Émile Zola’s Followers (4,545)

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 · 235,412 ratings · 17,928 reviews · 2,785 distinct works • Similar authors

	Germinal 4.20 avg rating — 43,311 ratings — published 1885 — 25 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 — 38,774 ratings — published 1867 — 1391 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 — 27,787 ratings — published 1880 — 11 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) 3.99 avg rating — 20,737 ratings — published 1883 — 929 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 — 19,502 ratings — published 1876 — 2 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 4.03 avg rating — 13,226 ratings — published 1890 — 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 Fortune of the Rougons (Les Rougon-Macquart, #1) 3.91 avg rating — 8,301 ratings — published 1871 — 1022 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 — 7,371 ratings — published 1873 — 9 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) 3.88 avg rating — 6,403 ratings — published 1871	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 — 5,473 ratings — published 1886 — 529 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 — 177,331 ratings

Les Rougon-Macquart (20 books)
by

Émile Zola,

Brian Nelson (Translator)

4.00 avg rating — 177,208 ratings

Three Cities Trilogy (3 books)
by

Émile Zola

3.86 avg rating — 637 ratings

Les Quatre Évangiles (3 books)
by

Émile Zola,

Ernest Alfred Vizetelly (Translator)

4.06 avg rating — 302 ratings

Stories for Ninon (2 books)
by

Émile Zola

3.36 avg rating — 103 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

October 2019 Old School Poll

A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy 1873, 374 pages

78 votes, 27.5%

Germinal by Émile Zola 1885, 592 pages

69 votes, 24.3%

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott 1884, 96 pages

56 votes, 19.7%

Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu 1864, 477 pages

35 votes, 12.3%

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson 1884, 432 pages

24 votes, 8.5%

A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald 1791, 384 pages

22 votes, 7.7%

284 total votes

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Émile Zola’s Followers (4,545)

Émile Zola

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