Synopses & Reviews
ÉMILE ZOLA (1840-1902) is the author of
Les Rougon-Macquart -- a cycle of 20 novels written over a period of 22 years including Nana (1880),
Germinal (1885) and
The Drinking Den (1877) which provides a panoramic view of life under Napoleon III. He was the leading figure in the French school of naturalistic fiction. Zola campaigned for justice over the Dreyfus affair -- 'it is up to us poets to nail the guilty to the eternal pillory' -- and his open letter to the President 'J'accuse' landed him a prison sentence that he evaded only through exile in England. He is buried in the Panthéon alongside Rousseau, Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.
ADAM THORPE was born in Paris in 1956. His first novel, Ulverton, was published in 1992, and he has written nine others, two collections of stories and six books of poetry -- most recently Voluntary. Thorpe's translation of Madame Bovary, 'stunning and heartily recommended' (Scotsman), is available in Vintage Classics. He lives in France with his wife and family.
Review
"Its force of impact, its narrative muscle and its psychological clarity make it still, nearly 150 years on, one of the most shocking books in the canon." —Julian Barnes, author, The Sense of an Ending
About the Author
Émile Zola (1840-1902) is the foremost representative of the Naturalist school, and is best remembered for Thérèse Raquin and his 20-novel cycle, the Rougon-Macquarts. Adam Thorpe is a novelist, poet, and translator. His translation of Madame Bovary is highly acclaimed.