Zola: njegov život, njegovo djelo i njegova borba

Denise Leblond-Zola (1889–1942), daughter of Émile Zola and Jeanne Rozerot, wrote the book Zola: His Life, His Work, and His Struggle. It is a personal, family biography of the great French naturalist. Denise writes with deep daughterly love and devotion, but also with a certain distance, depicting her father as a man, an artist, and a fighter.

The book follows Zola's life from his childhood in Aix-en-Provence, poverty in Paris, his friendship with Cézanne, through his rise with the novels Thérèse Raquin, the Rougon-Macquart cycle, to the peak of his fame and the dramatic Dreyfus affair (1898), when Zola published the famous article J'Accuse…!

The intimate parts are particularly valuable: Zola as a father, family life with Jeanne Rozerot, everyday life in Médan, his work habits, his passion for photography and gardening. Denise does not shy away from the more difficult aspects either – Zola’s struggle with criticism, accusations of immorality and political pressures.

The book is written in a simple, warm and accessible style, intended for a wider audience. It is not a dry scientific biography, but a lively, human portrait of one of the most influential European writers of the 19th century. In the Croatian edition from 1940, it was part of a popular edition of world writers and was well received by readers.

The work remains an important source for understanding Émile Zola because it comes from close proximity – from the person who knew him best in private life. Today it is appreciated as a touching testimony from a daughter about her father who was at once a brilliant writer, a controversial naturalist and a courageous public intellectual.