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

  • CA ON00389 F17
  • Fonds
  • 1873-2008

Fonds consists of documents relating to the Zola Research Program and the publication of the 10 volume "Émile Zola Correspondance" series, including project files, inventories, reference materials, photocopies of Émile Zola’s correspondence and other documents related to the project. The project files contained in this fonds document the development and activities of the Zola Research Program. Project files records include inventories of various letters, funding information, budgetary forms, donor agreements, publicity documents and summaries of the project written both by external entities (newspapers) and internal figures (members of the Program staff). Also included are supplementary documents that were collected to create a broader contextual framework. Each letter is be supported with annotations and background information on the correspondents, events or people discussed in the letters as well as the social and political state of France during the 19th century. While the collection of letters by Zola was the primary mandate of the project, along the way the Program collected a vast number of reference materials to broaden the perspective. This fonds contains the off-prints, various documents (both collected by Zola and collected by the Zola Research Program about various 19th century figures) and bibliographies. Books collected by the Program are now the basis of the Émile Zola Collection in the Rare Book Collection of Kelly Library.

The correspondence is composed mostly of photocopies of handwritten letters, post cards, cartes de visites, telegrams and typed transcriptions of letters. The correspondence is a mixture of professional and personal letters that discuss various matters from the publication of Zola’s main works to the birth of his children. It is clear from the various handwritings and documentation styles that multiple figures were involved in the processing of the letters. However, as a Research Associate and long-term member of the team, Dorothy Speirs was the primary figure creating, processing and cross-referencing the letters. This can be seen through the presence of her initials on most of the documents. Additionally, as Project Archivist Hélène Issayevitch organized the letters and maintained the record-keeping practices throughout. It is important to note that after the dissolution of the Zola Research Program in 1995, Speirs continued collecting reference materials and adding them to the collection. As a result, there are a number of documents contained within that extend outside the dates of the Program. The result of this continued research is an additional publication completed in 2008, in association with Owen Morgan.

This collection remains the largest repository of Émile Zola’s letters available in North America. In recent years, the descendants of Zola have divided the estate, including the letters, resulting in a dispersal of the documents. This collection represents the largest single collection of Zola’s letters that is accessible and open to the public. Additionally, this fonds contains a fountain of information on key figures in the Naturalist Movement of the 19th century, as well as other well-known artists, scholars, intellectuals and political and social figures, including J.K. Huysmans, Edmond de Goncourt, Gustave Flaubert, Édouard Manet, Alfred Bruneau, Paul Alexis, Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, and Guy de Maupassant - all of which can be found either through personal discussions in the letters or supplementary documentation. The hidden value in this fonds lies in the plethora of reference resources that are available. The fonds also houses a vast number of off-prints that explore various aspects of Zola’s life as well as the broader Naturalist community of the 19th century. Some other significant pieces include original 19th century illustrated theatrical pamphlets from the Théâtre Libre, various original newspaper clippings and original letters by Émile Zola, Alexandrine Zola, Paul Alexis and Jules Claretie.

Fonds is arranged into 6 series:

1) Project Files series: consists of a variety of records that document the development of the project over the years, including funding information, publicity and marketing documents, donor agreements, budgetary forms and some correspondence amongst various scholars.

2) Letters by Zola series: consists of photocopies of letters written by Zola between 1856 and 1902. This series also contains an original letter by Émile Zola, dated June 22, 1890 (File #107).

3) Letters to Zola series: contains photocopies of letters written to Zola between 1858 and 1902. This series also contains an original letter by Alexandrine Zola to Émile Zola, dated May 27, 1890 (File #248).

4) Letters by Contemporaries series: consists of photocopies of letters sent between Zola’s family and contemporaries. This series contains an original letter from Paul Alexis to Léon Hennique, dated September 19, 1887 (File #420).

5) Collected and Reference Material series: contains photocopies of documents about the project and the various correspondents in the fonds (documents written by or about Émile Zola, documents about his family and correspondents, off-prints of works written about Émile Zola and naturalism, project inventories of letters and bibliographies). Series contains a variety of original documents including newspapers and theatrical pamphlets.

6) Alphabetical Index Forms series: consists of biographical and contextual information on correspondents of Émile Zola, figures mentioned in the letters, or the main journals for which he wrote.

Zola Research Program

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 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: 45-54

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters as well as handwritten and typed transcriptions of
letters sent by Émile Zola to various correspondents between January of 1878 and December of 1879.
Recurring correspondents include Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, Gustave Flaubert, Ivan Tourgueniev,
Philippe Solari and Numa Coste. The contents of the letters are both personal and professional. Contained
with these files are discussions of Zola’s works including L’Attaque du Moulin, Une Page d’amour and early
discussions on Nana.

Files: 55-69

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters as well as handwritten and typed transcriptions of
letters sent by Émile Zola to various correspondents between January of 1880 and December of 1882.
Recurring correspondents include Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, Gustave Flaubert, Ivan Tourgueniev,
Philippe Solari and Numa Coste. Included in these files are discussions of Zola’s works Nana and Pot-Bouille.
As well, the letters discuss the death of both Gustave Flaubert (as seen in a letter to Céard, dated May 9, 1880,
in File #56) and Émilie Zola, Émile Zola’s mother (as seen in a letter to Zola’s uncle, Jules Aubert, dated
October 18, 1880, in File #58).

Files: 70-79

These files consist of photocopies of letters, postcards and cartes de visites and typed/handwritten
transcriptions of correspondence sent by Émile Zola between January of 1883 and December of 1884.
Recurring correspondents include Antoine Guillemet, Alphonse Daudet, Ernst Kiegler, Henry Céard,
Edmond de Goncourt, Georges Charpentier, Jacques van Santen Kolff and various family members (Amélie
Laborde, Lina Laborde, etc.). The contents of the box are both personal and professional in nature; there is
repeated discussion of lunches and dinners at the various houses of friends, as well as discussion of the
publication and translation of the following works: Pot-Bouille, Au Bonheur des Dames and La Joie de Vivre.

Files: 90-97

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten correspondence (letters, postcards, cartes de visites and
telegrams) as well as typed/handwritten transcriptions of letters sent by Émile Zola between January of 1887
and June of 1888. Recurring correspondents include Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, Jacques van Santen Kolff,
Numa Coste, Edmond de Goncourt, Gabriel Thyébaut and Alfred Bruneau. The letters pertain to both
personal and professional matters, or sometimes both, as seen in the case where Zola sent most of his close
friends (The Charpentiers, Céard, Hennique, Guillemot, de Goncourt, etc.) a letter indicating his displeasure
with the Théâtre du Châtelet because they were playing an unauthorized version of Germinal. Zola refused to
attend himself and encouraged his friends to also boycott the show (letters dated April 21, 1888, in File #97).
Other works discussed in these files include La Terre and Le Rêve.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 255-260

These files consist of various correspondence sent to Émile Zola throughout January of 1892 to December of
1893, including photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, cartes de visites as well as handwritten and
typed transcriptions of letters. Most of the letters discuss business deals (publications and translations) of La
Débâcle, Le Docteur Pascal and Lourdes. Recurring correspondents throughout these files include Ernest Vizetelly,
Antoine Guillemet, Gabriel Thyébaut, the family Charpentier (Georges, Paul and Georgette) and Eugène
Fasquelle. There are a number of letters from Ernest Vizetelly within these files that discuss various business
matters including arranging a dinner in 1893 between Zola and other English authors, translations of books
into English and a biography being written about Zola by R.H. Sherard

Files: 261-267

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten letters, postcards, cartes de visites, telegrams and
handwritten and typed transcriptions of letters sent to Zola between January and December of 1894.
Recurring correspondents include Ernest Vizetelly, Henry & Co. and Antoine Guillemet. File #264 contains a
Zola Research Program fonds
vast number of cartes de visites, most of which contain expressions of gratitude to Zola for the release of
Lourdes and his generosity in sending copies of the book to his friends, associates and acquaintances.

Files: 401-405

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letter, postcards, cartes de visites, telegrams and
some photocopies of newspaper clippings sent to Émile Zola between February 8 and March 31, 1898. This
period spans the trial of Zola as well as the interim period after his conviction, but before his exile. These files
were obtained from a distinct accession of Dreyfus Affair material from July and August of 1991.

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: 473-482

These files consist of photocopies of letters written by and amongst Zola’s family and friends, starting with
letters written by Alexandrine to Eugène Fasquelle through to Zola’s mother Émilie Zola and finishing with
letters written to and from Zola’s wife, mistress and children between 1903 and 1905. File #474 contains
letters sent to Alexandrine Zola by Eugène Fasquelle. The dates of letters in these files range from 1841 to

  1. The letters sent to and from Zola’s family are arranged chronologically.

Files: 483-496

These files consist of photocopies of letters written amongst Zola’s immediate family: Alexandrine Zola,
Jeanne Rozerot, Denise Émile-Zola (previously Rozerot), Jacques Émile-Zola (previously Rozerot) and
eventually Denise’s husband Maurice Le Blond and Jacques’ wife Marguerite Émile-Zola. The files within are
arranged chronologically, starting in 1906 and continuing through to 1924, including undated letters. There is
no clear indication as to why these letters have been compiled and preserved, as they could not have provided
context for the annotations in the published volumes (as they were all written after Zola’s death); however, it is
possible that these letters were collected to document the lives of Zola’s children, who would eventually have a
great impact on the development of the project because the children of Denise and Jacques provided the
primary and foremost source of letters.

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: 943-1006

These files consist of photocopies of articles, off-prints and chapters from books that focus on either Émile
Zola or Naturalism written by authors with the surname Niederstenbruch to Page. The dates of publication
for material in these files range from 1898 to 1994. Recurring scholars include Robert J. Niess and Kazuo
Ozaki. There are articles written in French, English, Italian, Japanese and Russian in these files.

Files: 1158-1226

These files consist of off-prints, newspaper and academic articles, and chapters from books that pertain to
Émile Zola and/or Naturalism written by authors with surnames Rigaud to Salvan. The dates of the works
published in these files range from 1886 to 1998. Recurring authors include Guy Robert, Edouard Rod, Sergio
Sacchi, Murry Sachs and A.J. Salvan.

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: 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: 98-110

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten correspondence (letters, postcards, cartes de visites and
telegrams) as well as typed/handwritten transcriptions of letters sent by Émile Zola between July of 1888 and
December of 1890. Recurring correspondents include Henry Céard, Léon Hennique, Jacques van Santen
Kolff, Numa Coste, Edmond de Goncourt, Gabriel Thyébaut and Alfred Bruneau. The letters pertain to both
personal and professional matters. Works discussed in these files include Le Rêve and La Bête humaine. This
period also spans the birth of Zola’s daughter, Denise, as can be seen in Zola’s letters to Henry Céard and Dr.
Delineau, requesting both their discretion during Denise’s birth as well as their signatures on her birth
certificate afterwards (letters dated September 22, 1889, in File #103). File #107 consists of an original letter
by Émile Zola, dated June 22, 1890; it has been encased in glass and is accompanied by a photocopy of the
letter (in Italian) that prompted the response. This letter was originally filed in the Documents by Zola subseries
(previously in Box 56), however it was moved as it was seen to be better suited in this series.

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: 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: 250-254

These files consist of photocopies of correspondence written to Émile Zola between January and December
of 1891. The contents are largely composed of photocopies of handwritten letters, cartes de visites, telegrams
and some typed transcriptions of letters. Recurring correspondents in these files include Gabriel Thyébaut,
Eugène Fasquelle, Ernest Vizetelly, Numa Coste, and Antoine Guillemet. Much of the content is congratulations to Zola for his election as President of the Société des gens de lettres as well as his
commissioning of the Statue of Balzac. In some situations, it appears that Zola has written when he responded
to certain letters on the top of the correspondence (see letter from an editor in Prague, dated May 19, 1891, in
File #252 – they are not signed, but the handwriting resembles Zola’s). File #254 contains a variety of undated
correspondence (organized alphabetically) that is presumed to be from 1891, and is accompanied by an
incomplete inventory of some of the letters. Included in this file is a series of undated cartes de visites from
Antoine Guillemet.

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 388-390

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, postcards, cartes de visites and telegrams
sent to Émile Zola between March and June of 1898. The contents of these files are primarily concerned with
the outcome of the trial of Zola as well as the beginning discussion of Zola’s exile, with correspondents
expressing support or criticism for Zola’s involvement in the Affair

Files: 395-400

These files consist of photocopies of handwritten and typed letters, postcards, cartes de visites, telegrams and
some photocopies of newspaper clippings spanning the early months of Émile Zola’s participation in the
Dreyfus Affair (beginning in January 1897 through to February 7, 1898), including the period in which J’Accuse
was published. These files were obtained from a distinct accession of Dreyfus Affair material from July and
August of 1991.

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: 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: 1082-1139

These files consist of photocopies of articles, off-prints and chapters from books that discuss Émile Zola
and/or Naturalism written by authors with surnames Pia to Rienzo. The dates of publication for material in
these files range from 1868 to 1991. Recurring scholars include V.S. Pritchett, Madeleine Reberioux and
Theodore Reff. These files also contain three original documents: an article written by Gaston Picard,
published in 1927 (in File #1085); one La Presse newspaper clipping, published in 1897 (in File #1102); and
one Revue de l’art Pour Tous newspaper clipping, published in 1904 (in File #1144).

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: 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.

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