“J’accuse…!” by Émile Zola in which he denounces the anti-Semitism of the Dreyfus Affair and declares his support for Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongfully convicted of treason.
“J’accuse…!” by Émile Zola in which he denounces the anti-Semitism of the Dreyfus Affair and declares his support for Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongfully convicted of treason.
7 comments
[Translation](https://jean-max-guieu.facultysite.georgetown.edu/other-interests/english-translation-of-emile-zolas-jaccuse)
“Let them dare, then, to bring me before a court of law and investigate in the full light of day!”
He was such a badass
Short explainer from History Matters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3gYeGWMz48
No wonder he got convicted if the best defence they could make to the public was 6 columns long with 0.3 font.
tl;dr, the intro:
>Mr. President,
>Would you allow me, grateful as I am for the kind reception you once extended to me,[5] to show my concern about maintaining your well-deserved prestige and to point out that your star which, until now, has shone so brightly, risks being dimmed by the most shameful and indelible of stains.
>Unscathed by the vilest slander,[6] you have won over the hearts of all. You are radiant in the patriotic glory of our country’s alliance with Russia,[7] you are about to preside over the solemn triumph of our World Fair,[8] the jewel that crowns this great century of Labor, Truth, and Liberty. But what filth this wretched Dreyfus affair[9] has cast on your name, or, might I say, your reign. A court martial, under orders, has just dared to acquit that character, Esterhazy, the supreme insult to all truth and all justice.[10] And now the image of France is sullied by this filth, and History shall record that it was under your presidency that this crime against society was committed.
*grabs popcorn*
…this reads like a spy novel…
Thank you for posting this!
I’ve read Zola before, but while recognizing he was a keen observer of the human condition and ahead of his time with his style of writing, I had no idea he was a kind of real life hero, too. Reading all the footnotes in the translation I’m very impressed, and a lot of things I heard about before finally fell into place.
Polanski recently made a good movie about this case.
[An officer and a spy ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Officer_and_a_Spy_%28film%29?wprov=sfla1)