'Its force of impact, its narrative muscle and its psychological clarity make it still, nearly 150 years on, one of the most shocking books in the canon' JULIAN BARNES

"This story seeps into your insides" -- Kate Winslet "I love this because it's the story of how you can't escape the inevitabilities of love and it's just a fantastic piece of writing" -- Sue Perkins Express "By merging elements of the gothic and tragic with a study of petit-bourgeois banality, Zola created a work of enduring fascination" Observer "It was attacked by critics of the day as stinking filth and a foul sewer. Little wonder, then, that it became an instant bestseller and I'll admit I was completely riveted by its melodramatics from start to finish" Daily Mail "A thrilling read" -- Joseph Fiennes Express

Emile Zola (1840-1902) is the author of Les Rougon-Macquart - a cycle of 20 novels written over a period of 22 years including Nana(1880), Germinal (1885) and The Drinking Den (1877)- which provides a panoramic view of life under Napoleon III. He was the leading figure in the French school of naturalistic fiction. Zola campaigned for justice over the Dreyfus affair - 'it is up to us poets to nail the guilty to the eternal pillory' - and his open letter to the President 'J'accuse' landed him a prison sentence that he evaded only through exile in England. He is buried in the Pantheon alongside Rousseau, Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas. Adam Thorpe was born in Paris in 1956. His first novel, Ulverton, was published in 1992, and he has written nine others, two collections of stories and six books of poetry - most recently Voluntary. Thorpe's translation of Madame Bovary, 'stunning and heartily recommended' (Scotsman), is available in Vintage Classics. He lives in France with his wife and family.