J'Accuse…! Émile Zola's Incendiary Dreyfusard Essay Published in 1898 "L'Aurore" Newspaper

A beautifully preserved copy of the January 13, 1898 issue of France's "L'Aurore" newspaper, containing one of the most famous calls to action in history, Émile Zola's "J'Accuse…! Lettre Au Président de la République" ["I accuse…! Letter to the President of the Republic"]. In the celebrated essay, French writer Émile Zola (1840-1902) called on French President Félix Faure to investigate a serious miscarriage of justice: the arrest, conviction, deportation, and imprisonment of French Jewish artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus for espionage.

The January 13, 1898 issue of "L'Aurore" ["The Dawn"] (2nd Year, Number 87) featured Zola's essay on the entire front page of the issue, in six 2.75" wide columns under a massive, bold headline and credit line measuring 3.5" x 16" alone. (Zola's essay continues onto the second page in two smaller columns.) Printed in black ink on four pages of newsprint. The newspaper is lightly encapsulated behind protective plastic and hinged at the top of a mat measuring 21" x 27.75." The visible parts of the newspaper--page 1 and page 4--show expected wear including even toning and a horizontal fold with a small area of loss along the fold near the center. Minor weathering is evident in the upper right quadrant where the newspaper was once folded. Two small areas along the top edge of page 1 show minor damage and were possibly restored. Isolated ink smudging affecting open areas, otherwise extremely clear and legible. Else near fine, and in remarkably fine condition, the newspaper complete with a crisp deckled right edge. The newspaper measures 18" x 24.625." A complete English translation of Zola's essay is provided.

"J'accuse…!" was published as an open letter to French President Félix Faure (1841-1899) in "L'Aurore" newspaper, a left-leaning arts-focused daily published between 1897-1916 and edited by future French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau. In the essay, Zola urged Faure to restore nothing less than the moral, political, and judicial integrity of the French Republic, all of which had been compromised by the "Dreyfus Affair." The "Dreyfus Affair" referred to the criminal trial of Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), a Jewish artillery officer who had been falsely convicted of conspiring with German agents in 1894. Evidence in the case was scant and of questionable quality; it included a ripped up note or "bordereau" found in a waste paper basket, and the dubious testimony of prejudiced handwriting experts. Nevertheless, Dreyfus was convicted of treason by secret military court martial in 1895, and deported to Devil's Island, a remote French penal colony off the South American coast.

French society remained sharply divided by the Dreyfus Affair, even several years after Dreyfus's 1895 trial. Pro-republican Dreyfusards like Émile Zola, Victor Hugo, and Georges Clemenceau clashed against more traditional pro-Army and pro-Catholic anti-Dreyfusards. To Zola, the most disturbing aspect of the Dreyfus Affair was that it revealed the extent of Anti-Semitism in France. In the essay, Zola likens Anti-Semitism to a national sickness which eventually leads to the death and decomposition of society.

Zola's letter to President Faure, then, aimed to neutralize the "profligate iniquity" of the Dreyfus Affair by reviving public interest and forcing a reopening of the case. The honor of France, as well as the president's personal legacy, had been soiled by a "most shameful and indelible stain." What was the depth of this "most serious of civic crimes"? False accusation plus a cover-up committed by France's highest-ranking military officials; for, after scapegoating Dreyfus, they had concealed the guilt of the actual culprit, another officer named Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy.

Zola's justifiable rage becomes obvious in the mission statement of "J'Accuse…!" He declared: "As they [Dreyfus's accusers] have dared, so shall I dare. Dare to tell the truth, as I have pledged to tell it, in full. My duty is to speak out, not to become an accomplice in this travesty. My nights would otherwise be haunted by the specter of an innocent man, far away, suffering the most horrible of tortures for a crime he did not commit."

"J'Accuse…!" was not a casual editorial offered by an armchair philosopher; it was a clarion call for justice carrying real consequences, including Zola's own arrest. Zola himself admitted in the essay, "In making these accusations I am aware that I am making myself liable to articles 30 and 31 of the July 29, 1881 law on the press making libel a punishable offense. I expose myself to that risk voluntarily." Zola was indeed convicted of libel in late February 1898, just a little after one month after the publication of the article, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment and a 3,000 franc fine. Zola fled to England to avoid punishment. After he returned to France, he and his family suffered harassment and received death threats from anti-Dreyfusards. There is even a theory that Zola's death from carbon monoxide poisoning in his Paris apartment in 1902 was not accidental.

Yet "J'Accuse…!" did exactly what it was supposed to accomplish. Bowing to public pressures, the French military retried Alfred Dreyfus in 1899. Though he was again found guilty, he was pardoned and allowed to serve under house arrest in France. In 1906, Dreyfus was completely exonerated and awarded the Legion of Honor medal. Zola's "J'Accuse…!" is even today heralded as one of the most courageous stands ever taken against a corrupt establishment.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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