Zola’s biography on his life as a budding young writer in Paris. It focuses on a close circle of friends; a celebrated journalist, a sculptor and Paul Cézanne, the artist. One of Zola’s strongest works, it steps out of Les Rougon-Macquart and focuses on Cézanne’s obsession with his masterpiece.

The danger of fame and celebrity in 19th century France. Follows a beautiful Parisian theatre star as she dazzles high society. Nana is the young street child from The Drinking Den. One of Zola’s finest in the series, his study of celebrity excess is can be seen in the lives of today’s celebrities.

Tale of broken dreams and inescapable destiny in a French slum. The novel runs through the course of one girl’s life, from birth to death. The realist style takes off when it concentrates on the depravity within the characters. Zola writes about humanity’s ills: greed, laziness, anger and envy.

From the French realist writer. Set in a rural mining community at the beginning of the industrial age, injustice, poverty and the perils of revolution are clear. The arrival of a troubled, violent protagonist fires a story of pain and anger which leads to one of the greatest endings in literature.