Émile Zola’s Followers (4,392)

Émile Zola

Born

in Paris, France

April 02, 1840

Died

September 29, 1902

Genre

Fiction, Short Stories

Influences

Honoré de Balzac, Stendhal, Hippolyte Taine, Charles Darwin, Gustave F ...more

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Émile Zola was a prominent French novelist, journalist, and playwright widely regarded as a key figure in the development of literary naturalism. His work profoundly influenced both literature and society through its commitment to depicting reality with scientific objectivity and exploring the impact of environment and heredity on human behavior. Born and raised in France, Zola experienced early personal hardship following the death of his father, which deeply affected his understanding of social and economic struggles—a theme that would later permeate his writings.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Émile Zola was a prominent French novelist, journalist, and playwright widely regarded as a key figure in the development of literary naturalism. His work profoundly influenced both literature and society through its commitment to depicting reality with scientific objectivity and exploring the impact of environment and heredity on human behavior. Born and raised in France, Zola experienced early personal hardship following the death of his father, which deeply affected his understanding of social and economic struggles—a theme that would later permeate his writings.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Raquin, gained recognition for their intense psychological insight and frank depiction of human desires and moral conflicts. However, it was his monumental twenty-volume series, Les Rougon-Macquart, that established his lasting reputation. This cycle of novels offered a sweeping examination of life under the Second French Empire, portraying the lives of a family across generations and illustrating how hereditary traits and social conditions shape individuals’ destinies. The series embodies the naturalist commitment to exploring human behavior through a lens informed by emerging scientific thought.
Beyond his literary achievements, Zola was a committed social and political activist. His involvement in the Dreyfus Affair is one of the most notable examples of his dedication to justice. When Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted of treason, Zola published his famous open letter, J’Accuse…!, which condemned the French military and government for corruption and anti-Semitism. This act of courage led to his prosecution and temporary exile but played a crucial role in eventual justice for Dreyfus and exposed deep divisions in French society.
Zola’s personal life was marked by both stability and complexity. He married Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, who managed much of his household affairs, and later had a long-term relationship with Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he fathered two children. Throughout his life, Zola remained an incredibly prolific writer, producing not only novels but also essays, plays, and critical works that investigated the intersections between literature, science, and society.
His legacy continues to resonate for its profound impact on literature and for his fearless commitment to social justice. Zola’s work remains essential reading for its rich narrative detail, social critique, and pioneering approach to the realistic portrayal of human life. His role in the Dreyfus Affair stands as a powerful example of the intellectual’s responsibility to speak truth to power. ...more

Combine Editions
Émile Zola’s books

Average rating: 3.94 · 227,437 ratings · 16,933 reviews · 3,040 distinct works • Similar authors

	Germinal 4.20 avg rating — 42,023 ratings — published 1885 — 393 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Thérèse Raquin 3.73 avg rating — 37,140 ratings — published 1867 — 41 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nana 3.84 avg rating — 27,242 ratings — published 1880 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Ladies' Paradise (Les Rougon-Macquart #11) 3.98 avg rating — 20,011 ratings — published 1883 — 109 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	L'Assommoir by Émile Zola, Robin Buss (Translator) 4.08 avg rating — 18,934 ratings — published 1876 — 1028 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Bête humaine by Émile Zola, Henri Mitterand (Editor) 4.04 avg rating — 12,828 ratings — published 1890 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Fortune of the Rougons (Les Rougon-Macquart, #1) 3.90 avg rating — 7,974 ratings — published 1871 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Belly of Paris (Les Rougon-Macquart, #3) by Émile Zola, Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (Translator) 3.93 avg rating — 7,100 ratings — published 1873 — 125 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Curée (Les Rougon-Macquart, #2) 3.87 avg rating — 6,159 ratings — published 1871 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Masterpiece 3.98 avg rating — 5,293 ratings — 174 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Émile Zola…

Series by Émile Zola

Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books)
by

Émile Zola,

Robin Buss (Translator)

4.00 avg rating — 171,784 ratings

Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books)
by

Émile Zola,

Brian Nelson (Translator)

4.00 avg rating — 171,666 ratings

Three Cities Trilogy (3 books)
by

Émile Zola

3.88 avg rating — 615 ratings

Les Quatre Évangiles (3 books)
by

Émile Zola,

Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (Translator)

4.06 avg rating — 300 ratings

Stories for Ninon (2 books)
by

Émile Zola

3.32 avg rating — 99 ratings

More series by Émile Zola…

We all have our reading bucket lists. James Mustich's 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is bound to seriously expand that list...

Polls

March 2015 Old School Classics Poll

Which book would you like to read for our March 2015 Old School Classics group read?

1864, Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 233 pages

14 votes, 28.0%

1868, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, 449 pages

11 votes, 22.0%

1895, The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, 170 pages

4 votes, 8.0%

1899, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, 195 pages

4 votes, 8.0%

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Unknown, 213 pages

4 votes, 8.0%

1839, The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal, 532 pages

3 votes, 6.0%

1853, Bleak House by Charles Dickens, 1017 pages

3 votes, 6.0%

1846, The Professor by Charlotte Brontë, 269 pages

2 votes, 4.0%

1603, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, 289 pages

2 votes, 4.0%

1844, Queen Margot, or Marguerite de Valois by Alexandre Dumas, 542 pages

1 vote, 2.0%

1826, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, 410 pages

1 vote, 2.0%

1867, Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, 201 pages

1 vote, 2.0%

50 total votes

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Émile Zola’s Followers (4,392)

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