Les Rougon-Macquart

I really like to read.

That being said, I make no claim as to which books should or shouldn't be read, nor how many should be read. I just wanted to state this fact. And among the many works I have read, several stand out as personal favorites.

I like the adventures of Alexandre Dumas, particularly Les Trois Mousquetaires and Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, which transport readers into a world of bravery for the former, and sweet but questionable revenge for the latter. Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir and La Chartreuse de Parme held me captive with their exploration of ambition and passion. Victor Hugo's Les Misérables remains a masterpiece of justice and an uncomparable portrayal of Paris, painting a rich (and sometimes even too immersive) picture of the city, while Guy de Maupassant's Bel-Ami offers a sharp critique of ambition and social climbing.

Beyond these beloved works, my literary tastes extend to other major French authors, as well as notable writers from various countries, including English, German, Japanese, and Latin American literature. Yet, amid all these great literary discoveries, I found something particularly special when I first encountered Émile Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart series. My journey into this world began with Germinal, a novel that immediately fascinated me with its vivid storytelling and deep social insights.

What I find most compelling about Les Rougon-Macquart series is its ambitious depiction of an entire family across generations, interwoven with historical and social evolution. The family tree that represents the link between all the different characters is sometimes depicted in the books. It looks like the following:

Zola masterfully examines hereditary traits, both physical and psychological, and explores how these characteristics shape the destinies of his characters. His focus on social interactions, class struggles, and economic transformations creates a rich, immersive experience that goes beyond individual narratives to paint a broader picture of 19th-century French society. Obviously, such a work was not written overnight. Zola took a total of 22 years to write all the books making up Les Rougons-Macquart.

In the table below, I have tried to summarize all these books, while providing some additional information. Firstly, the order in which the books appeared is indicated, but there is also the order in which Zola himself suggested reading the books. Secondly, the French titles are given, as well as any English translations, as these have changed over time. And finally, the main characters are listed.

I haven't read all of them as of now, but soon enough I will be able to. And sometimes I wonder if the order in which I have read them so far would have changed if I'd had in mind the two orders presented in the table.