On 19 November, we hosted a preview of BBC Radio 4’s new series, Émile Zola: Blood, Sex and Money, a 27-episode ‘mash-up’ of radio adaptations that draw on the French author’s Les Rougon-Macquart novel sequence, which was published in 20 volumes between 1871 and 1893. Set during the Second Empire of Napoleon III, Les Rougon-Macquart trace the fortunes and fates of the Rougon, Macquart and Mouret families, as interpreted through lens of Zola’s interest in heredity and evolution. In the course of its development, the cycle presents its readers with unflinching stories about power, lust, crime and addiction. Our speakers were Dr Kate Griffiths, Dr Dan Rebellato and Polly Thomas.
You can read the posts for the event below: