WORDS FROM A GREAT MIND

Émile Zola

Novelist, critic & public advocate

Born: 2 April 1840
Died: 29 September 1902
Lived in: Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Médan & London

Émile Zola was a French novelist, critic, and leading figure of literary naturalism. His Rougon-Macquart novels examined modern society, while his open letter J’Accuse…! turned his reputation into a weapon against injustice in the Dreyfus affair.

A LESSER-KNOWN DETAIL

After J’Accuse…! he was convicted of libel and fled to London to avoid prison. He returned to France the following year as the Dreyfus case began to reopen.

Words by Émile Zola

“The truth is on the march, and nothing shall stop it.”

Émile Zola ↗

“I have only one passion, that of light, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and which has the right to happiness.”

Émile Zola ↗

“A work of art is a corner of nature seen through a temperament.”

Émile Zola ↗