Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Penguin Book of Ghost Stories |
1984 |
Buy |
| Erotic Tales of the Victorian Age |
1998 |
Buy |
| Erotic Classics I: Kama Sutra, The Memoirs of Fanny Hill and Others |
2014 |
Buy |
| The Dover Anthology of Cat Stories |
2015 |
Buy |
| Writers: Their Lives and Works |
2018 |
Buy |
Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Dead Men Tell No Tales |
- |
Buy |
| Collected Works of Emile Zola |
1938 |
Buy |
| The Best Known Works of Emile Zola |
1941 |
Buy |
| Four Short Stories By Emile Zola |
2006 |
Buy |
| Stories for Ninon |
2010 |
Buy |
| Four Short Stories |
2017 |
Buy |
| Attack on the Mill and Other Stories |
2018 |
Buy |
Four Social Romances Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Work |
1901 |
Buy |
| Truth |
1903 |
Buy |
| Fruitfulness |
1899 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Experimental Novel and Other Essays |
- |
Buy |
| I Accuse! |
- |
Buy |
| The Dreyfus Affair |
- |
Buy |
| Notes from Exile |
2003 |
Buy |
| Looking at Manet |
2013 |
Buy |
Rougon-Macquart Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Fortune of the Rougons |
1870 |
Buy |
| The Kill / The Rush for the Spoil |
1872 |
Buy |
| The Belly of Paris / The Fat and the Thin |
1873 |
Buy |
| The Conquest of Plassans |
1874 |
Buy |
| The Sin of Father Mouret / The Sinful Priest / Abbe Mouret’s Transgression |
1875 |
Buy |
| His Excellency Eugene Rougon |
1876 |
Buy |
| A Love Episode / A Page of Love / A Love Story |
1877 |
Buy |
| The Drinking Den / The Dram Shop / L’Assommoir / The Gin Palace |
1877 |
Buy |
| Nana |
1880 |
Buy |
| Restless House / Lesson in Love |
1882 |
Buy |
| The Bright Side of Life / How Jolly Life Is / Zest for Life |
1883 |
Buy |
| The Ladies’ Paradise / Lesson in Love |
1883 |
Buy |
| Germinal |
1885 |
Buy |
| The Masterpiece / His Masterpiece |
1886 |
Buy |
| The Soil / Earth |
1887 |
Buy |
| The Dream |
1888 |
Buy |
| The Beast in Man / The Beast Within |
1890 |
Buy |
| Money |
1891 |
Buy |
| The Downfall / The Debacle |
1892 |
Buy |
| Doctor Pascal |
1893 |
Buy |
Short Stories/Novellas#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Flood |
- |
Buy |
| The Death Of Olivier Becaille |
2010 |
Buy |
| Three Short Stories |
2015 |
Buy |
| For a Night of Love |
2025 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Claude’s Confession |
- |
Buy |
| Therese Raquin |
- |
Buy |
| The Mysteries of Marseilles |
- |
Buy |
| Madeleine Ferat |
- |
Buy |
| The Miller’s Daughter |
- |
Buy |
| The Heirs of Rabourdin |
- |
Buy |
| Travail: Labor |
1901 |
Buy |
| The Fête at Coqueville |
1907 |
Buy |
| A Mad Love |
2017 |
Buy |
| Piping Hot! |
2017 |
Buy |
| A Dead Woman’s Wish |
2018 |
Buy |
Three Cities Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Lourdes |
1914 |
Buy |
| Paris |
2014 |
Buy |
| Rome |
1896 |
Buy |
Emile Zola (1840-1902) was a French author who became the most prominent voice of literary naturalism. His writing stripped away romantic idealism and focused on the raw, often ugly realities of everyday life in 19th-century France. He believed that novels should apply the same methods as science, observing human behavior with cold precision.
His most famous work is the Rougon-Macquart cycle, a series of twenty novels tracking a single family through the Second Empire period. Books like Germinal, Nana, and L’Assommoir remain widely read today. Beyond fiction, Zola made headlines with “J’accuse…!”, his open letter defending Alfred Dreyfus, which changed the course of French political history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Emile Zola written?
Emile Zola has written 58 books across eight series.
What was Emile Zola's first book?
Emile Zola’s first book is The Fortune of the Rougons, published in 1870.
What is the Rougon-Macquart cycle about?
The Rougon-Macquart cycle follows the lives of two branches of one family across five generations during France’s Second Empire. Each novel stands alone but together they paint a portrait of French society from every angle, covering topics like alcoholism, class struggle, labor conditions, and political corruption.