File 13 - Files: 286-291

12 cm of textual records

These files consist of correspondence sent to Émile Zola between February and May of 1898. Files are
divided in half months due to the large number of correspondence sent during this period. This time period
marks Zola’s political alignment with Alfred Dreyfus throughout the Dreyfus Affair; the correspondence
within reflects this increase in political publicity. For the most part, these files consist of photocopies of
handwritten letters and telegrams sent to Zola, although there are also some postcards and cartes de visites, as
well as handwritten and typed transcriptions of correspondence. Some correspondence discusses Zola’s works,
mostly Paris, but also his future endeavors (as evidenced in letters from publishers across Europe and
America). Later in February and March, there are quite a few letters expressing both support and condolence
for Zola regarding the negative verdict in his trial. As well, there is an increase in the number of Letters of
Contemporaries included here, as more people write to Alexandrine Zola about her husband. These files also
contain the first instance of correspondence (that is included in this collection) from the Dreyfus family (dated
February 24, 1898, in File #287).

Added by S Mohtadi 26 October 2018.