Émile Zola: A Biography

by Alan Schom

Librarian note: Alternate cover edition of ISBN-13: 9780805007107, ISBN-10/ASIN: 0805007105

Book by Schom, Alan

Genres: France, Biography, Nonfiction

303 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 1987

Reviews

[Gary Inbinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging, well-written biography. Schom did a fine job portraying Zola as writer, public figure and private individual. I’ve read much of Zola’s writing over a period of many years; I’ve also read a good deal about the man and the period in which he played such an important role. But I learned even more from Schom’s biography; it reinforced my impression of Zola as a great writer of both fiction and non-fiction and as an individual of courage who devoted much of his life to truth and justice in a world where lies and injustice are all too common.

Zola was of course human and Schom was not a hagiographer. We get Zola, “warts and all.” Zola was, from his forties on, one of the world’s most successful, and well-paid writers. But, unlike many of his peers, he wasn’t satisfied to go along to get along. He risked everything by taking a principled stand, based on facts and credible evidence, in the Dreyfus Affair, and there is evidence it may have cost him his life. Celebrities who, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, are willing to stake their lives, fortunes and sacred honor in a just cause are very few and far between. For that alone, I will always admire Emile Zola.

[Teresa A. Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read

I came to reading this book about Emile Zola after watching a classic movie made in the 1930s. Paul Muni played Zola. I was so taken by his story, I needed to read more about him.

I was not disappointed. The author did his memory well. It's not altogether written chronologically... But, that's ok...apparently a lot of things were happening all at the same time in history. As usually happens with time and people so we are given a more in-depth idea to the novelist and the man.

Anyone interested in French or even international literature would be quite pleased with this biography of a great man of letters.

[ReviewingTheChapters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alan Schom’s biography of Émile Zola reinforced, and in many ways deepened, my impression of Zola as not only a brilliant writer but also a man of extraordinary courage and moral conviction. Through both his fiction and nonfiction, Zola consistently demonstrated a rare commitment to truth, but this biography reveals the personal sacrifices behind that commitment with clarity and nuance. Schom paints a portrait of a figure who was not content to remain a passive observer of his society but instead chose to engage directly with its injustices, often at great personal risk.

One of the most biggest aspects of the book is its exploration of Zola’s role in the Dreyfus Affair. Zola’s decision to publish “J’Accuse,” openly condemning the miscarriage of justice against Captain Dreyfus, was not just a literary act. It was a moral stand that exposed him to severe backlash, legal prosecution, and ultimately a self-imposed exile. Reading about the gravity of these consequences drove home just how extraordinary his commitment to justice truly was.

[Albertine67 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really disappointing. It's obviously thoroughly researched and I think Schom has a genuine passion for Zola's work and his attempt to live a principled life, but unfortunately the book is dull. No, I don't know how he did it either. :) There's a fantastic book to be written about Zola, but this ain't it.

[Archfjordi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zola

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zola’s life is fascinating but this book manages to make it really quite dull. Meticulously researched and no doubt accurate, there’s a blandness here which the author never manages to overcome, not helped by too many, and too lengthy, quotations – from letters, articles, speeches – which simply slow down the narrative. Too much detail can be as irritating as too little, and the reader really doesn’t need to know about every article Zola wrote. I found this biography uninspired and pedestrian, and it conveyed little of the vibrancy and passion that I associate with its subject.

[Steven Spector · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was resolved to read a Zola biography after watching the Paul Muni movie for the umpteeth time. The book does not disappoint. It approaches Zola's Jewish views honestly and covers the Dreyfus affair and all of its players thoroughly and in relatively short order. Recommended. 1987 edition.