THERESE RAQUIN - Penguin US

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 for ever. 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 new translation superbly conveys Zola's fearlessly honest and motter-of-fact style. In his introduction, he discusses Zola's life and literary career, and the influence of art, literature and science on his writing . This edition also includes the preface to the second edition of 1868, a chronology, further reading and notes.