Apr 03 2009
French Novelist Émile Zola
~Emile Zola, French Writer~
Émile Zola (1840-1902), was a prominent French novelist, journalist and critic born on April 2 in Paris, France.
He was an influential writer, the leader and important exemplar of the literary naturalism school, which is significant to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was also a major figure in the political liberalization of France.
His novels, dealing with the working class life, include Thérèse Raquin (1867), Nana (1880), Germinal (1885), and Le Docteur Pascal (1893), among others. Most of his writings were published under the collective title of Les Rougon-Macquart.
Zola was well-known for writing the letter “J’accuse” in 1898, in support of an army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, who was falsely accused and convicted Dreyfus. Here is a quote from that letter:
“The action I am taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul. Let them dare, then, to bring me before a court of law and let the enquiry take place in broad daylight!”
