Message from Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, founder of the Literary House of Victor Hugo
To Victor Hugo, a great literary master who survived like a furious wave a tormented 19th century. I want to broadly expose the heritage of the human spirit and help the renewal and development of great French culture. This ardent wish presided over the inauguration of the Literary House of Victor Hugo, on June 21, 1991, at the Château des Roches, a place attached to his memory and restored for the occasion. Since then, thirty years have passed and the 20th century has given way to the 21st.
The town of Bièvres, where traditional houses stand, is rich in beautiful nature in all seasons, as well as the warm hearts of its inhabitants.
The fresh scent of flowers and the songs of birds envelop visitors to the Maison Littéraire, a place conducive to relaxation and poetic inspiration. To date, it has welcomed more than 280,000 visitors and has become, it is said, « one of the most important places to visit in the town of Bièvres ». As a founder, nothing could make me happier. Many intellectuals expressed their deep understanding and compliments saying, « It is wonderful that the Literary House of Victor Hugo has collected such a wide range of works by the writer. The fact that it preserves these treasures of the literary world, transcending time and space and making these works of the past known to as many people as possible, constitutes in itself a precious beacon for the future. » I would like to express my most sincere gratitude and my deep respect for the precious efforts made by all the people invested in the development and preservation of this Literary House, since its opening. Since my youth, I have read Hugo’s works many times. I am one of those people who were moved by these readings, as if the depths of my soul had been deeply upset. I continued to write what I consider to be my life’s work, the novels The Human Revolution and The New Human Revolution, inspired by his example.
Hugo declared loud and clear: « There is a spectacle greater than the sea, it is the sky; there is a spectacle bigger than the sky, it is the interior of the soul. » and « Light purifies. The light turns on. All the generous social irradiations come from science, letters, arts, education. »
As symbolized by these famous words, the giant of literature aspired to create a century of humanism and people, based on the spiritual revolution of people. Is it not also a century of the dignity of life ?
In today’s increasingly confused society, these golden letters, filled with great passion and the great light of humanistic reason, which touch on the universal, inspire and uplift humanity, unite it , and carry great hope for the future.
As long as there is misery in this world, we have no choice but to act for the good of the people, the glory of youth and peace in the world, animated by the imperishable spirit of Hugo.
May our Literary House of Victor Hugo continue to shine the light of the humanism of the great writer, treasure of the French spirit and of world culture, throughout the planet. May this cultural garden, where « the great spirit » flourish, be increasingly appreciated by all those who will succeed us in the 21st and 22nd centuries.
To conclude my message celebrating the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Maison Littéraire de Victor Hugo, I would once again like to express my deep respect and my sincere gratitude to all the people who contribute to its development, and I hope that continues to thrive.
June 2021