Drink
by Emile Zola
Drink (L'Assommoir in French) was published in 1877, after which Zola became the most-widely read author in France. Its depiction of alcoholism and poverty offers excruciating details, many based on Zola's own life. Zola's life ended in tragedy in 1902 from accidental suffocation by charcoal fumes. We feature his novel in our Realism Study Guide.
[Woodcut poster by Augustin Daly, L'Assommoir, 1879]
Return to the Emile Zola library.