Contes à Ninon suivi de Nouveaux Contes à Ninon

Stories for Ninon #1-2

by Émile Zola

Dans les Contes à Ninon (parus en 1864, Zola a 24 ans) et les Nouveaux Contes à Ninon (1874), Zola expose tous ses talents, il joue de tous les registres, de tous les genres : le merveilleux, le fantastique, la satire, l'épopée, le récit réaliste, l'autobiographie. Il y exploite tous les tons : l'humour, l'ironie, le pathétique, le sérieux démonstratif, la colère. Ces volumes de contes sont une réfraction de l'œuvre entière : ils résument dix années de production littéraire et annoncent des thèmes, des figures et des formes que l'écrivain développera dans ses grands chefs-d'œuvre. Entre contes et chroniques, sous le signe de la fantaisie comme du sérieux, ces œuvres de jeunesse montrent la richesse, l'ambiguïté, la puissance d'imagination et d'expression qui donneront bientôt leur prix aux romans à venir.

542 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1864

About the author

Émile Zola was a prominent French novelist, journalist, and playwright widely regarded as a key figure in the development of literary naturalism. His work profoundly influenced both literature and society through its commitment to depicting reality with scientific objectivity and exploring the impact of environment and heredity on human behavior. Born and raised in France, Zola experienced early personal hardship following the death of his father, which deeply affected his understanding of social and economic struggles—a theme that would later permeate his writings.
Zola began his literary career working as a clerk for a publishing house, where he developed his skills and cultivated a passion for literature. His early novels, such as Thérèse Raquin, gained recognition for their intense psychological insight and frank depiction of human desires and moral conflicts. However, it was his monumental twenty-volume series, Les Rougon-Macquart, that established his lasting reputation. This cycle of novels offered a sweeping examination of life under the Second French Empire, portraying the lives of a family across generations and illustrating how hereditary traits and social conditions shape individuals’ destinies. The series embodies the naturalist commitment to exploring human behavior through a lens informed by emerging scientific thought.
Beyond his literary achievements, Zola was a committed social and political activist. His involvement in the Dreyfus Affair is one of the most notable examples of his dedication to justice. When Captain Alfred Dreyfus was wrongfully accused and convicted of treason, Zola published his famous open letter, J’Accuse…!, which condemned the French military and government for corruption and anti-Semitism. This act of courage led to his prosecution and temporary exile but played a crucial role in eventual justice for Dreyfus and exposed deep divisions in French society.
Zola’s personal life was marked by both stability and complexity. He married Éléonore-Alexandrine Meley, who managed much of his household affairs, and later had a long-term relationship with Jeanne Rozerot, with whom he fathered two children. Throughout his life, Zola remained an incredibly prolific writer, producing not only novels but also essays, plays, and critical works that investigated the intersections between literature, science, and society.
His legacy continues to resonate for its profound impact on literature and for his fearless commitment to social justice. Zola’s work remains essential reading for its rich narrative detail, social critique, and pioneering approach to the realistic portrayal of human life. His role in the Dreyfus Affair stands as a powerful example of the intellectual’s responsibility to speak truth to power.

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really rate Zola but not so much his short stories mainly for two reasons (not unique to Zola I might add) because 1) quite often they can get quite samey and unmemorable and 2) it always seems like there’s more to expand on. This usually results in the longer the short story the better it is. So Zola writes some good short stories and the longer they are the more developed and interesting they are for me: So of his tales are a few pages the couple at the end of each is really a novella. Ones I mark with a * are the best of the bunch.

(I didn't read the kindle version but a Heinemann 1896 version)

For Ninon (These were his earliest writing before any novels in 1865)

Simplice: Fable like story of a simpleton becoming one with nature
The Ball-Program: Woman’s record of her attendance at Balls finds her man
She Who Loves Me*: He finds love in a travelling show
The Love Fairy: Lovers and nature
Blood: Four soldiers (seemingly a very early like Debarcle?)
The Thieves and the Ass: Leon and the narrator contest a girlfriend
Sister-Of-The-Poor: Fable on a girl whose charity gains her a magic endless coin and she proceeds to give massive amounts away.
The Adventures Of Big Sidoine And Little Médéric: Lengthy tale of a simpleton giant and his intellectual small quite erudite twin in the mode of Gilliver’s Travels

New Stories For Ninon: (These were 10 years later about 5 novels into Rougon-Macquart)

A Bath: She gets caught skinny dipping
The Strawberries: Finding the one ripe wild strawberry
Big Michu: The big pupil takes the blame for the revolt on the food quality
The Fast*: The vicar’s sermon and the baroness’ flight of fancy
The Shoulders Of The Marchioness: Ode to a naked shoulder
My Neighbour Jacques: Jacques worries about death
The Paradise Of Cats: A cat’s tale from the cat’s point of view
Lili: What a seven year old sees in the Ladies
The Legend Of Cupid's Little Blue Mantle: She squander’s her wealth on charity
The Blacksmith: The work ethic of making a ploughs
The Slack Season*: Explains poverty in the working class
The Little Village: Remembering a picturesque village
Souvenirs*: Lovely long novella in the mode of “Remembrance of Lost Time”
Jean Gourdan's Four Days*: Sad novella in the 4 seasons of one’s life and family

[ℳatthieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voilà bien longtemps que je n'avais lu Zola ! Je l'ai retrouvé avec un certain plaisir. Alors oui, c'est fastidieux (pour ne pas dire longuet), rébarbatif parfois, mais c'est aussi poignant, bouleversant, tragique ou empreint de sensiblerie. Dans ces premiers écrits (Contes) ainsi que ces écrits postérieurs dans les journaux (Nouveaux Contes) j'ai bien aimé:
- Celle qui m'aime
- Un bain
- Souvenirs
- Les Quatre Journées de Jean Gourdon
La lecture a posteriori de la notice ainsi que de la préface (Édition de Jacques Noiray) est très intéressante. Du coup cela m'a redonné envie de continuer ma lecture des Rougon-Macquart !

[Félix Cleyet-Marrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une des meilleures œuvres de Zola