2025 a big year for Victor Hugo anniversaries and celebrations

This year marks 170 years since Victor Hugo arrived in Guernsey and the Victor Hugo Centre team continues to work towards bringing the concept to fruition.

‘2025 is going to be a very exciting year for us,’ said chairman Larry Malcic.

‘There is a lot going on and it’s interesting that 2025 is also the 80th anniversary of Liberation, which in itself has a connection to Victor Hugo because 160 years ago Hugo proclaimed to the world that Guernsey was "the rock of hospitality and freedom".’

The team plans to launch a number of initiatives this year, using Hugo as a resource to create a global draw. In his spare time, Hugo walked Guernsey’s cliff paths, and so the 'Victor Hugo trails' will be launched in April.

The walks will be a self-guided introduction to Hugo’s exile to the island, and the inspiration and sense of purpose he found while here.

The centre will also be sponsoring a talk at the Guernsey Literary Festival on human rights, to tie into Hugo’s campaigns for social justice, and plans to host another poetry night with Hugo poems in both French and English.

‘These are examples of what will be happening at the Victor Hugo centre in its assembly rooms, but we can also do that now,’ said Mr Malcic.

‘All of this is building up towards achieving our fundraising goal of £7.5m.

‘I’ve been very impressed by the generosity of islanders to date, as well as the level of enthusiasm that people have, and they recognise that this is a real asset and resource for the island and one that will give both islanders and international visitors the opportunity to explore the island, just as Hugo himself did.’

October it will see the 50th anniversary of the Francis Truffaut film The Story of Adele H, which was filmed in the island.

Some islanders featured as extras in the film and the Victor Hugo Centre hopes to team up with the Victor Hugo in Guernsey Society for a celebration and showing of the film.

This year is the 40th anniversary of Les Miserables hitting the West End, which is already being celebrated in the island with performances from The Ladies’ College last week.

‘It shows how Hugo is reinterpreted by every generation in different ways, from the 19th century the 11 operas that were written about victory, and now the longest-running musical in the West End,’ said Mr Malcic.

‘Guernsey is shy about all that it has and all that it can be.

'We need to overcome that shyness and recognise the great things and opportunities we have here.’