author
Juliette Drouet
1806–1883
A French actress remembered today as Victor Hugo’s devoted companion, she also left behind a remarkable record of 19th-century literary life through her letters. Her story moves from the stage to decades of loyalty, travel, and quiet influence beside one of France’s greatest writers.
1 Audiobook
Juliette Drouet's Love-Letters to Victor Hugo Edited with a Biography of Juliette Drouet
by Juliette Drouet, Louis Guimbaud
About the author
Born Julienne Joséphine Gauvain in Fougères in 1806, Juliette Drouet became a stage actress in Paris under the name Juliette Drouet. She appeared in the theater world of the early 19th century and is often noted for her role in Lucrèce Borgia, the play that brought her into Victor Hugo’s circle.
After meeting Hugo in 1833, she gave up most of her acting career and spent the rest of her life closely tied to his. She served not only as his companion but also as a secretary, organizer, and traveling partner, following him through years that included his exile from France.
Juliette Drouet died in Paris in 1883. Although she is frequently introduced through her relationship with Hugo, she is also remembered in her own right as a letter writer whose surviving correspondence offers a vivid, personal window into French cultural life in the 1800s.