Bug-Jargal

Set during the Haitian Revolution of 1791 to 1804, Bug-Jargal is the story of an enslaved African prince called Bug-Jargal and an officer in the French military, Leopold. Although the work was published in 1826, the novel was originally more of a novella, making its first premiere in the magazine Hugo and his brother operated, Le Conservateur Llitteraire, in 1820. Hugo later noted that he had written the manuscript for Bug-Jargal in 1819 at the age of 17. While the original is different from the novel well-circulated today, the dated manuscript from Hugo's magazine proves the author's great talent and ability for writing great literature, even at a young age.