New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
SONETHING ABOUT ZOLA.

Andrer Lana IN The TOrtyigaHy Rccier.
Emile lola was born on April ., 1910, at Paris,
i'm the Rue ST. Joseph. which s close To- the les,
the great central market OF the town. lls iather,
Francois /ola. was the SoL OF enetan iathef ny
a Greek mother. Alter wandering lie Francois
Zola settled in southern France az an engineer:
His later years entirely devoted To the task Oi
supplying AK with watcG. lie Just Ned 10 see the
beginning of the practical fulhmcnt of his great
design and then died, leaving his widow anu MS son
Emile-now a child OF seVen-without adequalc
provision. Daring the next ten years young lola
remained in AK and was educated at the college IN
that town. lie was clever, but not very lhuus,,
trlous boy, with special horror OF Latln ana
Greek His chief pleasure was 10 wander IN the
country round AK; 10 bathe IN the ARC TO go
shooting after the manner of IartaIln de laLaS-
con- in n country where there IS no game; ana 10
read Alfred de Mussets poetry, IN the shade ol trees
or of caves. or in the parlors OF rustic INNS ne
traces of this careless and happy ne remain Ill the
the clear pools III that singular ldyl which makes
mart of a. La Fortune des ROugon." The manners
and customs of the good people of AK Ieappcar IN
the studies of Plassans, the cradle OF the horrible
family of RougOn- -Macqualt. he ARA linuS ue-
scribed in - La Faute lie PAbbe Mouret are inc
lands of Provence. and the Paradou, or Paradise III
which the Able revcIts TO the innocence OF our urSt
parents is copied from a neglected park between
AK and ROquefavour. ....s1o,a ont ot
In 1875 poverty drove the family OF Lola out OF
AK: thev went to Paris, and Emile obtalned
bourse or buIsarv, the scotch say, at the yceo
Sant-Louis. Here he lived unhappy ana 1no uIi,
fIiended Like Pendennis of Bonliace, NJ; Lola
was pluckedp iD his final examlnati0n-pucked
in literature-nOr he more successful III a
second attempt TO pass ne tfu'n seems do 10 ac Do
ouaintance with literature In one ol ms crltlcal
ESSAYS he expresses astOnis Inent at hndlng Dante
incIHded among poets of love- aud 1T really seems
os If he had never heard of the lta NuoVa. Ills
remarks about the style and verslcatlon OF Homer
and Virgil too, will not permit US 10 forget HIS
carly and special horror of Latin ana OreeK
A yOung man cast adrft in Paris, without money
and without degree, is III a pltlape case, !. was
NJ Zoas from the end OF lSoo 10 lle negln,
sbiveling in bcdal his wardrobe pileu up over MS
legs mis- nose ana his fingers red win cod-wiitlhH
something in pencil" iroDaplR INC nonm
Genesev An end of the worst OF those uays OF
poyerty drew near. and ". Iola Obtalneu 'ic Piacc
of n clerk in the establishment oi NJ iachettc' tns
DnLiisher Here he came in contact with books ana
with men of letters; and here, between lSo< anu
1864. he wrote his first volume OI Shoft ianclui
scarcely sign of the lola that was to be. though
in Cellc dui IN 'aime one may detect MS enforced
knowledge of strange things III the lie OF the poor
and in the preface there are memories oi irosenee
of the rocks of dry and thirsty Land, inc aronatc
fraorance of myrtle and thyme, the deep green
waiercourses that seam the ARD SOL; LNen IN !n
q aGontes a Ninon the author seems. however, 10
foTesee his future, by means that OF an ldyllc
poet "I lct II bitter need OF what IS real Was
weary OF dreams. and weary OF the spring. Dut
aCoptes a NinOn" had no success, ana the mex Z
twelve years were years of difficulty ana even Oh
that wholesome tonic. debt lauded by oeorgo "hi io
rinpton In 1868 NJ. lola beganto contribute W tnc
nress and wrote in Lyons paper the soie S na'
strident and ungracious criticisms which he alter
aior from his yonth up and all his criticisms
n Attacks the theory that Art has right TO select
pleasant subjects, to reject what IS antlpathetlc
Ha was crvinp out for documents. for science, lor
anaIyss, for minute obserS alton in Literature: we
shall presently see, and the spectacle VIII oe anus
and hv scientific observation. In the meantime IL
mmu , y,ice to note that even in 1865, NJ lola was
lifting up his testimony, and was dealing iaitntny ny
FiInrs'cf, from the truth as ii isnn experimental
anaIytc' naturalistic and scientific literature In
1sG5 too NJ lola showed that he had the courage
f 80, IL, convictions He published work which we
Da va not succeeded in obtaining. La Confession de