検索キーワード： 著者 "Emile Zola" すべてのカテゴリー

Orphaned with a substantial inheritance at the age of 10, Pauline Quenu is taken from Paris to live with her relatives, Monsieur and Madame Chanteau and their son Lazare, in the village of Bonneville on the wild Normandy coast. Her presence enlivens the household and Pauline is the only one who can ease Chanteau's gout-ridden agony. Her love of life contrasts with the insularity and pessimism that infects the family, especially Lazare, for whom she develops a devoted passion. 

Germinal is one of the most striking novels in the French tradition. Widely regarded as Zola's masterpiece, the novel describes the working conditions of French coalminers in the 1860s in harsh and realistic terms. It is visceral, graphic, and unrelenting. Its strong socialist principles and vivid accounts of the miners' strikes meant that the novel became a key symbol in the workers' fight against oppression, with chants of "Germinal! Germinal!" resonating high above the author's funeral.

The Zola Library opens its doors to the whole, unabridged force of Émile Zola’s novels. Here, each book is read in full, chapter by chapter, with no compromise and no ornament to soften the truth. Enter the streets, homes, mines, markets, and hearts of humanity, where passion, hunger, ambition, and fate press upon every life. This is literature as testimony: vast, exacting, and alive.

Zola’s The Ladies’ Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames, 1883) plays out in a colossal and opulent Parisian department store of the same name. Its owner, Octave Mouret, builds his innovative, upmarket women’s fashion empire at the expense of the city’s smaller, traditional shops.

Zola's original French publication, Au Bonheur des Dames ("The Ladies' Delight"), published 1882, is the eleventh novel in his Rougon-Macquart series. This English translation by Ernest Alfred Vizetelly, was published in 1886. It's a glitzy, fast paced Parisian drama depicting life at the world's first department store, revealing its many innovative marketing concepts, fashion, glamour, lust, greed, courage, deception, human foibles, and the vision and financial risk-taking that led to a world transformation in shopping -- one that set all the little shop keepers on their heads. All this is ...

Anna Coupeau, known as Nana, makes her debut in 1867 at the Theatre de Varietes, and is an instant sensation. It is as a prostitute, however, that she becomes infamous in Paris, as a destroyer of men. She meets with an ignominious end at the very eve of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. - Summary by Mark Leder

This, the fifth novel in Zola's Rougon-Macquart Cycle, serves effectively as a sequel to "The Conquest of Plassans". Serge Mouret, the son of Francois and Marthe, is now a priest, in the little backwater of Artauds. After he suffers a breakdown, with subsequent amnesia, however, he enters into a romance with the childlike Albine, which leads to catastrophe. - Summary by Mark Leder

Gervaise Macquart runs away to Paris with Lantier, to work as a washerwoman. Lantier abandons her and their two sons. She then marries the roofer Coupeau, and has a daughter, nicknamed Nana. She opens her own laundry; then everything goes downhill, as both Gervaise and Coupeau succumb to alcoholism. - Summary by Mark Leder

Covering a two-year period, Zola recounts the lives, intrigues, quarrel and loves of a group of five families all living in what was at the time an entirely new social construct, the apartment building. This marks the midpoint of Zola's immense undertaking, the Rougon-Macquart Cycle. - Summary by Mark Leder

"A Love Episode" ("Une Page d'Amour") is the eighth volume in Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels. It deals with Helene Mouret Grandjean, a widow, her daughter Jeanne, and her love for Dr. Deberle. - Summary by Mark Leder

Orpheline, Pauline Quenu est recueillie par des parents dans un village battu par les vents de Normandie. Très vite, Pauline s'attache à Lazare, un jeune homme tourmenté, hanté par la maladie et la peur de la mort. Tandis qu'elle donne sans compter — son affection, son énergie, jusqu'à ses biens —, elle voit peu à peu ses espoirs s'effondrer. Dans ce huis clos face à la mer, où les tempêtes semblent répondre aux tourments intérieurs, Émile Zola livre un roman poignant sur la souffrance, l'amour silencieux et la force de continuer à vivre, malgré tout.

The first book in the 20-novel Rougon-Macquart Cycle. A monument of French naturalism. The sprawling tale of a family in Provence, during the Second Empire, the family that grew out of the liaisons between Adelaide Fouque and her husband Rougons, and the smuggler Macquart. - Summary by Mark Leder

A jealous husband sets out to murder his wife's lover, setting in motion an unstoppable series of events. Witness to the murder is a train driver who struggles to resist his uncontrollable desire to kill women. - Summary by Aaron Hackett

Here, in Zola's sixth novel in the Rougon-Macquart series, we get to know Pierre and Felicite's eldest son, Eugene. He's the son that made good, and stands at the pinnacle of power, at the very ear of the Emperor. But power carries with it its own perils, and so Eugene must face all manner of downturns and reversals to his fortune, and must encounter obstacles of all kinds, the chief of which being Clorinde Dalbi, an Italian beauty with the ambition and deviousness to match his own. - Summary by Mark Leder

Step into the enchanting world of The Ladies Paradise, where the lives of remarkable women intertwine, revealing their triumphs, struggles, and the bonds that unite them. This podcast delves into their extraordinary stories, celebrating their resilience and the vibrant tapestry of their experiences. Join us on this journey of empowerment and inspiration!

The Mysteries of Marseilles is a thrilling tale of forbidden love, political intrigue, and class struggles. When Philippe, a poor liberal, elopes with Blanche, the niece of a powerful aristocrat, their romance sparks a deadly feud. With Zola’s signature realism, this novel explores love, betrayal, and the fight against injustice.

Sous le Second Empire, au cœur des Rougon-Macquart, Zola nous entraîne dans l’univers haletant des chemins de fer. Des logements étouffants d’employés aux profondeurs de la gare, tranchée béante du quartier de l’Europe où passent les trains de la Compagnie de l’Ouest, le fer bat la mesure des passions. Sous le fracas des locomotives, des vies se frôlent et s’enrayent; jalousie, désir et vertige de la vitesse font remonter la bête tapie en chacun.

In a gripping tale of natures wrath, a prosperous French farming family finds their lives shattered by an unforeseen flood. Told through the eyes of the familys 70-year-old patriarch, this story captures the deep vulnerability of humanity when faced with the overwhelming forces of nature. Join us as we journey through their harrowing experience, filled with suspense and emotional depth until the very last moment. (Summary by Karen Merline)

In this compelling excerpt from the introduction, we explore Nana, a novel that ranks third in popularity among Zolas works. It offers a poignant examination of the life of a prostitute and paints a vivid portrait of the glittering yet gritty underbelly of Parisian theaters and nightlife. While Zolas relentless pursuit of Nanas story culminates in a hauntingly symbolic depiction of her demise, the novel remains a powerful testament to the interplay of truth and beauty—even amidst a backdrop of drabness and despair. Summary by Burton Rascoe / Celine Major.

Immerse yourself in The Markets of Paris, a captivating novel that Émile Zola himself considered his finest work, surpassing even the acclaimed L’Assommoir. This extraordinary narrative is rooted in Zolas early experiences as a young man living among the vibrant communities of Paris, where he gathered the rich insights that breathe life into these pages. Picture him rising before dawn, wandering through bustling markets, and absorbing the unique customs and ways of life of a distinct class of people. Meet the Parisian charcutier and his enchanting mistress, La Belle Lina, who connects us to...