Émile Zola

French novelist, journalist, playwright, and poet (1840–1902)
Person human Q504
Émile Zola
Émile Zola · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Émile Zola was born on April 2, 1840, in Paris.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] He held citizenship of France.[26][25] His occupations included political reporter, art critic, novelist, essayist, playwright, and short story writer.[27][25][26][23][22] His movement affiliations were naturalism and freethought.

He was influenced by Honoré de Balzac. His notable works include Les Rougon-Macquart, Thérèse Raquin, J’accuse…!, Nana, and La Terre. He received the awards Knight of the Legion of Honour and Officer of the Legion of Honour.[28][29]

He served as president of the Société des gens de lettres (1891–1894) and president of the Société des gens de lettres (1895–1896).[30] His religion was atheism. His spouses were Alexandrine Meley (1870–present) and Jeanne Rozerot.

He died on September 29, 1902, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, with carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death.[2][1][4][6][7][8][10][20][21][22][3][23][24][25][31] He was buried at Panthéon.[3][32].

Key Facts

  • Place of birth: rue Saint-Joseph[11]
  • Date of birth: 1840[12]
  • Date of death: 1902[13]
  • Place of burial: Panthéon[14], Montmartre Cemetery[15]
  • Father: Francesco Zola[16]
  • Mother: Émilie Aubert[17]
  • Spouse: Alexandrine Meley[18], Jeanne Rozerot[19]
  • Child: Jacques Émile-Zola[20], Deniz Eml'zola[21]
  • Country of citizenship: France[22], United Kingdom[23]
  • Native language: French[24]
  • Occupation: short story writer[25], literary critic[26], theatre critic[27], journalist[28], writer[29], poet[30], photographer[31], librettist[32]
  • Field of work: literature[33], novel[34], theatre art[35], short story[36]
  • Position held: president of the Société des gens de lettres[37]
  • Award received: Knight of the Legion of Honour[38], Officer of the Legion of Honour[39], Q130762055[40]
  • Religion or worldview: atheism[41]
  • Sex or gender: male[42]
  • Movement: naturalism[43], freethought[44]
  • Commons category: Émile Zola[45]
  • Unmarried partner: Jeanne Rozerot[46]
  • Archives at: Brown University Library[47], Syracuse University Libraries[48]
  • Cause of death: carbon monoxide poisoning[49]
  • Family name: Zola (name)[50]
  • Given name: Émile[51], Édouard[52], Charles[53], Antoine[54]

Product Details

The following facts are restated verbatim from public-domain and CC0 open-data sources — every line is independently verifiable against the named source's catalog.

MusicBrainz — CC0 open music encyclopedia

  • Type: Person[55]

  • Country: FR[56]

  • Began / founded: 1840-04-02[57]

  • Ended / dissolved: 1902-09-29[58]

  • Community tags: has german audiobooks[59]

  • MusicBrainz ID: 591846b4-5f9d-4068-b656-b8182a1fa8b2[60]

Why It Matters

Émile Zola has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[61] He is known by 28 alternative names across languages and contexts.[62]

He has been cited as an influence by Anton Chekhov[63], a physician[64], 1860–1904[65], of Russian Empire[66], awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus, 3rd class[67], specialised in prose[68]; Guy de Maupassant[69], a short story writer[70], 1850–1893[71], of France[72], awarded the Vitet Prize[73], specialised in literature[74]; Tom Wolfe[75], a journalist[76], 1930–2018[77], of United States[78], awarded the National Humanities Medal[79], specialised in literature[80]; Bolesław Prus[81], a journalist[82], 1847–1912[83], of Poland[84], awarded the Cross of Independence with Swords[85], specialised in fiction[86]; Joris-Karl Huysmans[87], a writer[88], 1848–1907[89], of France[90], awarded the Officer of the Legion of Honour[91]; and Alphonse Daudet[92], a writer[93], 1840–1897[94], of France[95], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[96], specialised in translations from Occitan[97].

Works attributed to him include Nana[98], Les Rougon-Macquart[99], J’accuse…![100], Germinal[101], L'Assommoir[102], and The Ladies' Paradise[103].

FAQs

Where was Émile Zola born?

Émile Zola was born in Paris[2].

Where did Émile Zola die?

Émile Zola died in 9th arrondissement of Paris[4].

Who were Émile Zola's parents?

Émile Zola's father was Francesco Zola[16]. Émile Zola's mother was Émilie Aubert[17].

Who was Émile Zola married to?

Émile Zola's spouses include Alexandrine Meley[18] and Jeanne Rozerot[19].

What did Émile Zola do for work?

Émile Zola worked as a political reporter[5], art critic[6], novelist[7], essayist[8], and playwright[9].

What awards did Émile Zola receive?

Honors received include Knight of the Legion of Honour[38], Officer of the Legion of Honour[39], and Q130762055[40].

Who did Émile Zola influence?

Émile Zola has been cited as an influence by Anton Chekhov[63], Guy de Maupassant[69], Tom Wolfe[75], and Bolesław Prus[81].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Concise Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [4] ↑ . Concise Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [42] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  5. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [22] ↑ . RKDartists. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  10. [23] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [37] ↑ . Société des gens de lettres. Retrieved . sgdl.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  12. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [5] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [6] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [7] ↑ . Union List of Artist Names. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [9] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [26] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [28] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [29] ↑ . Q138307249. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  29. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [31] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [32] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [14] ↑ . Find a Grave. Retrieved . assemblee-nationale.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  33. [15] ↑ . Find a Grave. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  34. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [38] ↑ . Léonore database. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  38. [39] ↑ . Léonore database. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  39. [40] ↑ . Le Monde. wikidata.org.
  40. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  41. [46] ↑ . archive.wikiwix.com. Retrieved . archive.wikiwix.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  42. [47] ↑ . research.reading.ac.uk. Retrieved . research.reading.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  43. [48] ↑ . research.reading.ac.uk. Retrieved . research.reading.ac.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  44. [49] ↑ . Der Spiegel. Retrieved . spiegel.de. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  45. [1] ↑ . Concise Literary Encyclopedia. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  46. [12] ↑ . datos.bne.es. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  47. [3] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  48. [13] ↑ . datos.bne.es. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  49. [50] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  50. [51] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  51. [52] ↑ . Léonore database. leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  52. [53] ↑ . Léonore database. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  53. [54] ↑ . Léonore database. Retrieved . leonore.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Product details (FDA / USDA / NHTSA public-domain catalog data)

  1. [55] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  2. [56] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  3. [57] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  4. [58] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  5. [59] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.
  6. [60] ↑ . MusicBrainz (MetaBrainz Foundation). musicbrainz.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [63] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [69] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [75] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [81] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [87] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [92] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [98] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [99] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [100] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [101] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [102] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [103] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [77] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [78] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [83] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [84] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [85] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [86] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [88] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [89] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [90] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [91] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [93] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [94] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [95] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [96] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  29. [97] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [61] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [62] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Émile Zola. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/emile-zola
MLA “Émile Zola.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/emile-zola.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_emile-zola_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Émile Zola}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/emile-zola}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 3d ago · Loosewind · 2026-10-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Fantlab author id → 9400
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Fantlab author id: 9400, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/112681069|Эмиль Золя (#112681069)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/3436|FantLab author]] #mix'n'"
  2. 8d ago · Gerwoman · 2026-10-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Unione romana biblioteche scientifiche id → 63038, 140300, 168679 +3
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Unione romana biblioteche scientifiche id: 399235, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/326465227|Émile Zola (#326465227)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8541"
  3. 13d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-09-29 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → SEK-320452, NLB-ar94278
    Sitelink count → 166
    Wikipedia languages → ['af', 'als', 'an', 'ar', 'arz', 'ast', 'avk', 'ay', 'az', 'azb', 'ba', 'bcl', '
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Nlb authority id (belarus): SEK-320452, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/326041447|Zola, Émile (#326041447)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8532|National "
  4. 23d ago · Ontogon · 2026-09-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Iași central university library id → 000290048
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Iași central university library id: 000290048"
  5. 5w ago · MsMorale · 2026-09-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sinemalar person id → 94304
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Sinemalar person id: 94304, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/271268|batch #271268]]"
  6. 5w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-09-05 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Allcinema person id → 4865
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Allcinema person id: 4865, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/321932231|エミール・ゾラ (#321932231)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8395|Allcinema person]] #mix'n'"
  7. 5w ago · Gerwoman · 2026-09-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Sancho el sabio foundation id → 26796
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Sancho el sabio foundation id: 26796, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/285281816|Emile Zola (#285281816)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7873|Sancho el Sa"
  8. 6w ago · Schemathings · 2026-08-29 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Present in work → The Life of Emile Zola, Cézanne and I
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Present in work: The Life of Emile Zola, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1787978090982"
  9. 7w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wordnet 3.1 synset id → 11427586-n
    Babelnet id → 00030551n
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151062059
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  10. 8w ago · Uschoen · 2026-08-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    National library of korea id → KAC199630987
    Fotoch photographer id → 49564
    P14750 → 406B-17F4-7CB5-59BD-F52B
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Fotoch photographer id: 49564, fotoCH ID numbersꓹ based on GND match ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/9f034a87f86|details]])"
  11. 11w ago · OBender12 · 2026-07-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Jewish encyclopedia id → 15279
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Jewish encyclopedia id: 15279, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/167485812|EMILE ZOLA (#167485812)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/6351|Jewish Encyclopedia"
  12. 11w ago · Andre Engels · 2026-07-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Cinefanro person id → 31202-emile-zola
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Cinefanro person id: 31202-emile-zola, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/213304997|Emile Zola (#213304997)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7164|CineFanRo p"
  13. 12w ago · Bibliotecateresianum · 2026-07-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Teresianum authority id → 63836
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Teresianum authority id: 63836, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/139189802|Émile Zola (#139189802)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/5316|Teresianum authors"
  14. 13w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 → 37RRFy
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  15. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 340643
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 340643, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  16. 16w ago · Magnus Manske · 2026-06-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Bfxc authority id → 163969
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Bfxc authority id: 163969, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/280643191|Emile Zola (#280643191)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7699|BFXC authority]] #mix"
  17. 17w ago · Susmuffin · 2026-06-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag → emile-zola
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Harper's tag: emile-zola, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289926358|emile zola (#289926358)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's tag]] #m"
  18. 17w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → p0072966-Zola-emile-18401902
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: p0072966-Zola-emile-18401902, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259496|batch #259496]]"
  19. 20w ago · AutoridadesUCA · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Uca authority id → 18009
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Uca authority id: 18009"
  20. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    Described by source → Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron, Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary +9
    Cerl thesaurus id → cnp02165098
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30850|batch #30850]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (6)"
  21. 22w ago · RVA2869 · 2026-05-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||5 */ Cleanup: fix invalid 'stated in' in reference ([[User:Difool/WikidataCleanup]])"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.