In my France class this week we are reading Emile Zola's L'Assommoir. I don't really recommend it . . . super depressing. Pretty much everything he wrote was depressing. But today is Zola's birthday!
Just a little history:
He wrote 20 novels about the same family, each addressing a specific social ill. He published all 20 books between 1871 and 1893 (about a book per year).
A Parisian, he was born in 1840.
Involved in the Dreyfuss Affair, and wrote vehemently about the injustice there.
Associated with many artists, particularly Eduoard Manet.
He died in 1902 of carbon monoxide poisoning due to a stopped-up chimney.
Happy Birthday Emile!
love it.
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