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Zola and the Victorians, censorship in the age of hypocrisy, Eileen Horne ; with an introduction by David Bellos

eng

Includes bibliographical references

contains biographical information

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

Zola and the Victorians

bibliography

Eileen Horne ; with an introduction by David Bellos

censorship in the age of hypocrisy

In his time, Zola made his English contemporaries, including Hardy and Dickens, look positively pastoral; much of his writing is considered shocking and transgressive even now. This book offers both new readers and aficionados the untold story of Zola's original reception in England. Most of us probably think of Lady Chatterley as the great test case trial for censorship in Britain, but it actually took place almost a century earlier. Zola's UK translator and publisher, Henry Vizetelly, was sentenced to hard labour at nearly 70 years old, and, ultimately, died for his commitment to Zola. This lively, often humorous, ironic, and ultimately tragic exploration of the consequences of both translation and censorship is told from multiple points of view, illustrated with a wealth of contemporary cartoons and illustrations and is based on a rich trove of letters, trial transcripts, journals and manuscripts. The structure juxtaposes the fall of the passionate, unfortunate Vizetelly with the rise and rise of the dogged and prolific Zola, who transforms, in the eyes of the Victorians, from producer of pig slops to national hero over the course of the story

adult