Emile Zola (18401902) was born in Paris and worked as a journalist before turning to fiction. With the publication of L'Assommoir, he became the most famous writer in France. His work has influenced authors from August Strindberg to Theodore Dreiser to Tom Wolfe. Mark Kurlanksy is the New York Times bestselling and James A. Beard Awardwinning author of The Last Fish Tale, The Big Oyster, Cod, and Salt, among other books. He has translated numerous pieces from French, Spanish, and Italian for his anthology of food writing Choice Cuts. He lived in Paris for ten years but now resides in New York City.
