Therese Raquin

Zola’s classic novel of turbulent passion

In a dingy apartment on the Passage du Pont-Neuf in Paris, Therese Raquin is trapped in a loveless marriage to her sickly cousin, Camille. The numbing tedium of her life is suddenly shattered when she embarks on a turbulent affair with her husband’s earthy friend Laurent, but their animal passion for each other soon compels the lovers to commit a crime that will haunt them forever.

Therese Raquin caused a scandal when it appeared in 1867 and brought its twenty-seven-year-old author a notoriety that followed him throughout his life. Zola’s novel is not only an uninhibited portrayal of adultery, madness, and ghostly revenge, but also a devastating exploration of the darkest aspects of human existence.

Robin Buss’s translation superbly conveys Zola’s fearlessly honest and matter-of-fact style, combining fidelity to Zola’s idiosyncrasies with easy fluency in English. This edition also includes an introduction that discusses Zola’s life and literary career and the influence of art, literature, and science on his writing, as well as the preface to the author’s second edition of 1868, a chronology, suggestions for further reading, and notes.

Penguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.