Born: April 2, 1840. Birthplace: Paris, France. Zodiac Sign: Aries. Died: September 28, 1902 (aged 62). Émile Zola was a French novelist, playwright, and journalist who emerged as a prominent figure in the literary movement known as Naturalism. Zola's work, renowned for its unwavering investigation of social issues and its forceful, realistic portrayals of French society, left an indelible imprint on the world of literature and influenced generations of authors and social advocates. Zola's literary career commenced in the 1860s; however, his 1867 novel, Thérèse Raquin, initially garnered widespread recognition. The novel's investigation of the darker aspects of the human psyche and its brutal, unsentimental portrayal of human nature represented a departure from the Romantic literature that had primarily influenced French literature in the preceding decades. Zola initiated his most ambitious endeavor in the 1870s: a 20-novel series collectively called "Les Rougon-Macquart." Against the context of France's Second Empire, this monumental achievement documented the lives of multiple generations of a single family. Zola endeavored to thoroughly analyze French society and the factors that influenced it using these interconnected narratives. Zola was also a distinguished journalist and political activist, and his involvement in the notorious Dreyfus Affair earned him international recognition. Zola published an open letter in 1898 entitled "J'accuse…!" in which he accused the French military of conspiring to unjustly convict Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer, of treason. Zola's unwavering commitment to human rights and justice resulted in his temporary exile in England; however, it ultimately played a role in Dreyfus's vindication.