Émile Édouard Charles Antoine Zola was a renowned French novelist, journalist, and playwright, born on 2 April 1840. He is best known for his series of 20 novels known collectively as Les Rougon-Macquart (1871-93). Zola's style was known as literary naturalism, and his novels often faced criticism and bans due to their frankness and sordid detail. These same traits, however, made him a best-selling author and a celebrated figure in French literature during his time. In 1898, Zola published the open letter "J'Accuse...!" in defense of Alfred Dreyfus, a falsely accused and convicted army officer. This act of courage led to a sentence of libel for Zola, prompting him to flee to England temporarily until he was granted amnesty. Zola was also nominated for the first and second Nobel prizes in literature in 1901 and 1902. Sadly, he died in Paris from carbon monoxide poisoning due to a stopped-up chimney on 29 September 1902, just months before Dreyfus's official exoneration.