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Juliette DrouetFrench actress
Date of Birth: 10.04.1806
Country:  France |
Content:
- Julienne Drouet: A Life Dedicated to Victor Hugo
- Meeting and Love Affair with Victor Hugo
- A Constant Companion to Hugo
- Literary Legacy
Julienne Drouet: A Life Dedicated to Victor Hugo
Early Life and Theatrical CareerJulienne Drouet, born in 1806, was orphaned at the tender age of two. She was raised initially by her uncle, René Drouet, and later in a religious boarding school for girls in Paris. In 1825, she became the mistress of the sculptor Jean Jacques Pradier, who immortalized her in the allegorical statue of the city of Strasbourg on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Inspired by Pradier, Drouet embarked on a stage career, adopting the stage name of Juliette Drouet. Her theatrical career spanned from 1829 to 1833, but it was relatively short-lived.
Meeting and Love Affair with Victor Hugo
In 1833, while performing in Victor Hugo's play "Lucrèce Borgia," Drouet met the renowned author. She fell deeply in love with him and, for the privilege of being close to him, abandoned her stage career.
A Constant Companion to Hugo
Drouet became an inseparable companion to Hugo, refusing to leave his house without his escort and even following him into exile. Throughout their years together, she wrote countless letters to him, displaying, according to her biographer Henri Troyat, an extraordinary literary talent.
Literary Legacy
In addition to her intimate relationship with Hugo, Drouet left her mark on literature through her voluminous correspondence. Her letters to Hugo, published posthumously, offer a glimpse into the life and work of one of France's most revered writers.
