Victor Hugo's last Novel-Ninety Three and world revolutionaries

Hugo, Victor, Ninety-Three, a novel, first French original edition 1874

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•       Bhagat Singh was a voracious reader of books and the variety of books he read varied from Political economy to literature. Though Victor Hugo is a hugely known, rather a classic writer of 19^th century, but he is known more for his novel Les Misérables. Victor Hugo, who lived a rich and tumultuous life of 83 years, is considered one of the most respected writers of not only France, but of Europe as a whole. Nineteenth century was a century of enlightenment in Europe after French revolution of 1793, giving rise to the slogan of Equality, Fraternity and Liberty, which later became part of French constitution and even UNO motto.
•       Bhagat Singh had read Les Misérables also, but on this novel Ninety-Three, he and Sukhdev had discussions. Along with Leonid Andreyev novel Seven that were Hanged their personalities as revolutionaries were shaped to some extent on the lives of revolutionaries in these two novels in France and Russia, at least these novels had left deep impression on them.
•      For France, Victor Hugo as a writer, was one of the greatest. France gives more respect to its writers than its political leaders. As once one of most powerful President of France Charles de Gaulle had famously said about Jean Paul Sartre that Sartre is France and I can not arrest France. That time Sartre had come on roads to support France’s rebellious students in 1968. Victor Hugo wrote much in terms of quantity, but is known for quality of his works as well. Apart from ten books of fiction, he wrote more than fifty more books, which include poetry, plays, prose and political writings. His other famous novel is Hunchback of the Notre Dame. Very few personalities of the world have got so much space on Wikipedia, as Victor Hugo has got. Victor Hugo is considered as foremost writer of Romantic movement in literature.
•      Ninety-Three was his last writing published in 1874 at the age of 72 years. He died in 1885 at the age of 83 years. Victor Hugo was not only a writer; he was active in political life of France and took part in its revolutionary activities as well. Hugo had become member of prestigious French Academy of Letters of France in 1841 and entered Upper Chamber of Parliament in 1845, nominated by then King. Later he was elected to Second Republic’s National Assembly like lower chamber in 1848, as a conservative. He broke from Conservatives in 1849 and became votary of abolition of death sentence. He spoke in favour of ending misery of the poor people and for universal suffrage. He was also in favour of free education for all children. In 1851, when Napoleon III seized the power, Hugo went into exile in 1855 and returned to France in 1870 only, after Napoleon III was deposed. Although like Charles Dickens in England, Victor Hugo also initially supported French colonialism of Africa as ‘civilizing mission’. But later he became strong votary of abolishing slavery in the Caribbean and also of decolonising Africa. He famously said in 1862-‘Only one slave on Earth is enough to dishonor the freedom of all men. So, the abolition of slavery is, at this hour, the supreme goal of the thinkers’

— Victor Hugo, 17 January 1862

•    During Paris Commune in France from 18^th March 1871 to 27^th May, he was in Brussels, he was critical of atrocities on ‘both sides.’ He freed himself from the impact of religion and declared himself to be Free Thinker, in the tradition of Voltaire, a progressive trend in those times. His rationalism had offended some people and he had faced slogans like Burn Hugo. Despite his many contradictions, he had become a hero for France by 1870, he had remained member of National Assembly again and when he died, France mourned his death as a national hero. In many cities of France, lanes or areas are named after him.
•       Interesting part of his last novel Ninety-Three is that on one side ‘Reds’ like Joseph Stalin and Bhagat Singh had read and appreciated it. On the other side ‘Whites’ like iconic novelist of individualism Ayan Rand also admired this novel and even wrote an introduction to one of its English translations. 
•    The novel was written on 1793 French revolution but in the shadow of Paris Commune of 1871, as the novel was published in 1874. It is long novel of nearly 350 pages and not very simple narration or storytelling. Ninety-Three (Quatrevingt-treize) is the last novel by Victor Hugo. The novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary revolts in 1793 during the French Revolution. It is divided into three parts, but not connected chronologically; each part tells a different story, offering a different view of historical general events. The action mainly takes place in Brittany and in Paris. The civil war in France had started in November 1792 and the murders which started were so terrible that they raised one’s hair on head. A troop of "Blues" (soldiers of the French Republic) encounter in the bocage Michelle Fléchard, a peasant woman, and her three young children, who are fleeing from the conflict. She explains that her husband and parents have been killed in the peasant revolt that started the insurrection. The troop's commander, Sergeant Radoub, convinces them to look after the family.
•       Meanwhile, at sea, a group of Royalist "Whites" are planning to land the Marquis de Lantenac, a Breton aristocrat whose leadership could transform the fortunes of the rebellion. While at sea, a sailor fails to properly secure his cannon, which rolls out of control and damages the ship. The sailor risks his life to secure the cannon and save their ship. Lantenac awards the man a medal for his bravery and then executes him (without trial) for failing in his duty. Their corvette is spotted by ships of the Republic. Lantenac slips away in a boat with one supporter, Halmalo, the brother of the executed sailor, and the corvette distracts the Republican ships by provoking a battle the damaged ship cannot win.
•           Lantenac is hunted by the Blues, but is protected by a local beggar, to whom he gave alms in the past. He meets up with his supporters, and they immediately launch an attack on the Blues. Part of the troop with the family is captured. Lantenac orders them all to be shot, including Michelle. He takes the children with him as hostages. The beggar finds the bodies, and discovers that Michelle is still alive. He nurses her back to health.
•        antenac's ruthless methods have turned the revolt into a major threat to the Republic. In Paris, Danton, Robespierre and Marat argue about the threat, while also sniping at each other. They promulgate a decree that all rebels and anyone who helps them will be executed. Cimourdain, a committed revolutionary and former priest, is deputed to carry out their orders in Brittany. He is also told to keep an eye on Gauvain, the commander of the Republican troops there, who is related to Lantenac and thought to be too lenient to rebels. Unknown to the revolutionary leaders, Cimourdain was Gauvain's childhood tutor, and thinks of him as a son.
•      Meanwhile, Michelle has recovered and goes in search of her children. She wanders aimlessly, but eventually hears that they are being held hostage in Lantenac's castle. At the castle Sergeant Radoub, fighting with the besiegers, spots the children. He persuades Gauvain to let him lead an assault. He manages to break through the defences and kill several rebels, but with Halmalo's aid, Lantenac and a few survivors escape through a secret passage after setting fire to the building. As the fire takes hold, Michelle arrives, and sees that her children are trapped. Her hysterical cries of despair are heard by Lantenac. Struck with guilt, he returns through the passage to the castle and rescues the children, helped by Radoub. He then gives himself up. Lantenac, who throughout had been most ruthless and without any sense of humanity in him, shows a kind of some human kindness for children, whom he had kept as hostages, makes revolutionary Gauvain a bit soft towards him. Lantenac fate was certain, he was going to be guillotined after a trial chaired by former priest Cimourdain. Gauvain out of his idealist humanism, releases Lantenac and takes his place in prison by changing clothes with him. Next morning at the time of trial, instead of Lantenac, it is their own revolutionary comrade Gauvain, who faces trial, which creates consternation among the jury. Radaub is part of jury headed by Cimourdain, who treats Gauvain as his son, as he had tutored him as a child. Out of three member judges panel Radaub acquits Gauvain seeing his past sincere and unfailing revolutionary record. Cimourdin sides with other judge to convict Gauvain and before Gauvain has to guillotined next morning, goes and meets him in prison during his last night. Next morning Gauvain is guillotined and at the same time a shot is heard, Cimourdined had shot himself with pistol. The novel ends there.
•     Joseph Stalin had read the novel during his seminary in Georgia and was deeply impacted by the character of Cimourdin. Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev had discussion on this novel. Sukhdev had no sympathy for Cimourdin committing suicide, he was against the very idea of suicide as a revolutionary. However, after being arrested and in jail, Sukhdev himself thought of suicide instead of spending whole life behind jail walls. Sukhdev could not sustain long hunger strike as Bhagat Singh and BK Dutt and many other comrades had observed. The two letters exchange between Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev, one outside jail and second inside jail throws light on the philosophical attitude towards the concepts of Love and Suicide. Bhagat Singh was quite harsh in criticism of Sukhdev about the idea of committing suicide and he tells him clearly that inside and outside jail, both had changed positions. Bhagat Singh argued that revolutionaries had to remain prepared for long sufferings inside and outside jail without ever thinking of suicide, though Bhagat Singh like Stalin understood Cimourdin’s dilemma, who could perform his duty as revolutionary to get his son convicted and guillotined, but then out of paternal emotions shot himself dead.
•         This novel had influenced a lot those Indian revolutionaries, who were fond of and read literature, like the other revolutionaries of the world. Though not much discussed as literary classic, yet ninety-three stands apart among its readership of revolutionaries across the world. That keeps the novel’s socio-political relevance live even after nearly 150 years after its publication!
•    The novel has been digitized under Gutenberg project and available free on Internet Archives.