J'accuse...! by Émile Zola
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"J'accuse...! by Émile Zola" is an open letter written during the late 19th century. This work is a political and journalistic essay, first published as a newspaper article, and it belongs to the genre of public letters and political tracts. Written at a moment of great social and political turmoil in France, the piece addresses the infamous Dreyfus Affair, in which a Jewish army officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was wrongfully convicted of treason.
The main topic of the book is the miscarriage of justice and the exposure of corruption and antisemitism within the French military and government. The content of "J'accuse...!" takes the form of a direct address to the French President, Félix Faure, in which Zola systematically lays out the facts and the chain of responsibility for the wrongful conviction of Dreyfus. Zola accuses key military officials and experts of deceit, collusion, and incompetence, asserting that Dreyfus's conviction was engineered through a mix of fabrications, prejudice, and the protection of institutional interests. He denounces both the secretive judicial process and the campaign of misinformation orchestrated by the army’s leadership. Throughout, Zola demands accountability and insists on the unstoppable march of truth, courageously risking prosecution for defamation to prompt justice and reform. The letter stands as a powerful call for justice, enlightenment, and the protection of individual rights against institutional wrongdoing. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Zola, Émile, 1840-1902 |
|---|---|
| Title | J'accuse...! |
| Original Publication | Paris: L'Aurore, 1898. |
| Note | Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%27Accuse...! |
| Credits | Claudine Corbasson and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica)) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 66.2 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. |
| Language | French |
| LoC Class | DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco |
| Subject | France -- Politics and government -- 1870-1940 |
| Subject | Dreyfus, Alfred, 1859-1935 |
| Subject | Esterhazy, Ferdinand Walsin, 1847-1923 |
| Subject | Treason -- France -- History -- 19th century |
| Subject | Antisemitism -- France -- History -- 19th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76045 |
| Release Date | May 8, 2025 |
| Last Update | Jul 9, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 413 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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