h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a lot of time for old Victor, largely because we share the same birthday. (Same day of the same month but NOT the same year.) Having said that, there are bits of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' that have to rank amongst the most boring prose ever written, although Les Miserables is good.

One point about Victor that the article didn't mention. Victor used to pay his manservant to steal his (Victor's) clothes so that he (Victor) would have to stay in and work. Being an idler by nature, I can identify with this, although I have so many distractions at home (books, videos, CDs, tapes, needlework, my computer) that I'd have to be the victim of a major burglary for this strategy to work.

I am glad to hear you were not born in the same year as Hugo, though I have heard that some dragons can be fairly long-lived. I had not heard of the particular eccentricity you mentioned, but I too can identify with it for similar reasons.

However, if I were to work at home, the biggest problem I would have is that my work would most likely involve the computer. If my personal valet (ahhh, it would be nice to have a personal valet) stole my computer so as it would not distract me from my work, I would no longer be able to do my work.

The ghost of Joseph Heller, only a few days old, seems already to be laughing at me. Perhaps an entry on him might be my next task.

Yes, the theft of my computer would pose the same problem for me. It's just as well that I don't work from home, although I would like to. Maybe I should take a leaf out of one of Victor's books and take up writing!

I just encountered your entry, and must let it be said that I too was born on February the Twenty-Sixth. Though Victor Hugo was once my favorite French author, I now favor Camus. (was he french?)

Well, Happy Birthday when it comes around.

I think that horoscopes are a load of twaddle, but occasionally something like this crops up that makes me go 'Hmm!'. Mind you, there was a programme on UK's Channel 4 a few weeks ago about horoscopes and the way some people run their lives, not to mention their companies, by them. Apparently, horoscopes as we know them in newspapers and magazines were invented in the 20s or 30s. Before then, although a person might know their star sign, no astrologer worth his salt would dream of trying to lump together all the people born under one star sign and doing a universal horoscope. Horoscopes were plotted individually, and could involve as many as 1400 (no, that is NOT a typo!) variables.

As I mentioned in the entry, Victor Hugo unfortunately fell for a cousin to horoscopes -- table-turning or Spiritism.

Check out http://www.h2g2.com/A157781 it's my original entry where I have updated the approved entry. It contains more information on Hugo's poetry and novels.