Victor Hugo, Sark and The Toilers of the Sea

Victor Hugo wrote The Toilers of the Sea during his exile in the Channel Islands. He visited Sark in June 1857. The novel appeared in 1866, nine years later.

What The Toilers of the Sea is about

The novel follows Gilliatt, a Guernsey fisherman. He sets out to recover the engine of the wrecked steamship Durande.

The story is full of reefs, tides, rock, weather and hard work at sea. Its best-known episode is Gilliatt’s fight with an octopus.

Sark in Hugo’s Channel Islands years

During the 1857 visit, Hugo’s son Charles encountered an octopus while bathing in a cave. The episode, the debate around Hugo’s use of the word pieuvre, and the uncertainty over the exact cave are covered in Victor Hugo’s Sark octopus encounter.

The novel’s 160th anniversary

In 2026, the novel is 160 years old.

New Victor Hugo commemorative stamps were released in July 2026.

If you would like time to read on the island, our Reading Retreat on Sark explains the week. Our retreats on Sark page covers the current five-night retreat.

For more Sark history, see A Very Short History of Sark.