Claude's Confession

Claude’s Confession (1865) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Written at night while Zola was employed at Hachette, Claude’s Confession proved scandalous upon publication and resulted in the ...

Claude’s Confession (1865) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Written at night while Zola was employed at Hachette, Claude’s Confession proved scandalous upon publication and resulted in the loss of his job. Undeterred by the response to his literary debut, Zola took advantage of his newfound infamy in order to embark on a career as one of France’s foremost experimental writers. Intent on exploring taboo and the lives of people on the edge of society, Zola crafts a narrative capable of illuminating the human condition while humanizing those typically disdained by the literary elite. Born