The Mysteries of Marseilles (1895) is a novel by French author Émile Zola. Originally serialized in Le Messager de Provence in 1867, The Mysteries of Marseilles was written at the very beginning of Zola’s literary career. 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. In mid-nineteenth century France, a Second Republic has come into power following the Revolution of 1848, installing Napoleon III as the nation’s first president. Over the next several years, the country enters a period of liberal reform and temporary peace. In Marseilles, a poor republican named Philippe Cayot has fallen in love with the young heiress Blanche de Cazalis, a member of one of the city’s most influential families. When their affair is discovered, Philippe is sent to prison and Blanche, after giving birth to an illegitimate child, is forced to enter a convent. Undeterred by the tragedy and injustice of these events, Philippe’s brother Marius hatches a plan to protect the young lovers, rescue their child, and take control of the de Cazalis family fortune. The Mysteries of Marseilles is a story of forbidden love, fading hope, and the false promise of modern life. Written at the very beginning of Zola’s career, it shows the innerworkings of a young mind interested in subjects too often ignored by writers, a mind whose guiding principle is truth and truth alone. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Émile Zola’s The Mysteries of Marseilles is a classic work of French literature reimagined for modern readers.

Recounts the love of Philippe Cayol, poor, untitled, republican, and of young Blanche de Cazalis, the niece of De Cazalis, a millionaire, politician and all-powerful in Marseilles. Philippe's brother, Marius devotes himself to protecting the two lovers -- and the child Blanche gave birth to before entering a convent - from the anger of De Cazalis.

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Emile Zola (1840-1902), ne a Paris, est un ecrivain, journaliste et homme public francais, considere comme le chef de file du naturalisme. C'est l'un des romanciers francais les plus universellement populaires, l'un des plus publies et traduits au monde, le plus adapte au cinema et a la television. Sa vie et son oeuvre ont ete etudies dans le detail par la science historique. Sur le plan litteraire, il est principalement connu pour Les Rougon-Macquart, monumentale fresque romanesque en vingt volumes depeignant la societe francaise du second empire. Les dernieres annees de sa vie sont marquees par son engagement dans son epoque, lors de l'affaire Dreyfus, dans laquelle il joue un r?'le decisif par la publication du plus celebre article de la presse francaise: J'Accuse...! (1898).