Literature Network » Emile Zola

When Art Equals Politics; Is poetry a weapon to undo injustice in the world?

Content courtesy of

From: Jewish Exponent
Date: 20030814
Author:Leiter, Robert

Leiter, Robert
Jewish Exponent
08-14-2003
J'Accuse, Aharon Shabtai's newest book of poems, is an incendiary book, and
I don't mean that in a good way.

It starts with the title. The original "J'Accuse" was, of course, French
novelist Emile Zola's open letter in support of Alfred Dreyfus, the French
officer wrongly accused of being a German spy simply because he was a Jew.
The turn-of-the-19th-century scandal came close to ripping French society
apart, with Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusards lining up to do battle,
attacking one another in print and in actuality, while an innocent man
rotted -- ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Emile Zola

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.