Order of Emile Zola Books

Émile Zola was a French novelist, playwright, and journalist, recognized as the self-proclaimed leader of the French naturalism literary movement. His naturalism is philosophically rooted in Auguste Comte’s positivism, as well as the works of physiologist Claude Bernard and historian Hippolyte Taine. Zola's book, The Experimental Novel, is regarded as a naturalistic novel and a significant work within the genre. His writing influenced ideas related to heredity, social Manicheanism, and idealistic socialism. Zola began his career in the sales department of the publisher Hachette, which eventually led him to write for them. One of his early works, a gritty autobiographical novel titled La Confession de Claude, drew police scrutiny, resulting in his dismissal from Hachette. His breakthrough novel, Thérèse Raquin, was followed by the series Les Rougon-Macquart, which constituted more than half of his literary output.