Germinal

Germinal is a novel written by French author Emile Zola, first published in 1885. The book is set in the 1860s and tells the story of a young coal miner named Etienne Lantier, who goes to work in a mining town in northern France. The conditions in the mines are harsh and dangerous, and the workers are exploited by the mine owners. Etienne becomes involved in a strike and the novel follows the struggles of the workers as they fight for better working conditions and wages. The story is a powerful critique of capitalism and the exploitation of the working class. It also explores themes of poverty, social injustice, and the struggle for survival. Germinal is considered one of Zola's most important works and a classic of French literature.1924. With an essay by Francis Gribble. Zola, French writer, critic and leader of the naturalist school. Zola's work often portray groups of humans in the grip of circumstances beyond their control, often destined to be destroyed in monumental catastrophes. His masterpiece Germinal was an eloquent protest against the inhuman working conditions common in late Nineteenth-Century European factories and mines. In the story, Etienne Lantier is an out-of-work railway worker who by sheer luck has secured a job in the coal mine called Le Voreux (a name suggesting a voracious beast which consumes workers wholesale). As a newcomer he attempts improvement through worker resistance, including a strike with unforeseen and tragic consequences. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.