Émile Zola

Birth Name:

Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola

Birth Date:

April 2, 1840

Birth Place:

Paris, France

Death Date:

September 29, 1902

Place of Death:

21 Rue de Bruxelles, Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Carbon monoxide poisoning caused by an improperly ventilated chimney, but some speculation of possible homicide

Cemetery Name:

Le Panthéon

Claim to Fame:

Writers and Poets

Émile Zola was a French novelist, journalist, playwright, the best-known practitioner of the literary school of naturalism, and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism. Naturalism contributes something more than realism: the attention brought to bear on the most lush and opulent aspects of people and the natural world. He was a major figure in the political liberalization of France and in the exoneration of the falsely accused and convicted army officer Alfred Dreyfus, which is encapsulated in the renowned newspaper headline J'Accuse…! Zola was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Le Panthéon

Place du Panthéon

Paris, , 75005

France

Europe

Map:

Grave Location:

Crypt

Grave Location Description

Enter through the main entrance, and go straight all the way to the back of the building. There will be a sign pointing left to go to the Crypt. Follow the signs and go down the staircase to the Crypt. In the Crypt, equal in size to the main hall above, though with space consumed by structural elements, you’ll see the tombs for Alexandre Dumas and Emile Zola along with Victor Hugo in the same alcove. Victor Hugo will be on the left, Alexandre Dumas in the center, and Emile Zola on the right side of their alcove.