by Émile Zola
Part of Les Rougon-Macquart, book 14
First published 1999
Claude Lantier arrives in Paris from the provinces with artistic dreams and genuine talent. The young painter throws himself into the bohemian world of the 1860s and 1870s, where struggling artists challenge the conservative Academy and face public mockery. Claude possesses ambition and skill, but his own genius carries fatal flaws that sabotage his efforts. As he battles to establish himself in the art world, his personal demons prove more formidable than any external obstacle. The city that should have crowned his success instead becomes the stage for his downfall. This tragic tale captures the cost of artistic ambition when talent wars against its own limitations. Zola draws from his intimate knowledge of the period's creative struggles and his personal relationships with the artists who would become the Impressionists.
Genres: drama, art, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking, tragic
Tropes: downfall, genius-with-flaws, tragic-hero
Setting: Paris
Period: 1860s, 1870s
400 pages · Paperback · Oxford University Press