312 L.A.S. "Emile Zola", 1876-1901, to HIS WIFE ALEXANDRINE; about 1100 pages in-8, plus 4 cards and 34 telegrams, all mounted on tabs in 6 volumes in-8, bound in midnight blue half-calf, spine ribbed, gilt title.
Magnificent and important correspondence of Zola with his wife Alexandrine.
This correspondence makes it possible to follow Zola's life and thoughts from day to day during the periods when he was away from his wife, notably during Alexandrine's long stays in Italy: in 1895, 1896 and especially 1897, the date when the Dreyfus Affair began, Zola wrote her a long letter every day or almost every day, sometimes two. The same goes for the period from August 1898 to June 1899, during which he was forced into exile in England. In 1899 and 1901, Alexandrine went back to Italy, which again triggered an almost daily flow of letters from Zola. Alexandrine, his wife, is the only one to whom Zola confides everything, from the most trivial details of his daily activities to his deepest bouts of despair. Having lived together for more than thirty years at the time of this correspondence, they had experienced misery and wealth together, and fought side by side in each of the battles that marked the writer's career. Moreover, this woman from the people was his first reader. Zola submitted his works to her as they were being written and kept her constantly informed of the evolution of his work. This correspondence is therefore both intimate and literary, full of anecdotes and confessions. Each letter (all have at least three tightly packed pages: in the order generally pages 1, 3, then 2 across the page, and eventually 4) strives to balance these different aspects: domestic news, events of the day, meetings, visits, progress of the work and personal feelings. This correspondence is therefore an absolutely unique document for the knowledge of Zola, especially during the troubled period of the Dreyfus Affair.
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Alexandrine Meley was born in Paris in 1839. She had a difficult childhood and adolescence and had, at the age of 17, a natural daughter, whom she had to place in the Assistance publique. Calling herself Gabrielle, she led the life of a grisette, posing for painters. It is then that Zola meets her, in March 1864. He worked at the Hachette publishing house, and had not yet published anything. The couple moved to the Batignolles district in 1865 and, after overcoming the reluctance of Mme Zola mère, made their situation official on 31 May 1870. As soon as Zola devoted himself entirely to his career as a writer, Alexandrine took charge of the organization of domestic life, doing everything possible to ensure that her husband had the peace and quiet necessary for his work. An absolute admirer of his books, she was, at times vehemently, his primary supporter. As Zola's work became more and more successful, the couple rose in the social hierarchy, giving a weekly reception to which writers, journalists and theater directors were invited. According to Henry Céard, "Alexandrine Zola was then a tall woman wearing elegantly the toilet, the complexion clear, the eye sharp, the sharp repartee! In a salon, no one had more chic, and Goncourt, so little lavish with compliments towards women, said of her that she had great air. But under the gloves, there was a rough hand"...
It was in 1888, when Zola's fame was established and the couple lived in luxury, that the crisis broke out. Zola fell in love with Jeanne Rozerot, a young linen maid working for the household in their property in Médan. From this affair two children were born, Denise in 1889 and Jacques in 1891. For three years, Zola leads a double life, which he hides, not without suffering, from his wife. Through an anonymous letter, his wife was informed. Mad with grief, she rushes to Jeanne's home and destroys all the letters that Zola had sent her up to that point. Alexandrine, who did not have a child with Émile and had to abandon her own daughter, is terribly hurt. The couple is on the verge of divorce. Yet Alexandrine slowly resigns herself and accepts the officialization of this double life. The novelist has installed his mistress and his children a stone's throw from Médan, where he goes to see them daily. In 1895, when this correspondence begins, a new and solid relationship has been established between Zola and his wife, who, however - and this correspondence bears witness to this - will remain forever wounded. Hence the raw sensitivity that can be seen throughout this correspondence, with Zola multiplying reassuring declarations and demonstrations of attachment. "There are not only memories between us, there is also the future" (October 31, 1895), However, one name never appears in any of the letters, it is that of Jeanne. The novelist always evokes "the
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