Émile Zola

Emile Zola (1840–1902) was a French journalist, playwright and political activist. In 1864, he wrote the “Stories for Ninon”, his first published literary work. It was three years later, in 1867, that he wrote “Thérèse Raquin”, considered his first masterpiece. However, he is mainly known for his 20-volume series  “Les Rougon-Macquart”, which is “the natural and social history of a family under the Second Empire”. The naturalist goal of demonstrating the deterministic influence of heredity is fulfilled by tracing the lives of various members of the three branches of the Rougon-Macquart family. He was also noted for his intervention in the Dreyfus Affair through his famous open letter, “J’accuse.”