{"id":10850,"date":"2025-10-15T15:06:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T13:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=10850"},"modified":"2025-11-01T15:46:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T14:46:30","slug":"die-fruechte-des-meeres-emile-zola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2025\/10\/die-fruechte-des-meeres-emile-zola\/","title":{"rendered":"Die Fr\u00fcchte des Meeres \u2022 \u00c9mile Zola"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

A few years ago, mare Verlag expanded its classics series with smaller editions. These have a much more compact format and, in the most recent releases, the content has mostly been short stories or novellas. I\u2019ve really liked this so far\u2014little treats for in between, so to speak. As always, with the sea as a backdrop, especially outstanding novellas with the odd special twist are presented here. The Fruits of the Sea<\/em> by \u00c9mile Zola is the latest volume in the series. Find out here whether the two novellas in this little book are actually worth reading.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The first novella, titled Shellfish for Monsieur Chabre<\/em>, is about a former grain merchant who has become wealthy through his business and married a much younger and very beautiful woman. However, no offspring arrive, and so his doctor advises him to travel to the seaside with his wife and eat plenty of seafood to boost his potency. There they meet the young and handsome Breton, Hector. The story takes its course.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The second novella, The F\u00eate at Coqueville<\/em>, is set in a small fishing village. Two feuding families have competed for centuries in this remote little place right on the coast, living off the catch. One day a cask of delicious alcohol suddenly washes ashore. The tiny population is thrilled, and from that day on, barrels of the finest alcoholic beverages keep arriving. A development that has a surprisingly lasting effect on the village\u2019s small social fabric.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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I once read that you either like the books of Honor\u00e9 de Balzac or those of \u00c9mile Zola, but never both at the same time (with the possible exception of Zola\u2019s Nana<\/em>). I\u2019ve always been in Balzac\u2019s camp, and apart from Zola\u2019s Nana<\/em> (which I really liked) and Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Raquin<\/em> (which was too dark and negative for me), I haven\u2019t read much by him. So I was curious what these two novellas would bring. Zola, one of the key figures of Naturalism, was known for his unsparing look at society and human fate. Two novellas similar to Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Raquin<\/em>, then?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The tone of both novellas surprised me. Contrary to expectations, it\u2019s light and humorous, always with a gently satirical undertone. According to the afterword, Zola wrote these novellas as a break from the realist-naturalist perspective of his novels. Zola, who loved spending time by the sea, also took a literary vacation here. The novellas read easily and will make you smile again and again\u2014over the awkward Monsieur Chabre or the inhabitants of Coqueville as they get completely plastered. The latter novella almost reminded me of Daphnis and Chloe<\/a>\u2014an elemental community with a way of life all its own: simple, close to nature, and very authentic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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Both novellas are very pleasant to read, and Zola keeps a good pace and a well-balanced arc of suspense that consistently entertains. You want to know how things turn out. At the same time, the maritime setting provides a wonderful backdrop\u2014perfect as beach reading, and perfect in winter for dreaming of warm days by the sea. I love the sea as an element in books. As a mirror of people, as a setting, as an untamed force of nature\u2014however it appears in literature, it simply enriches every story.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I\u2019m a big fan of mare\u2019s small classics series. With this little book I again had the feeling that it\u2019s absolutely clear why these novellas deserve to be reissued and read. They have that certain something, a punch line that\u2014even when foreseeable\u2014is still a joy to read. \u201cTreat\u201d is exactly the right word here. It\u2019s like a post-work beer: you can do without it, you won\u2019t indulge every day, but when you do, it\u2019s a pleasant pleasure that makes life a little better.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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These little books are gorgeous, and you won\u2019t have to compromise on bibliophilia. The printed cloth binding with a fitting painting is very high quality and pleasing to the eye. In sunlight it shimmers beautifully and has a very pleasant texture that just feels good. There\u2019s even thread stitching for the binding, which has now become a real rarity. A ribbon bookmark is included. An open slipcase adds another touch of class. The price is debatable\u2014at \u20ac22 the book isn\u2019t exactly cheap\u2014but taken together you really do get a lot for it. It\u2019s perfect as a gift thanks to this presentation\u2014especially for yourself. The afterword is informative, situates the work within Zola\u2019s oeuvre, and provides background on his connection to the sea.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Mare\u2019s small classics reliably deliver remarkably fine novellas and short stories. The Fruits of the Sea<\/em> is no exception, presenting two surprisingly humorous and light tales by \u00c9mile Zola. It\u2019s relaxing and entertaining to pick up this lovely book in the evening and immerse yourself in its atmospheric maritime world. With its bibliophile production, it\u2019s an excellent gift\u2014particularly to oneself. A beautiful book that will take its permanent place on my shelf alongside the other classics in the series.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book information: <\/strong>Die Fr\u00fcchte des Meeres<\/em> \u2022 \u00c9mile Zola \u2022 mare Verlag \u2022 192 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783866487369<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A few years ago, mare Verlag expanded its classics series with smaller editions. These have a much more compact format and, in the most recent releases, the content has mostly been short stories or novellas. I\u2019ve really liked this so far\u2014little treats for in between, so to speak. As always, with the sea as a … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Die Fr\u00fcchte des Meeres \u2022 \u00c9mile Zola”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Die Fr\u00fcchte des Meeres \u2022 \u00c9mile Zola - lesestunden","description":"Vor einigen Jahren hat der mare Verlag seine Klassiker Reihe um kleinere Ausgaben erweitert. Diese haben ein deutlich kompakteres Format und in den letzten Ver\u00f6"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[11,200,260,245],"class_list":["post-10850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-classics","category-reviews","tag-klassiker","tag-mare","tag-mare-klassiker","tag-meer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/die_fruechte_des_meeres_1b.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10850","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10850"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11221,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10850\/revisions\/11221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}