Émile Zola





Émile Zola

Author profile


born
in Paris, France
April 02, 1840

died
September 29, 1902

genre

influences


About this author

Émile Zola was an influential French novelist, the most important example of the literary school of naturalism, and a major figure in the political liberalization of France.

More than half of Zola's novels were part of a set of 20 books collectively known as Les Rougon-Macquart. Unlike Balzac who in the midst of his literary career resynthesized his work into La Comédie Humaine, Zola from the start at the age of 28 had thought of the complete layout of the series. Set in France's Second Empire, the series traces the "environmental" influences of violence, alcohol and prostitution which became more prevalent during the second wave of the Industrial Revolution. The series examines two branches of a family: the respectable (that is, legitimate)...more


Average rating: 3.90 · 37,184 ratings · 2,009 reviews · 205 distinct works · Similar authors
Germinal (Les Rougon-Macqua...
by
4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 8,909 ratings — published 1885 — 163 editions
Nana (Les Rougon-Macquart, #9)
3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 7,129 ratings — published 1880 — 160 editions
Thérèse Raquin
by
3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 avg rating — 4,973 ratings — published 1867 — 170 editions
L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop)...
by
4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 avg rating — 3,516 ratings — published 1877 — 117 editions
La Bête humaine (Les Rougon...
4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 avg rating — 2,212 ratings — published 1890 — 63 editions
The Ladies' Paradise (Les R...
by
3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 2,463 ratings — published 1883 — 103 editions
The Fortune of the Rougons ...
3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 avg rating — 933 ratings — published 1871 — 67 editions
The Belly of Paris (Les Rou...
by
3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 avg rating — 1,108 ratings — published 1873 — 84 editions
The Masterpiece (Les Rougon...
by
3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 avg rating — 897 ratings — published 1886 — 59 editions
La Curée (Les Rougon-Macqua...
3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 avg rating — 829 ratings — published 1872 — 48 editions
More books by Émile Zola…
The Fortune of the Rougons La Curée The Belly of Paris La Conquête de Plassans La Faute de l'abbé Mouret Son Excellence Eugène Rougon L'Assommoir (The Dram Shop)
Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books)
by
3.936719077906564 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 30,973 ratings
The Fortune of the Rougons Son Excellence Eugène Rougon La Curée L'Argent The Dream La Conquête de Plassans Pot-Bouille
Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books)
by
3.936719077906564 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 30,973 ratings
Lourdes The Three Cities Trilogy: Rome Paris
Three Cities Trilogy (3 books)
by
3.8859649122807016 of 5 stars 3.89 avg rating — 114 ratings
Fruitfulness Travail: Labor Truth
Les Quatre Évangiles (3 books)
by
4.023809523809524 of 5 stars 4.02 avg rating — 42 ratings
“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”
Émile Zola

“Civilization will not attain to its perfection until the last stone from the last church falls on the last priest.”
Émile Zola

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”
Émile Zola

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