[Dreyfus Affair] – Émile ZOLA put to the test in prison. March 1898.

[The Dreyfus Affair] – Émile ZOLA (1840.1902)

Autographed business card signed to Georges Charpentier.

One page in-16° (6.20 x 10.50 cm).

[Paris. March 1898]

"I must go to prison for the abomination to be complete."

The tenacity of a writer committed to Captain Dreyfus: after the first instance of his trial and his conviction to one year of imprisonment, Émile Zola confided to his friend and publisher the extent of his calm and the strength of his determination despite the confinement that was promised to him.

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“Thank you for your kind letter, my old friend. Here, nothing new, things continue as usual, and things will eventually calm down a little, barring some new catastrophe. I believe I will be at Sainte-Pélagie around the beginning of April, and that will be for the best, as I cannot return to work at home amidst the chaos. Then, I must go to prison, to complete the abomination. Otherwise, I am very well and quite calm. My wife is a little tired, but very valiant. Until next time. Our warmest regards to Georgette and her husband, and very affectionately to you all. Emile Zola.”

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“J’accuse…!” On January 13, 1898, L’Aurore published Zola’s famous letter to the President of the Republic, Félix Faure. Zola was perfectly aware that he could be prosecuted for defamation: “I am voluntarily exposing myself. Let them dare to bring me before the Assize Court and let the investigation take place in broad daylight!” A turning point in the Dreyfus Affair, Zola’s “ J’accuse…!” led the writer to court.

The trial opened before the Seine Assize Court on February 7, 1898. Defended by Fernand Labori, Zola was sentenced to the maximum penalty: one year in prison and a fine of 3,000 francs. Following his appeal to the Court of Cassation in July 1898, Zola chose exile in London to escape the judges' sentence.