History Section - People (Emile Zola 1840-1902)

Emile Zola

Strictly speaking Emile Zola's connection falls just outside Croydon in nearby Upper Norwood. He spent time at the Queen's Hotel in Church Road where he indulged in his passion for photography - but first a little about the man.

Emile Zola was born in Paris in 1840. His father came from Venice and his mother was French. His young life was spent in the south of France in Aix-en-Provence where he grew up with his good friend Paul Cezanne.

The death of Emile's father, whilst he was young, left the family very poor. Moving back to Paris in 1858 Emile had difficulty finding work and spent some time in a state of considerable poverty. He eventually found a job with the publisher Hachette and this enabled him to start writing and through short stories, serials and articles he was able to support himself.

Emile became a leading figure of the French school of naturalistic fiction, and had minimal success with short stories and novels but the work that gave him financial success was 'L'Assommoir', which studied alcoholism in the working classes.

As part of this success Emile came to England as a guest of the Institute of Journalists and dined at the Crystal Palace. His second visit however was very different.

Emile took up the cause of a young Jewish French army officer who was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island for alleged treason. The case had been widely discussed and Emile eventually published a letter showing irregularities in the trial and making accusations about the authorities. For this he was given a prison sentence but chose to exile himself in England until the trial was reopened in 1899.

Arriving in England in 1898 he eventually settled at the Queen's Hotel in Church Road. During this period he spent much time taking photographs of the area and these are available to us as a record of how the area used to be just over 100 years ago. The Crystal Palace stands out magnificently on the skyline, Church Road and the White Hart Hotel at Norwood Triangle are just some of the places easily recognised. A book 'Emile Zola - Photographer in Norwood', published by the Norwood Society with help from the Council, is available from the Library and contains pictures of these places and many more.

Emile Zola died in 1902 from carbon monoxide poisoning.



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Printer Friendly Page Business Community Information History Learning and Skills Leisure Links Living Visiting Croydon Search About the Site			History Buildings Genealogy Heritage Origins People Photographs Places The War Years Topics Croydon Connections Emile Zola 1840-1902 Strictly speaking Emile Zola's connection falls just outside Croydon in nearby Upper Norwood. He spent time at the Queen's Hotel in Church Road where he indulged in his passion for photography - but first a little about the man. Emile Zola was born in Paris in 1840. His father came from Venice and his mother was French. His young life was spent in the south of France in Aix-en-Provence where he grew up with his good friend Paul Cezanne. The death of Emile's father, whilst he was young, left the family very poor. Moving back to Paris in 1858 Emile had difficulty finding work and spent some time in a state of considerable poverty. He eventually found a job with the publisher Hachette and this enabled him to start writing and through short stories, serials and articles he was able to support himself. Emile became a leading figure of the French school of naturalistic fiction, and had minimal success with short stories and novels but the work that gave him financial success was 'L'Assommoir', which studied alcoholism in the working classes. As part of this success Emile came to England as a guest of the Institute of Journalists and dined at the Crystal Palace. His second visit however was very different. Emile took up the cause of a young Jewish French army officer who was sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island for alleged treason. The case had been widely discussed and Emile eventually published a letter showing irregularities in the trial and making accusations about the authorities. For this he was given a prison sentence but chose to exile himself in England until the trial was reopened in 1899. Arriving in England in 1898 he eventually settled at the Queen's Hotel in Church Road. During this period he spent much time taking photographs of the area and these are available to us as a record of how the area used to be just over 100 years ago. The Crystal Palace stands out magnificently on the skyline, Church Road and the White Hart Hotel at Norwood Triangle are just some of the places easily recognised. A book 'Emile Zola - Photographer in Norwood', published by the Norwood Society with help from the Council, is available from the Library and contains pictures of these places and many more. Emile Zola died in 1902 from carbon monoxide poisoning. Back to Croydon Connections Home Page


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Croydon Connections

Emile Zola 1840-1902