Victor Hugo's concern for the poor and the simplicity of his character established humility and tolerance as key values in the Hugo family.
"One important [maxim in] our family is not to be proud, and [to] be tolerant," Adele Hugo said.
When Victor Hugo died, he left instructions that he wanted his funeral to be simple, but still over 2 million people followed his cortege.
Among the multitude of Hugo's works, the novel Les Miserables is probably the best known, and has been adapted for the cinema and the stage, both as drama and musical.
Noting the numerous formats in which Hugo's literary works have been presented, Adele Hugo said she was happy to see that one single work of his could be transformed into such diverse forms of artistic expression.
Though she commented that she personally didn't like the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Adele Hugo said it is in the spirit of tolerance to allow different interpretations of the artwork so that all kinds of people, regardless of age, can appreciate it.
A painter herself, Adele Hugo has demonstrated another talent that seems to run in the Hugo family.
Adele Hugo, like Victor Hugo, is a natural romantic with a strong feeling for the poetic and unexpected, as shown in her paintings. Although she said her creations are independent of Hugo's influence, her liking of Hugo's poetry served as an inspiration for the elegance and humor of her own work.
Adele Hugo was invited by Francois R. Varga, president of the Institute France-Asie FEDA (Far Eastern Development Association), to join the Victor Hugo Conference organized by Ming Chuan University (銘傳大學) to celebrate the bicentenary of Hugo's birth. Taiwan was the only country in Asia that Adele Hugo visited and was also her last stop of the year-long worldwide celebration. She left Taiwan for Paris Dec. 13 after a five-day conference.
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