Hawzah News Agency (Tehran, Iran) – Here are some excerpts of Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks on French writer, Victor Hugo:

Victor Hugo is a wise man [hakim], not a typical author. He is indeed a Hakeem, as we Muslims say, and this Hakeem has inserted his best words into “Les Misérables”.

Possibly about twenty years ago or more—I don’t remember exactly—I read “Les Misérables” for the first time. Of course, I read it a few more times later. Once I had described it in a way that surprised everyone; hence, I'd rather not use that term again.

March 06, 1999

I was reminded of Victor Hugo's talent, expressed in his book “Les Misérables”, which is an account of Napoleon’s wars. Rather, he describes portions of Napoleon’s wars in it. I believe Victor Hugo has depicted the best of these scenes through his words. Victor Hugo is a wise man [hakim], not a typical author. He is indeed a Hakeem, as we Muslims say, and this Hakeem has inserted his best words into “Les Misérables”. “Les Misérables” is a book of wisdom [hikmat] and in my opinion, everyone should read it.

September 20, 1993