Hugo, Le Roi s'amuse
- Artist/Author/Producer: Victor Marie Hugo
- Confronting Bodies: Prime Minister Mr. Guizot
- Dates of action: 1832
- Location: France, Paris
- Description of the Art Work
- "Le Roi s'amuse" 1832: Set in Renaissance France and depicting the
frivolous love affairs of Francis i, while antithetically revealing the
noble character of his court jester.
- Description of incident
-
Le Roi s'amuse was prohibited after the first performance, by order of
the Prime Minister, Guizot, for derogatory allusions to the King
Louis-Philippe.
- Results of incident
- The ban occured only two years after the the proclamation of the Charte
of Abolition of Censorship. During the law suit, Hugo became the ardent
defensor of freedom of expression and fought the first public battle
against censorship. In a spectacular address to the court he denounced
the abusive power of authorties to "confiscate freedom." The ban was
lifted 50 years later and the play was produced under the supervision of
the author.
Source:Censures, Editions Centre G. Pompidou, Paris, 1987