Nana

The novel «Nana» is the ninth work of the vast cycle «Rugon-Macquart» that Émile Zola began writing in 1870 and completed 23 years later—in 1893. Zola was greatly impressed by Balzac's «Human Comedy,» and the writer decided to create a similar project that would reflect the life of his country. Zola's envisioned extensive saga describes several generations of one family, members of which penetrate all layers of society. Most of the saga's characters appear in the first novel of the series—«The Career of the Rugons.» The writer then traces the life paths of each of his characters. Zola intended to release about ten such novels but ended up writing twenty. The writer himself recommended reading them in the following order: «The Career of the Rugons,» «His Excellency Eugène Rougon,» «The Fortune,» «Money,» «The Dream,» «The Conquest of Plassans,» «The Boiling Point,» «Ladies' Happiness,» «The Abbe Mouret's Mistake,» «The Page of Love,» «The Belly of Paris,» «The Joy of Life,» «The Trap,» «Creation,» «The Beast Man,» «Germinal,» «Nana,» «The Earth,» «The Debacle,» and «Doctor Pascal.» In the final volume, Zola brought together the endings of all the novels in his saga, which is rightly considered the peak of his literary creativity.

The book is adorned with color illustrations by the French engraver and painter Charles Laborde. He was born in 1886 in Argentina, in Buenos Aires. The future artist's parents were French. Soon they returned home, and Charles spent his childhood in the south of France, in Béarn, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, where his parents had a small château. The young man was drawn to painting. Initially, he studied at the famous Parisian Académie Julian. This was a private art academy founded in 1868 by the French educator Rodolphe Julian. Within its walls, Laborde's mentor was the famous William Bouguereau, who taught Charles all the subtleties of academic painting. Laborde completed his education at the Paris School of Fine Arts, where he was taught graphic arts by the academician Luc-Olivier Merson. He also suggested to Charles the idea of becoming an illustrator, as Merson himself was famous for that very role. In his childhood, Laborde had a book «The Hunchback of Notre-Dame» with illustrations by Merson. Laborde's first works began to appear in newspapers. He signed them, dropping the ending of his name—Sha Laborde. Then it was time for books. The artist lived a long, creatively fulfilling life and passed away six months after the Nazis occupied Paris—in late December 1941.