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University of St. Michael's College, John M. Kelly Library, Special Collections Zola Research Programs fonds
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Files 1-4

These files consist of records that document the various sources from which letters and documents were donated for the project. File #2 contains donation agreements for private French donors. The dates of these forms range from 1974 to 1988. File #3 contains an inventory of French libraries and journals that were visited throughout the course of the project. File #4 is a collection of references cards that outline the different public and private institutions that donated documents or letters to the project. These cards outline the name of the institution or figure, location, and a listing of the letters donated to the project.

Files: 206-212

These files consist of letters sent to Zola between the years of 1858 to 1870, which represent Zola youth, his
relocation to Paris and the beginning of his writing career. Most of the letters contained in these files are typed
transcriptions (both on typewriter and computer printout). The typewriter copies are generally rough drafts of
the letters, where the Zola Research Program is editing the letters and attempting to establish dates and facts,
whereas the computer printouts represent the clean, final copy of the letter (the two copies are stapled
together). The early years in these files are dominated with letters by Paul Cézanne, Octave Lacroix, and
Aurélieu Houchard - most of which discuss everyday activities of the correspondents (some poems included),
as well as more professional correspondence once Zola begins work at Hachette Publishing in 1862. In 1864
and 1865, the letters express both support and criticism for the early published works by Zola, Contes à Ninon
and La Confession de Claude. Édouard Manet, Marius Roux and Antoine Guillemet become regular
correspondents from 1866 onwards (the letters by Roux and Manet are generally photocopies of handwritten
texts). The first letter from Alexandrine Zola, Émile Zola’s wife, appears on December 14, 1870 (in File

212), which is accompanied by various letters by Zola’s mother Émilie Zola. As well, a highlight of these files

is the letters from Zola’s editor, Lacroix and Verboeckhoven, discussing the publishing and printing to Zola’s
first major novel, Thérèse Raquin, in 1867.

Files: 538-563

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and published materials that relate to Émile Zola. There are
three broad categories represented in these files:

  1. Bibliographies: These files (#538-539) discuss various translations of Zola’s works into other
    languages as well as an examination of the events and works written about the Dreyfus Affair.
  2. Biographies: These files (#540-551) consist of works that discuss and explore Zola’s life from a variety
    of perspectives, including works by his son and daughter, notes by Henry Céard and Marius Roux,
    photocopies of his marriage certificate and notice of death, as well as a family tree drawn by Jacques
    Émile-Zola (Zola’ son).
  3. Critiques: The Critiques files (#552-563) consist of articles and documents critiquing Zola’s works
    (both positive and negative). Certain works have dedicated files (i.e. La Terre and Paris), where others
    do not. There is an original book published in 1888 in London, titled Regina vs Vizetelly discussing the
    censorship and legal suppression of Zola’s books in England (in File #563).
    These documents were likely collected to provide context and material for the annotations of the published
    letters.

Files: 645-697

These files consist of off-prints, articles, and chapters from books that pertain to Émile Zola or Naturalism
that have been written by authors with surnames Adamo to Becker. These files also contain anonymous
articles and one file (#643) that contains articles that are to be categorized. The dates of the works range from
1892 to 1995. The files within have been arranged alphabetically by surname with each work possessing its
own folder. Recurring scholars include Auriant and Colette Becker.

Files: 1578-1683

These files consist of biographical cards for various 19th century journals and correspondents with surnames
About to Coedes. Key correspondents in these files include Edmond About, Paul Alexis, the Aubert family
(Zola’s mother’s family), Saint-Georges de Bouhélier, Alfred Bruneau, Henry Céard, Paul Cézanne, Georges
Charpentier, and Jules Claretie. The journal index cards differ slightly from the biographical cards. The journal cards include information on the beginning and ending of publication, directors (main editors), nature of the
journal, its political orientation, collaborators and its role in Zola’s career.

Files: 368-372

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams
sent to Émile Zola between November of 1897 and January 16, 1898. The letters in these files all pertain to
the Dreyfus Affair, with the early files focusing on the lead-up to Zola’s direct involvement in the Affair. The
later files mostly focus on Zola’s public letter to the President of the Republic, J’Accuse, printed in the
newspaper L’Aurore on January 13, 1898. Some of the letters refer to the Dreyfus Affair through general
discussion of events; however, most demonstrate a clear support or criticism of Zola’s involvement.

Files: 418-447

These files consist of photocopies of letters written by and amongst Zola’s contemporaries with the surnames
A through L. Although most of the files are indistinct groupings of letters (for example, letters with authors that start with “A”), recurring correspondents possess their own distinct file (for example, File #424 is
dedicated to Alfred Bruneau). The dates of letters in these files range from 1864 to 1936. These files include
three original letters: one letter written by Paul Alexis to Léon Hennique (dated 19 September 1887, in File

420), one letter by Jules Claretie (undated, in File #432), one letter by Maurice Le Blond (1903, in File #445).

Files: 602-628

These files consist of articles and research materials compiled by and written about the correspondents from
the Letters by Contemporaries series. Types of materials that can be found include photocopies of birth,
marriage and death certificates, some works written by them as well as photocopies of photographs. Key
correspondents in these files include various family members (Alexandrine Zola, Georges Loiseau and Dr.
François Émile-Zola), as well as other professional correspondents (such as Theodore Stanton, Ernest
Vizetelly, Saint-Arroman and Georges Charpentier) and personal correspondents (including Léon Hennique,
Jacques van Santen Kolff, Léona Queyrouze and Dr. Édouard Toudouze).

Files: 1559-1569

These files consist of a bibliography of works written about Émile Zola between 1864 and 1981. Although
not indicated on the document itself, the original folder identified D. Baguley as the compiler of the
document. Other materials in this fonds indicate that David Baguley was head of a project out of the Western
University (then University of Western Ontario) in the 1970s to compile an international bibliography of all
existing works written about Zola. It is likely that the bibliography included in this sub-series is an updated
version of this project. The document has been divided by year, with distinctions made between types of
publication (book or article). Publications in this document are mostly French and English, however there are
other languages present as well. The years 1896-1899 and 1922-1930 are missing from this document. This
bibliography is also available online and Baguley has continued updating it in recent years (it can be found at http://www.cahiers-naturalistes.com/baguley.htm).

Files: 20-32

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters and typed/handwritten transcriptions of letters
written by Émile Zola between January of 1856 and December of 1870. The letters contained within are both
personal and professional; Zola writes to his friends regarding his life in Paris and his burgeoning writing
career. Meanwhile, these files also contain letters from his job at Hachette Publishing as well as letters sent to
various editors and reviewers regarding his early works including Contes à Ninon, La Confession de Claude, and
Thérèse Raquin. Some recurring correspondents include Georges Charpentier, Philippe Solari, Paul Cézanne,
Edmond de Goncourt, Géry Legrand, Marius Roux and Antony Valabrègue.

Files: 497-509

These files consist of photocopies of a variety of documents written and/or owned by Émile Zola or that
pertain to his business affairs between 1863 and 1903. There are four broad categories of documents included
in these files:

  1. Articles, Declarations, Speeches, Interviews: These files consist of photocopies of a variety of
    documents created by Zola throughout his career, including articles for journals, speeches and
    declarations he wrote and/or made, as well as copies of interviews with various people.
  2. Contracts and Financial Documents: This file consists of various legal documents belonging to Zola,
    including contracts for his works and financial documents
  3. Dedications, Introductions, Prefaces: These files consist of photocopies of works written by Zola for
    the purpose of dedications, introductions or prefaces to others’ works.
  4. Handwritten Manuscripts: These files consist of photocopies of notes on his various works as well as
    notes that Zola wrote about various hobbies, including photography. There are four original pieces in these files: the first is an original article handwritten by Saint-Georges de
    Bouhélier titled Une entrevue avec Émile Zola (dated 1894, found in File #497) and three newspapers from
    L’Aurore, (all dated 1900, found in File #498).

Files: 1544-1558

These files consist of inventories created by the Zola Research Program between the years of 1975 and 1991.
The inventories are a mixture of handwritten and typed, with various additions and annotations present. In
particular, the inventories documenting the Collection Le Blond Zola have very interesting ways of organizing
letters sent to Zola based on various information including author, content of letter or reference of Zola’s
work and country from which the letter was sent. These inventories are documenting the early years of the
program, as they developed more advanced systems of record keeping later on. As a result, most of the
inventories in these files were created in 1975 and 1976. There are also an extensive number of inventories in
the second half of the box that were used for cross-checking between the two teams. These inventories were
divided into years by the Zola Research Program staff, and a letter between Hélène Issayevitch and Collette
Morin-Laborde dates them to 1991. There is also an inventory of Letters by Contemporaries sent amongst
Zola’s family members (corresponds with letters in Boxes 54 and 55), which have been arranged by
correspondent.

Files: 119-125

These files consist of photocopies and typed transcriptions of letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams
sent by Émile Zola between October of 1892 and December of 1893. Recurring correspondents include
Ernest Vizetelly, Alfred Bruneau, Henry Céard, Georges Charpentier, Jacques van Santen Kolff, Gabriel
Thyébaut, Jeanne and Denise Rozerot, and Ely Halpérine-Kaminsky. Works discussed in these files include La
Débâcle, Le Docteur Pascal and Lourdes. The contents of the letters include both personal matters (his discussion
of his children and relationship with Jeanne Rozerot) and professional (both with the publication and
translation of his works and as the President of the Société des gens de lettres).

Files: 268-274

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, telegrams, cartes de visites and
handwritten and typed transcriptions of correspondence to Émile Zola written between January of 1895 and
March of 1896. Frequent correspondents include Ernest Vizetelly, Eugène Fasquelle, Fernand Xau, Alfred
Bruneau, Guiseppe Giacosa and various family members (including his cousin Carlo Zola and his niece Elina
“Lili” Laborde). Most of the contents of the letters are concerned with the publication and subsequent
translations of Zola’s Rome, including a number of Letters of Contemporaries discussing the translation of
Rome in the United States. This increase in both the popularity and intellectual presence of Zola in the U.S. is
evidenced in the number of American correspondents and the photocopies of newspaper and journal articles
attached that discuss Zola’s works. As with some of the other files in this series, on some letters, Zola has
written brief notes to himself about responding to the letters (as can be seen on a letter from Ernest Vizetelly,
dated May 25, 1895, in File #268).

Files: 413-417

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letter, postcards, cartes de visites telegrams and
some photocopies of newspaper clippings of undated items from the 1991 accession of Dreyfus Affair
records. The last file in this box (File #417) also contains miscellaneous items from the Dreyfus Affair subseries.

Files: 1227-1279

These files consist of articles, chapters from books and off-prints relating to Émile Zola and/or Naturalism
written by authors with surnames Sanders to Scott. The dates of works published in these files range from
1891 to 1991. Recurring scholars include J.B. Sanders, Rita Schober and Naomi Schor. File #1268 contains an
original 1891 article by Aurélien Scholl, titled “L’Amant de sa femme."

Files: 126-135

These files consist of photocopies and typed transcriptions of letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams
sent by Émile Zola between January of 1894 and December of 1895. Recurring correspondents include Ernest
Vizetelly, Alfred Bruneau, Henry Céard, Georges Charpentier, Jacques van Santen Kolff, Gabriel Thyébaut,
Jeanne and Denise Rozerot, and Ely Halpérine-Kaminsky. Works discussed in these files include Le Docteur
Pascal and Lourdes. The contents of the letters include both personal and professional matters; his personal life
is quite prevalent in this period as seen in a letter to Jeanne Rozerot where he expresses his unhappiness with
his double life (dated July 13, 1894, in File #128). However, professional matters likewise influence his
writings, particularly as they relate to his work but also as his role with La Société des gens de lettres and the
criticism of Auguste Rodin’s Statue of Balzac, commissioned by Zola in 1891 as the President of the Society

Files: 275-279

These files consist of photocopies of correspondence sent to Émile Zola during the months of April of 1896
through to December of 1896. This correspondence is composed of photocopies of handwritten letters,
postcards, telegrams and cartes de visites, as well as typed and handwritten transcriptions of correspondence.
For the most part, the contents of the correspondence includes letters thanking Zola for sending copies of his
book Rome to various friends and colleagues, as well as anticipation for his upcoming book Paris. As well, these files contain interesting correspondence regarding an article published in the journal Le Figaro in which Zola
demonstrates support for the French Jewish population. Much of the correspondence from File #276 (May of
1896) is concerned with praise for this article, including a letter from Art Dreyfus of the Société Dreyfus.
Recurring correspondents in these files include Jules Claretie, Antoine Guillemet, the Charpentier family and
Ernest Vizetelly. There are also a number of letters between Alexandrine Zola and various family members
(including Amélie, Elina and Albert Laborde). File #277 contains a photocopy of a telegram dated 16 July
1896 from Eugène Fasquelle informing Zola of Edmond de Goncourt’s death

Files: 1280-1351

These files consist of off-prints, articles and chapters from books that pertain to Émile Zola and/or
Naturalism written by authors with surnames Sederberg to Symons. The publication dates for works contained
in these files range from 1891 to 1997. Recurring authors include Masakazu Shimizu, Dolorès Signori,
Dorothy Speirs and Halini Suwala. Most of the works in these files are written in French or English, however
Shimizu’s works are written in Japanese. File #1291 contains an original article by Severine, published in 1898
and titled "Notes d’une frondeuse - Liste de suspects."

Files: 1352-1427

These files consist of off-prints, articles and chapters from books relating to Émile Zola and/or Naturalism
written by authors with surnames Tabarant to Varndoe. The publication dates for works contained in these
files range from 1876 to 1993. Recurring scholars include René Tournois, Clive Thomson and Akira
Tsuneoka. Most of the works contained in these files are written in French or English, however there are some
pieces written in Japanese.

Files: 136-145

These files consist of photocopies and typed transcriptions of letters, postcards, telegrams and cartes de visites
sent by Émile Zola between January of 1896 and December of 1897. Recurring correspondents include Henry
Céard, Alexandrine Zola, Alfred Bruneau, Jeanne Rozerot, Gabriel Thyébaut, and Ernest Vizetelly. The
contents of the letters are both personal and professional. Many of the letters sent to editors, publishers and
translators are regarding Rome and Paris. As well, these files cover the months leading up to Zola’s direct
involvement with the Dreyfus Affair. Discussion of the Dreyfus Affair becomes more prevalent in November
of 1897 (particularly when Zola writes to Alexandrine) and demonstrates Zola’s increasing involvement and
anger (as seen in letter to Alexandrine Zola, dated November 19, 1897, in File #144)

Files: 280-285

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams as well as
typed and handwritten transcriptions of letters sent to Émile Zola from January of 1897 to January of 1898.
The contents of these files are divided between discussion around Rome and Paris, and rumblings about Zola’s
increasing involvement in the Dreyfus Affair, culminating with the publication of J’Accuse on January 13, 1898.
As a result, the later files of 1897 contain letters from various newspapers and journals (both in Europe and
the United States) requesting Zola’s opinion on the current social and political situation in France (the Dreyfus
Affair was becoming a massive issue), some of which directly mention the Dreyfus Affair. Additionally, these
files also contain correspondence from the first two weeks after Zola published J’Accuse. As well, the final file
of 1897 (File #283) contains correspondence that discusses the death of Alphonse Daudet. There are a large
number of Letters of Contemporaries in these files, both professional (sent from Ernest Vizetelly) and
personal (sent from Alexandrine Zola), which have presumably been placed here because the contents pertain
directly to Zola’s affairs.

Files: 1428-1491

These files consist of chapters from books, articles and off-prints that discuss Émile Zola and/or Naturalism
written by authors with surnames Vaughn to Wierenga. The publication dates for works contained in these
files range from 1873-1996. Recurring scholars include Robert M. Viti, Philip Walker, Rodolphe Walter and
Henry Weinberg.

Files: 146-150

These files consist of photocopies and typed transcriptions of letters, postcards, telegrams and cartes de visites
sent by Émile Zola in 1898. Recurring correspondents include Henry Céard, Alexandrine Zola, Fernand Xau,
Alfred Bruneau, Fernand Labori and Jeanne Rozerot. The contents of the letters are both personal and
professional, and span Zola’s involvement in the Dreyfus Affair starting with his article J’Accuse in January of
1898 through his trial and conviction in February and the first half of his exile. These files also include a
touching letter to Jeanne Rozerot, explaining that he must leave for England because of the turn the trial had
taken, dated July 18, 1898 (in File #148). There is a noticeable increase in the number of personal letters
written to family members in these files, due to Zola’s exile (largely Alexandrine Zola, Jeanne Rozerot, Denise
Rozerot and the Laborde family members).

Files: 286-291

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).

Files: 151-155

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten correspondence and typed/handwritten transcriptions sent
by Émile Zola in 1899. Recurring correspondents include Fernand Labori, Denise Rozerot, Alfred Bruneau,
Fernand Desmoulin, Ernest Vizetelly and Joseph Reinach. The content of these files include letters sent to
Alfred Dreyfus upon his return to France, expressing his admiration and support (the first of many, dated July
6, 1899, in File #153), as well as a letter to Alexandrine expressing his displeasure with the ambiguous end to
the Dreyfus Affair (where all pending cases received amnesty – letter dated October 31, 1899, in File #154).
The first half of these files contain mainly personal correspondence to family, however after July (when Émile
Zola returns to France), the letters are mostly concerned with professional and business matters, focusing on
the publication and translation of Fécondité.

Files: 292-299

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, telegrams as well as some handwritten
transcriptions of letters sent to Émile Zola between June and December of 1898. Most of the earlier letters
dated between July and September discuss Zola’s choice to flee to England to avoid jail time in France. File

293 contains the first piece of mail in this collection from Jeanne Rozerot (Émile Zola’s mistress) – a

telegram sent from Rozerot to Ernest Vizetelly telling him that everything is okay at home, dated July 22, 1898.
There is a big increase in the number of personal correspondence sent to Zola throughout August and
September, by both Alexandrine Zola and the family Laborde (Amélie, Elina and Albert). Alexandrine Zola
writes to Émile Zola almost every other day (although she signs off as Caroline and addresses the letters to "Loulou," her nickname for Zola). This could be because she expresses concerns that her mail is being opened
by “secret police” in a letter to Mme Bruneau.

Files: 1492-1543

These files consist of chapters from books, off-prints and articles written about Émile Zola and/or Naturalism
written by authors with surnames Wilson to Zolling. The publication dates for works contained in these files
range from 1878 to 1994. Recurring authors include Nelly Wilson, Albert Wolff, Geoff Woolen, Alexandre
Zevaes and Liugia Zilli.

Files: 300-304

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams
sent to Émile Zola between January and September 1899. This period marks Zola’s exile in England and the
correspondence likewise reflects this, as can be seen by the number of telegrams and letters sent from close
family friends assuring Émile Zola that all is well with his family back at home. As well, there is an increase in
the number of Letters of Contemporaries in these files for two reasons: much of Émile Zola’s business was
being conducted through either Ernest Vizetelly or Alexandrine Zola, and people who did not know how to
contact Zola directly would send mail to Alexandrine and ask her to forward it through to Zola. Starting in
June of 1899, most of the correspondence is addressed directly to Émile Zola because he returned to France at
this time. Most of the correspondence discusses either potential literary or dramatic representations of the
Dreyfus Affair, or they congratulate Zola on his return to France. Recurring correspondents include
Alexandrine Zola (sometimes signing as Caroline), Ernest Vizetelly, Antoine Guillemet, the Laborde family
and Fernand Labori (Zola’s defense lawyer). These files also encompass the period of the publication of
Fécondité, which is indicated through the requests for translation rights, requests for information on release
dates and discussion between Vizetelly and Brett of Macmillan Co. regarding the American rights to the book.

Files: 156-162

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten correspondence and typed/handwritten transcriptions sent
by Émile Zola between January of 1900 and June of 1901. Recurring correspondents include Fernand Labori,
Denise Rozerot, Alfred Bruneau, Fernand Desmoulin, Ernest Vizetelly and Joseph Reinach. Zola kept in close
contact with many of the figures involved in the Dreyfus Affair (as can be seen in the number of letters sent to
Fernand Labori, Alfred Dreyfus and others); however, a large portion of his correspondence is focused on
business after 1900. Most of the letters focus on Travail, however there are numerous references to articles and
critiques being written by Zola at this time

Files: 163-172

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten correspondence and typed/handwritten transcriptions sent
by Émile Zola between July of 1901 and September of 1902. Recurring correspondents include Fernand
Labori, Denise Rozerot, Alfred Bruneau, Fernand Desmoulin, Ernest Vizetelly and Joseph Reinach. The
letters included in these files focus on Zola’s works (the development of Vérité, which would be published
posthumously, as well as various articles for journals). These files also include undated letters #1-165 retained
by the Zola Research Program (most of which were not included in the volumes). These letters are heavily
annotated and demonstrate the process of cross-referencing and researching that the Zola Research Program
staff undertook in their attempt to date the letters.

Files: 305 – 310

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, cartes de visites, telegrams, newspaper
clippings and handwritten transcriptions of letters sent to Émile Zola between October 1899 and December 1900. The earlier correspondence is largely composed of either discussion around the Dreyfus Affair (the retrial
of Alfred Dreyfus at Rennes, his reconviction and subsequent pardon) or praise for Zola’s Fécondité. A
large portion of these files are correspondence between Ernest Vizetelly, Zola, Macmillan & Co.
representatives and Chatto & Windus regarding Vizetelly’s difficulties in translating Fécondité into a book that
would be deemed both legal and appropriate for the English-speaking audiences in England and the United
States. The later files begin to discuss Zola’s rough draft of Travail (the next novel in his Quatres Évangiles
series), as well as translations and rights of distribution.

Files: 173-178

These files consist of undated letters sent by Émile Zola, most of which have not been published in the
volumes. The first half of the files contains the letters that have been arranged by the number given to them by
the Zola Research Program (#166 onwards). The second half of the files contains the same letters but
arranged alphabetically according to addressee. These undated letters are interesting because the annotations
document the process that the Zola Research Program underwent in attempting to date the letters (crossreferencing
with other letters that refer to a particular event, Zola’s location from which he wrote, tracking
references in the Letters by Contemporaries, etc).

Files: 311-318

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, postcards, cartes de visites, telegrams and
typed and handwritten transcriptions of letters sent to Émile Zola between November of 1900 and December
of 1901. Recurring correspondents throughout these files include Alexandrine Zola, Ernest Vizetelly, Chatto
& Windus Publishers, the Loiseau family (Elina, née Laborde, and her husband Georges) and Antoine
Guillemet. For the most part, the correspondence within discusses both personal and professional matters,
including the death of Paul Alexis in July of 1901, as well as praise and requests for rights for Travail. Multiple
close family friends also comment on Zola’s hobby for photography. File #318 also contains the first
communication (in this series) between Alexandrine Zola and Denise Rozerot (Émile Zola’s daughter with
Jeanne Rozerot) in a postcard dated February 7, 1902.

Files: 319-329

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, cartes de visites, telegrams, handwritten
and typed transcriptions of letters and photocopies of postcards sent to Émile Zola from March of 1902 until
his death in September of 1902. The earlier files consist of correspondence sent to Zola concerning business
matters around the publication and translation of Vérité, as well as multiple requests for advice or critique on
works sent to Zola from various aspiring authors. File #321 consists of correspondence sent to Alexandrine
Zola about Émile Zola written after 1902 by various correspondents expressing their condolences on Zola’s
death, discussing business matters (with Ernest Vizetelly mostly), expressing congratulations for Alfred
Dreyfus’ exoneration in 1906, and discussing the transfer of Zola’s ashes to the Panthéon in 1908. A number
of these files are comprised of letters that are undated and thus organized alphabetically, as well as unsigned or
illegibly signed. Most of these undated correspondences have been included here because the letters
themselves were undated, they are missing the first page or they are cartes de visites (which are often not
precisely dated).

Files: 179-192

These files consist of a variety of photocopies of letters written by Zola, as well as published catalogs
advertising letters written by Zola, with dates from 1843 through to 1902. The first half of the files contain
letters that were obtained from smaller collections (outside of the big collections such as Le Blond-Zola or
Bibliothèque Nationale), and have not consistently been filed with the general files in this series. Most of the
files in this half are accompanied by a typed inventory at the front of the file. Some of the main
correspondents in these files include Henry Céard, Ely Halpérine-Kaminsky, Ernest Vizetelly, the Laborde
family and Jacques van Santen Kolff. The second half of these files contain typed transcriptions of letters,
photocopies of handwritten letters and catalogs advertising letters that were either obtained from the Pierpont
Morgan Library or were included in the Supplement volume of the Émile Zola Correspondance series. These
letters have also not been consistently filed within the general files of the series.

Files: 193-205

These files consist of photocopies of correspondence written by Émile Zola between 1858 and 1902. These
files are photocopies of letters published in 2010 through the University of Montreal Press by Dorothy Speirs
and Owen Morgan. This publication was not within the scope of the original Zola Research Program project,
but it is titled as the eleventh book in the Émile Zola Correspondance series. For the most part, the
correspondence is composed of typed transcriptions of the letters, some of which are accompanied by
photocopies of the handwritten version. Some of the source information has likewise been documented, either
through annotation at the bottom of the transcription or by stapling a copy of the catalog to the transcription.
Each year is accompanied by a typed inventory – although this inventory does not correspond directly with the
letters in the file (sometimes there are letters listed in the inventory but not included in the file). Markings on
the transcriptions indicate that Speirs and Morgan were attempting to remove any letters that had already been
published in the Emile Zola Correspondance series (as seen on a letter that has been crossed out with the markings
"tome VIII, lettre 180"), implying that the letters in these files cannot be found anywhere else in this fonds.

Files: 330-362

These files consist of typed and handwritten transcriptions of letters, photocopies of handwritten letters, cartes
de visites and photocopies of some published items (from catalogs like Lettres & Manuscrits Autographes and
Hôtel Drouot) sent to Émile Zola, with dates spanning the 1860s through to 1902. The files within are
organized alphabetically, with recurring correspondents possessing their own files. The original box label
stated that these letters were obtained from “Other Collections,” which refers to smaller collections like
Collection Mitterand and Collection Labodens, as well as from catalogs.

Files 5-18

These files consist of records created and maintained by the Zola Research Program staff throughout the life of the project. Types of records found in these files include publicity and marketing documents (including some newspaper articles), various summaries of the project, funding and budgeting documents, salary, benefits and stipend forms, mail order lists, book orders for the Joseph Sablé Centre for 19th century French Studies (post-project) and graduate student profiles.

Files: 448-472

These files consist of photocopies of letters written by and amongst Zola’s contemporaries with the surnames
M through to Alexandrine Zola’s letters to Doctor Larat. The files within have been arranged alphabetically by
author, with recurring correspondents possessing their own distinct files. Letters sent by Alexandrine Zola to
various correspondents dominate these files, with particular emphasis on letters to the Laborde family (Amélie,
Albert and Elina). The dates range from 1871 to 1922. File #460 contains nine original cartes de visites from
Alexandrine Zola to various correspondents, dated from 1903.

Files: 510-537

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten manuscripts, published material and typed transcriptions of
manuscripts and other documents pertaining to Zola’s works written between 1866 and 1952. The files within
have been arranged alphabetically by title of works, starting with Angeline and finishing with Vérité. These files
document some of Zola’s thought process and brainstorming when writing his books and short stories.
Germinal and Une Page d’amour contain extensive (though not complete) photocopies of manuscripts written in
Zola’s hand.

Files: 629-644

These files consist of articles and research materials compiled and written about the correspondents from the
Letters by Contemporaries series. Types of documents found in these files include various certificates
(including, marriage, death, professional/honorary), photographs, booklets or journal articles written about the
figure, as well as examples of their own work (poems, newspaper articles, etc). Key correspondents in these
files include Henry Céard, Alphonse Daudet, Louis Desprez, Paul Alexis and Alfred Bruneau. There are also
files on various other events including the commission of the Statue of Balzac and diverse matters. There are a
number of original pieces in these files including a program celebrating Henry Becque (dated May 31, 1904, in
File #640), an albumen print (dated 1898, in File #641), and a pamphlet discussing loans of the Government
of Egypt (dated 1873, in File #644)

Files: 698-742

These files consist of photocopies of off-prints, newspaper and academic articles and chapters from books
that discuss Émile Zola and/or Naturalism that have been written by authors with the surnames Bedo to
Hemmings. The dates of publication in these files range from 1900 to 1994. Key scholars in these files include
Saint-Georges de Bouhélier and Pedro Calheiros. These files include a number of original documents by SaintGeorges
de Bouhélier, with dates ranging from 1908-1938 (in Files #713-717, #719) and three newspapers:
Comœdia (dated 1908, in File #728), Le Figaro (dated 1927, in File #736) and La Feuille Litteraire (dated 1913, in
File #737).

Files: 1570-1577

These files consist of a bibliography of works written by Zola, including compilations of his works as well as
translations and updated editions. It is unclear when the document was compiled, however dates of
publication of items included on the list indicate that compilation occurred after the dissolution of the Zola
Research Program. Dorothy Speirs continued adding reference materials to the collection, and it is likely that
this bibliography was included in this process. Pages 187-222 are missing from the document, resulting in
works starting with “A” missing.
The document has been arranged into 8 separate sections, listed below:
1) Oeuvres completes
2) Collected editions of the novels
3) Individual works by title
4) Electronic publications
5) Selected works
6) Correspondence
7) Divers
8) Prefaces

Files: 1684-1801

These files consist of biographical cards for correspondents with surnames Colet to Hennique. Key
correspondents in these files include Numa Coste, Fernand Desmoulin, Louis Desprez, Edmond Duranty,
Gustave Flaubert, Edmond de Goncourt, Antoine Guillemet and Léon Hennique.

Files: 30-44

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters and typed/handwritten transcriptions of letters
written by Émile Zola between January of 1871 and December of 1877. The letters contained within are both
personal and professional: Zola writes to childhood friends (Marius Roux, Paul Cézanne and Jean-Baptistin
Baille) regarding his career and life in Paris. Additionally, there are various letters sent to friends, editors and
reviewers regarding the first few novels in the Rougon-Macquart series including La Fortune des Rougon, La
Curée, Le Ventre de Paris and L’Assommoir. Recurring correspondents include Georges Charpentier, Philippe
Solari, Paul Cézanne, Edmond de Goncourt, Géry Legrand, Marius Roux and Antony Valabrègue.

Files: 213-222

These files consist of photocopies of letters sent to Zola between January of 1871 and December of 1879.
These files are primarily composed of photocopies of handwritten letters, although there are a few typed
transcriptions of the letters as well. These files follow the increased popularity and success of Zola’s writing
with the release of L’Assommoir and the creation of a theatre production of Thérèse Raquin, which is likewise
reflected in the increase of fan mail in the later years. The contents of letters between Numa Coste, Louis
Marguery and Georges Charpentier (Zola’s editor) indicate that Zola is becoming increasingly involved in the
social world of literary authors (with names like Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, Guy de Maupassant, Joris-Karl
Huysmans and Louis Edmond Duranty appearing in the contents of the correspondence). Similarly, there is a
clear globalization of Zola’s works as Zola receives correspondence from the United States (discussing
translations) and Georges Charpentier discusses potential German translations.

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