Les Djinns - Lorsque L'enfant Paraît - Le Mendiant - La Retraite De Russie - Les Pauvres - Les Semailles D'Automne

This 1950s recording was produced by the French label Lumen, a house known for its dedication to the preservation of classic French literary and poetic works. The selection features Antoine Balpétré, a prominent stage and film actor, reciting a compilation of Victor Hugo's most evocative poems. Hugo's verses, ranging from the nostalgic reflections in 'Lorsque l'enfant paraît' to the somber historical imagery of 'La Retraite de Russie,' are presented here as a spoken-word homage to the Romantic tradition.

The design of the Lumen spoken-word series prioritized the gravity of the source material over flashy packaging, typically favoring understated, elegant typography that reflected the intellectual prestige of the Comédie-Française style. Antoine Balpétré’s performance was widely lauded for its clear, measured delivery, which aimed to make Hugo’s complex rhythmic structures accessible to a postwar audience eager to reconnect with their national literary heritage.