Émile Zola

Born

April 2, 1840

Died

September 29, 1902 (aged 62)

Known as

political reporter, art critic, novelist, essayist, playwright, short story writer

Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in his renowned newspaper opinion headlined J'Accuse...!  Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prizes in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

Biography from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.