Zola in England

Joanna Richardson describes the two visits of Zola to England. The writer first arrived in 1893 and again, five years later, during the Dreyfus Case.

Émile Zola in 1902.In the summer of 1893, Emile Zola invited an English journalist, Robert Harborough Sherard, to come and see him at Medan. As President of the Societe des Gens de Lettres, he had been invited to the annual meeting of the Institute of Journalists, which was to be held in London in September. He was considering whether or not to attend.

‘I have no wish to see London’, he explained to Sherard, ‘and I have no desire to be feted. If I consent to go, it will be with a view of advancing interest in my books in England. I shall look upon it as une affaire de réclame purely and simply. Do you think... it will be advisable for me to go?’ It was not an easy decision to make. His novels, which had caused commotion in France, and indeed throughout Europe, had shaken Victorian England.

To continue reading this article you will need to purchase access to the online archive.

Buy Online Access  Buy Print & Archive Subscription

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.