Nuanced and insightful, a comprehensive exploration of the life, work, and times of the celebrated French literary polymath.
 
Émile Zola is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest writers, whose reputation was reinforced by his historic intervention in the Dreyfus Affair. This book explores Zola’s life and work and how these were determined by the traumatic history of his times. From humble beginnings, Zola’s life was marked by the determination to succeed. Robert Lethbridge traces his development as a writer, including Zola’s earliest texts and his novel cycles, and further shows how Zola’s extraordinary creativity extended from his journalism to experiments in the theater and even to his own operatic adaptations of his novels. Lethbridge offers the reader new perspectives, informed by the most recent research, which bring together Zola’s writing and its historical context.

Robert Lethbridge is a life fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and emeritus professor of French language and literature at the University of London. He is currently honorary professor at the University of St Andrews. His books include Zola’s Painters. He lives in Fife, Scotland.

Note on translations and references Introduction 1 Origins 2 Apprenticeships 3 Writing the Rougon-Macquart i: From Planning to Realization 4 Writing the Rougon-Macquart ii: Naturalism and Beyond 5 The Last Chapters of a Writing Life 6 Public and Private Lives Epilogue References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index