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Germinal

By Émile Zola
Series: Oxford World's Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Germinal by Émile Zola is a powerful exploration of the harsh realities faced by miners in 1860s northern France. The story centres on Etienne Lantier, an outsider who becomes a leader in a miners' strike against wage cuts. This struggle endures severe repression and hardship but fuels hope for a better future as Lantier envisions the eventual rise of a new and just society.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3300

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This classic novel suits readers interested in historical fiction, social justice, and powerful narratives about working-class life and struggle.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Zola's masterpiece of working life, Germinal (1885), exposes the inhuman conditions of miners in northern France in the 1860s. By Zola's death in 1902, it had come to symbolise the call for freedom from oppression so forcefully that the crowd which gathered at his State funeral chanted 'Germinal! Germinal!'.

The central figure, Etienne Lantier, is an outsider who enters the community and eventually leads his fellow miners in a strike protesting against pay-cuts—a strike which becomes a losing battle against starvation, repression, and sabotage. Yet despite all the violence and disillusion which rock the mining community to its foundations, Lantier retains his belief in the ultimate germination of a new society, leading to a better world.

Germinal is a dramatic novel of working life and everyday relationships, but it is also a complex novel of ideas, given fresh vigour and power in this new translation.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years, Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Described by the Oxford Times as a 'masterpiece,' this translation of Germinal is praised for its modern language that captures Zola’s original power. F.W.J. Hemmings in French Studies recognises its ability to engage contemporary readers while honouring the text’s profound impact.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780199536894

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 July 2008

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Oxford University Press

Illustration: 1 map

Contributors:

  • Translated by Peter Collier
  • Introduction by Robert Lethbridge
  • Translated by Peter Collier

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 398g

Pages: 576

Collections

Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Series: Oxford World's Classics Émile Zola

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