Prolific romantic Catalan writer in Catalan and Castillian. Balaguer was also a historian, journalist, politician (he became Minister for Development and Overseas Trade in Madrid), and freemason.

As an active member and one of the considered ‘fathers’ of the Renaixença movement, he restored the Jocs Florals and was also proclaimed mestre en gay saber (1861). 

Balaguer wrote poems, plays, political pamphlets, and books on history. Among his most famous works are Los Trobadors moderns, published in 1859, and Historia de Cataluña y de la Corona de Aragón (in 5 volumes), published between 1860 and 1863. In this work, he criticizes Castille and advocates for Catalan nationalism. His advocacy for Catalan nationalism is also perceptible in Historia política y literaria de los trovadores, published between  1878 and 1879. In his poetry, he focused on regional topics. 

Between August 1890 and June 1891, Felip Pedrell composed an opera based on Balaguer’s trilogy Els Pirineus (1893).

As a journalist, he published articles in the Diario de Barcelona with a pseudonym, Julia. He wrote win many liberal newspapers such as El Laurel, El Constitucional, El Genio y La Lira. He is the founder of La Corona de Aragón.

Balaguer promoted Catalan patriotism in his writings and as a politician as well. He led the Liberal Party in Barcelona between 1843 and 1868. In 1866, he had to go into exile to southern France.

He founded the Bibilioteca Museu Víctor Balaguer in 1884 in Villanova i la Geltrú.