Sue's early experiences as a naval surgeon prompted his first books, several highly coloured sea stories (e.g., Plik et Plok, 1831). He also wrote a number of historical novels and worked as a journalist. Having inherited a fortune from his father, Sue became a well-known dandy. His carriage and horses, pack of beagles, and displays of luxury made him the talk of Paris. He was one of the first members of the exclusive French Jockey Club (1834). He depicted contemporary “high life” in Arthur (1838) and Mathilde (1841). The latter showed socialist tendencies, and Sue turned in this direction in Les Mystères de Paris (1842–43; The Mysteries of Paris)—which influenced Victor Hugo's Les Misérables—and Le Juif errant (1844–45; The Wandering Jew). Published in installments, these long but exciting novels vastly increased the circulation of the newspapers in which they appeared. Both books display Sue's powerful imagination, exuberant narrative style, and keen dramatic sense. These qualities, along with Sue's realistic and sympathetic depictions of the urban poor, help to compensate for his implausible plots and one-dimensional characters. Sue's other books are less successful.

After participating in the 1848 Revolution, Sue was elected Socialist deputy for the Seine in 1850. He opposed Louis Napoleon's coup d'état in 1851, went into exile at Annecy, Savoy (then independent of France), and remained there until his death.