Modernleşme dönemi Türk yazarlarının en fazla tesirinde kaldığı isim hiç şüphesiz ki Victor Hugo'dur. Hugo, Fransız romantizmin bildirisi olarak kabul edilen Cromwell adlı oyununa eklediği ön sözde sanatta özgürlük görüşünü ortaya atmıştır. Romantizm sadece bir sanatsal anlatım biçimi olmakla kalmamış aynı zamanda bir düşünce biçimi halini almıştır. Türk romancıları ilk roman örneklerini romantizm akımı çerçevesinde kaleme almışlardır. Tanzimat dönemi yazarlarının bu tercihinde romantizmin "vatan", "millet", "hürriyet" gibi konuları heyecanlı bir şekilde dile getirmeye uygun olması etkili olmuştur. Victor Hugo'ya derin bir sevgi ve saygı besleyen yazarlardan en önemlisi hiç şüphesiz ki Namık Kemal'dir. Namık Kemal'in kaleme aldığı ve Türk edebiyatında romantizmin manifestosu olarak kabul edilen Celâl ön sözünde romantik sanat anlayışıyla alakalı geniş bir değerlendirmesi mevcuttur. Bu eseriyle romantizm akımını Türk toplumuna tanıtan Namık Kemal Hugo'ya olan hayranlığını her fırsatta dile getirmekten geri durmamıştır. Bu dönemde Victor Hugo hayranı yazarlar olduğu gibi Victor Hugo karşıtı yazarlar da görülmüştür. Beşir Fuad bu dönemde Victor Hugo karşıtlığıyla öne çıkmıştır. Türk edebiyatının ilk tenkitli biyografisi olarak kabul edilen Victor Hugo adlı eserinde Hugo'nun sanat anlayışına ciddi eleştiriler getirmiştir. Beşir Fuad, Victor Hugo'nun ilgiyle takip edildiği bir toplumda ortaya koyduğu eleştirilerle Victor Hugo etrafında cereyan eden birçok edebî polemiğin de başlatıcısı olmuştur. Bu çalışmada Victor Hugo'ya hayranlık ve eleştiri eksenli iki farklı bakış açısı değerlendirilecektir. Namık Kemal'in Victor Hugo'ya olan hayranlığının altında yatan nedenler ve Beşir Fuad'ın Victor Hugo'ya yönelik eleştirilerinin kaynağı irdelenecektir

Undoubtedly, Victor Hugo is the name most influenced by the Turkish writers during the period of modernization. Victor Hugo has put forward the idea of the freedom in the art by adding preface to the Cromwell play which is accepted as a French romantic declaration. Romanticism not only become a form of artistic expression but also become a form of thought. Turkish novelists have written their first novel examples in the framework of romance movement. In this preference of the authors of Tanzimat period, romantism has been effective in expressing nationality, homeland, and liberty topics enthusiastically. The most important of the writers who have a deep love and respect for Victor Hugo is undoubtely Namık Kemal. The Celal, which was written by Namık Kemal and accepted as a romanticism manifesto in Turkish literature, has a wide evaluation in this preface related to the romantic art concept. With this work, Namık Kemal, who introduced the romance to the Turkish society, did not hesitate to express his admiration for Hugo at every opportunity. In this period, there were writers who admire Victor Hugo but also opponent him. Beşir Fuad came forward with his opposition to the Victor Hugo. The Victor Hugo work which was written by Beşir Fuad, considered the first criticized biography of the Turkish literature, brought serious criticism to Hugo’s artistic understanding. Beşir Fuad, with the criticism of Victor Hugo in a society where he followed curiously, was also the initiator of many literary polemics around Hugo. In this study, Victor Hugo will be evaluated on two different perspectives based on admiration and criticism. It will be discussed the reasons underlying Namık Kemal’s admiration for Victor Hugo and the sources of Beşir Fuad’s criticism of Victor Hugo The name that the Turkish writers of modernization era were effected the most by is Victor Hugo no doubt. In this era, translations were done the most from Victor Hugo, who is one of the French romances. The preface he wrote at the beginning of theater work named Cromwell published in 1827 is just like a manifest expressing on which Romantic Movement essentials sit and that express the esthetics most cognizably. Romanticism is an art movement appeared in the middle of the 18th Century, and arrived at maturity at the end of the 18th Century. French revolution that effected Europe socially, politically, and economically has got an important role for romanticism to come out. It can be said that the designs of the enlightened ones of Tanzimat era about future and the qualities of romanticism overlap significantly. For the writers of Tanzimat era to have been interested in romanticism, romanticism’s being available to state the topics like “country”, “nation”, “freedom” excitedly became effective. The most important innovation that romanticism has brought is of course the tendency of individualization. Together with the romanticism movement, the problems of individual and society in the literal works also started to be mentioned. The interest to the internal world of artist starts the romanticism movement where individualism movement prepared the necessary environment in Renaissance. It can be said that the dependence of romanticism on justice, freedom, deep imaginations, and nature vehemently drew the attention of writers. After 1820, Victor Hugo became the head of romantic ecole against the reactions and pressures of classical literature supporters still going on. Hugo stated the opinion of freedom at art in the preface he added to his play named Cromwell, which was accepted as the declaration of French romanticism. Victor Hugo approached to theater theoretically by the preface of the play Cromwell, and he became the voice of the romantic drama in this field in France. In the preface, he objects the rules of the classical movement about theater, and develops a new intellection of theater instead of them. In the Tanzimat writers’ to romanticism, the contribution of Hugo’s thoughts is very much. Victor Hugo exists a lot in the Turkish society of Tazminat era with every detail of life, not only with his literal works. In a society in which Victor Hugo is followed by so much interest, it cannot be thought for the writers not to be effected, either. Hugo is a name also appreciated by his political life and ideas, by his not only novels, theaters, and poems in the 19th Century Turkish society. In Ottoman society, Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables was the second western novel translated after Fenelon’s Telemaque. The most important one of the writers who revered Victor Hugo is of course Namık Kemal. Namık Kemal, who is the leading name of romantic Turkish literature, was remembered as “Hugo of East” in the 19th Century Turkish society. In the preface of Celal, which is known as the manifest of romanticism in Turkish literature written by Namık Kemal, a large evaluation exists on the romantic art intellection. Namık Kemal, who introduced the romanticism movement to Turkish society with his work, wasn’t backward in coming forward to express his admiration to Hugo at every turn. In this era, there were the writers who were fond of Victor Hugo, and there were the ones opponent to Victor Hugo. Beşir Fuad, who was one of the most important representatives of the positivist thought in Turkish literature, became prominent being opponent to Victor Hugo in this era. Beşir Fuad wrote the first criticizing biography about Victor Hugo a few months later after Victor Hugo died, consisting of 255 pages the 1st volume of which was published in 1885 and the second one in 1886. Beşir Fuad tackled Victor Hugo's life, family, environment, and works in detail. Ten parts of the research consisting of fourteen parts were allocated for Victor Hugo. In his work named Victor Hugo, which was accepted as the first criticizing biography of Turkish literature, he brought criticism for Hugo’s art intellection seriously. Beşir Fuad’s purpose to write Victor Hugo’s biography wasn’t only to introduce Victor Hugo. He expresses that the realism term started in literature by trying to prove the superior sides of realism than romanticism. Beşir Fuad’s attitude is clear. Although he tried to tell romanticism in the person of Hugo, the main purpose is to criticize the romanticism again in his person, so to prepare legitimacy ground to defend realism. Beşir Fuad informs the Ottoman reader about realism and naturalism. Beşir Fuad also became the starter of many literal polemics occurring around Victor Hugo in a society where Victor Hugo was followed with interest with the criticisms he done. In Tanzimat era, two approaches developed around the name “Victor Hugo”, one with the praising focus and the other with ridiculing focus. In these different viewpoints, Victor Hugo is a personality to take example for Namık Kemal based on both his literal intellection and struggle and ideas. However, he is “stargazer” who completed his period according to Beşir Fuad.