IN THE NEWS

But who really was this devoted, not-so-conventional wife whom Émile nicknamed ‘my lovely Loulou’? Here is a vivid and unexpected portrait of her, by Jean-Louis Milesi. LINK HERE

A Livre Ouvert: Jean-Louis MILESI – Flamboyante Zola. LINK HERE

A tribute to the complexity of women! LINK HERE

This is not a biography. Jean-Louis Milesi has far too much humour for that. Just look at his writing: hyperbole, exclamation marks, anacoluthons, direct address… a delightful stylistic spectacle designed to draw the reader into what is as much a performance as it is a read.
LINK HERE

“A novel that restores Madame Zola’s rightful place in history! A model for Cézanne and Manet, Alexandrine – lover and companion of the future novelist – led a surprising life! An incredible portrait of a woman who would go on to change a man’s life.” – Gérard Collard

Portrait of an exceptional woman. LINK HERE

Jean-Louis Milesi – Madame Zola, a wounded woman
Interview with Jean-Louis Milesi, former screenwriter for Robert Guédiguian, and author of “Flamboyante Zola”, his latest book, a tribute to Émile Zola’s wife, a wounded woman. LINK HERE

This novel, based in part on archival material, is not a biography, clarifies the author, director and screenwriter Jean-Louis Milesi. Set against the backdrop of a triumphant 19th century – with its tranquil provincial life, its new railway stations and the great journeys that now opened up the world with ease – it is, in any case, a touching story of marital love. LINK HERE

‘Flamboyante Zola’ by Jean-Louis Milesi: the lives of Alexandrine in the shadow of Émile.

Who remembers Madame Zola? Born Eléonore into a working-class family, she became Gabrielle, a free spirit amongst the painters of the time, and married Cézanne’s friend, Émile Zola. Zola, the author of *Les Rougon-Macquart*, a 20-volume work chronicling the natural and social history of a family during the Second Empire...
*Flamboyante Zola* is Jean-Louis Milesi’s third novel. 
It explores the darker side of a literary giant: his double life as a husband, his lies, and his fear of growing old without children. A story told, for once, from the perspective of his wife, Alexandrine.
LINK HERE

The novelist and screenwriter behind Robert Guédiguian’s films and Aurel’s *Josep* (set in Montpellier) has penned a passionate, tragic and offbeat novel about Alexandrine Zola, the wife of the great writer.
THE INTERVIEW IS HERE

THE AUTHOR OF THE BRILLIANT *Au Loin, Quelques Chevaux, Deux Plumes*...
this time romanticises the life of Alexandrine Zola...
A highly successful portrait of a heroic woman, a torn couple, and a turbulent era.LINK HERE

THE BEAUTIFUL HUMAN... With rich and elegant prose, Milesi recounts, not without humour, how the ‘beautiful human’ will overcome her rage and grief. The characters from Zola’s novels overlap with reality, in which this wounded heroine shines, tested by a double life soon thrown into turmoil by the Dreyfus affair...
Jean-Louis Milesi has crafted a splendid, finely chiselled portrait of a tenacious woman.LINK HERE

More than just a biography, the author offers a powerful portrayal of a woman who stands her ground and never gives up. Loving to the very end, and equally loved in return. A fighter.LINK HERE

Jean-Louis Milesi paints a portrait of a mysterious and resilient woman, passionate and a fighter, flamboyant in every respect – as he describes his book
LINK HERE

Jean-Louis Milesi brings her to life brilliantly. However, this is not a biography but a novel. This undoubtedly allows the author to venture a little further into the realm of fantasy and to be thoroughly delightful!
LINK HERE

“In *Flamboyante Zola*, Jean-Louis Milesi skilfully blends fiction and reality to reveal a woman with a glorious yet cruel destiny who, in the face of disgrace, animosity and bereavement, was transformed into a heroic figure.”LINK HERE.

“This third novel, based on true events, unveils this woman’s flamboyant character, the inner workings of the Dreyfus affair, the mysterious death of Émile Zola… And above all, the struggle of this scorned woman, ‘mocked by Parisian high society’, who emerges with her head held high – in short, a heroic woman.”LINK HERE.

"As in his previous novel, *Au loin, quelques chevaux* (Les Presses de la Cité, 2023), Jean-Louis Milesi blends fiction and reality to bring Alexandrine Zola to life. He sensitively explores the complexity of this woman, often relegated to the background of her husband’s work and life."LINK HERE.