This collection of poems was conceived as a grand epic, intended to portray the history and evolution of humanity. Written between 1855 and 1876, during Hugo’s exile in Guernsey, the poems were published in three series: in 1859, in 1877, and in 1883. Due to a monumental poetic achievement unparalleled in French poetry, these works are now considered by many to be the only ‘true’ French epic.