Emile Zola's handwritten letter (1896)

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Emile Zola, the author of "Germinal", insatiably curious, wants to discover the mysterious invention of an acquaintance.

Letter written and signed by Emile Zola. One page. In French. 13 cm x 20 cm. Paris, March 15, 1896. Good condition. Single piece.

Paris, March 15, 96.

Dear Sir,

Thank you very much for your information and one day I will allow myself to accept your invitation to observe your device in operation. I will take care to inform you two days in advance.

Please accept, sir, the assurance of my distinguished sentiments.

Emile Zola.

Here, Emile Zola thanks the recipient for some information and expresses a willingness to accept the invitation to see "the device work" .

Émile Zola (1840 - 1902) was one of the most important writers in French literature. The son of an Italian engineer, he grew up in Aix-en-Provence where he became friends with the famous painter Paul Cezane and, later, with the painter Edouard Manet. However, convinced of his talent as a writer, he decided to dedicate himself to literature and began, as a journalist, writing columns for newspapers, in which he showed himself to be politically engaged.

His most famous text is the open letter entitled "J'accuse (I Accuse)" . Published on the front page of the Parisian newspaper L'Aurore, in 1898. In it, Emile Zola accused the French government of anti-Semitism against Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army, convicted of treason.

Influenced by the "Human Comedy" by Honoré de Balzac, another great reference in French literature, Emile Zola wrote the series "The Rougon-Macquart ", composed of 20 novels, the best known being "Germinal" (1885), which describes in detail very accurate, the terrible living conditions of workers in a coal mine in France.

In this letter, whose addressee is not identified, Emile Zola demonstrates his interest in learning about an invention, a very important aspect of the writer's personality. Son of an engineer and inventor of naturalism, Zola has always shown an interest in new techniques, scientific research and inventions, a taste that clearly appears in his works.