April 2nd, 2002
French novelist Émile Zola (Nana, 1880) is born in Paris in 1840.
Émile Zola, b. April 2, 1840, d. 1902
Zola will always be remembered for his part in undoing the injustice done to Alfred Dreyfus in 1898 with his screaming headline “J’Accuse!…” He is also important as the foremost of the “naturalist” school that led writers of Europe and America toward realistic — in some cases, devastating — portrayals of their societies. And he helped liberalize France politically.
Suggested Reading Novels La Confession de Claude, 1865. Thérèse Raquin, 1867. L’Assommoir, 1877. Nana, 1880. Germinal, 1885. La Bête humaine, 1890.
Posted by: The Editors
Category: A Week in Literary History, All Medicine Issue, Books and Authors | Link to this Entry
