . Throughout, the book is animated with Barnett's own love and appreciation of Hugo's work and what emerges is not just a showcase of the writer's literary creations but an insight into 'one great, intriguing mind.' The reader gains an appreciation not only of the writer but the man himself: his feelings, his character, his thoughts and his ideas that still speak to us today with their enduring optimism. "Victor Hugo on Things That Matter" is an important step in bringing Hugo to a deservedly wider world readership."--Andrea Beaghton, "L'Echo Hugo"--Andrea Beaghton "L'Echo Hugo "