The President of the Chamber remained standing until the faint stir caused by his entry subsided. Then he took his seat, saying rather nonchalantly, in a quiet voice: 'The sitting is open.' As always, I am facsinated by translation choices. Above are the opening lines from Brian Nelson's recent 2018 translation of Son Excellence Eugène … Continue reading Son Excellence Eugène Rougon | Émile Zola #Zoladdiction
La Teuse came in and popped her broom and her feather duster against the alter. Confession one: this story ended up being a chore to read. After six engaging, enthralling Zola's I have hit my first dud with the seventh. Confession two: for the past week I have been trying to read three books that … Continue reading The Sin of Abbé Mouret | Émile Zola #FRAclassic
La Conquête de Plassans, or The Conquest of Plassans (1874) is the fourth novel in Émile Zola's twenty-volume Rougon-Macquart series that I have been reading with Fanda for #Zoladdiction. My Oxford World's Classics 2014 edition is translated by Helen Constantine and has an Introduction by *Patrick McGuinness. He reminded me that, Like all of Zola's … Continue reading The Conquest of Plassans | Émile Zola #FRAclassic
Le Ventre de Paris (also known as The Belly of Paris - a direct translation, or The Fat and the Thin referring to one of the main ideas explored in the story) is not only an extremely visual story, but a visceral one too. Zola's descriptions of the food markets at Les Halles are colourful, … Continue reading The Belly of Paris | Émile Zola
La Curée is the second book in Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series of books set during the Second Empire in France. I read it this month in honour of Fanda's #Zoladdiction2018. I have many, many thoughts about this story - I'll start off in point form - The translation of the title Haussmann the parks and … Continue reading La Curée (The Kill) | Émile Zola
Guy de Maupassant has oft been declared the master of the short story. I personally think that honour belongs to William Trevor, but I'm not going to quibble about that right now.As it wasn't so much his short story ability that attracted me at this point, but more his membership of the literary naturalism club. … Continue reading The Best Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant
I cannot thank Fanda @Classiclit enough for once again hosting #Zoladdiction2017 - one of my favourite readalongs each year! I used this year's readalong to go back to the very beginning of the Rougon-Macquart series, a little worried that reading out of order might muck up the flow of the stories. However, reading part of Brian Nelson's … Continue reading The Fortune of the Rougons | Émile Zola
Before Thomas Thwaites dreamed up the idea of being a GoatMan and before Peter Wohlleben communed with the trees in Germany, Frances Hodgson Burnett gave us the original back to nature, talk with the animals, boy child, Dickon. Dickon is a kindred spirit to all the creatures that live on the moors. He mothers orphaned lambs and … Continue reading The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
I cannot thank Fanda @Classiclit and O @Behold the Stars enough for introducing me to the wonderful world of Zola. Last year I read Nana for Fanda's Zoladdiction month with great enjoyment...and anticipation...for my next Zola. This year I wanted to read Zola's most famous and most well-regarded novel, Germinal. It is the 13th … Continue reading Germinal | Émile Zola
Mangoes and Cherry Blossoms is now hosting a new meme for readers of the classics called The Classics Salon. Each week she will pose a question for you to answer about the classic you are currently reading.Thanks to my recent holiday, I'm running two weeks behind, so this is my catch up post.The first question … Continue reading Germinal by Émile Zola
I'm still reeling from my Nana experience. Zola has created such a vivid world that it's impossible to come away from it untouched or unscathed. Nana, herself, is larger than life even as a sense of doom hangs over her from the start. I sometimes had trouble keeping up with who was who - especially all … Continue reading Nana | Émile Zola
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