Stirring Stuff

[Tresco]

Seeing as it's 100 years since the reabilitation of Dreyfus, (following wrongful trial and imprisonment) it’s worth having a look at the letter written by Emile Zola to the French President, and published in a newspaper of the time, (L'Aurore). The letter caused a sensation, which helped to spur the eventual release and pardon of Dreyfus.

You can read the French side by side with a simple English translation in the link below. Its stirring stuff.  First, here's a little sample:

...At the root of it all is one evil man, Lt. Colonel du Paty de Clam, who was at the time a mere Major.  He is the entire Dreyfus case, and the entirety of it will only come to light when an honest enquiry firmly establishes his actions and responsibilities.  He appears to be the shadiest and most complex of creatures, spinning outlandish intrigues, stooping to the deceits of cheap thriller novels, complete with stolen documents, anonymous letters, meetings in deserted spots, mysterious women scurrying around at night, peddling damning evidence.  He was the one who came up with the scheme of dictating the text of the bordereau to Dreyfus; he was the one who had the idea of observing him in a mirror-lined room.  And he was the one that Major Forzinetti caught carrying a shuttered lantern that he planned to throw open on the accused man while he slept, hoping that, jolted awake by the sudden flash of light, Dreyfus would blurt out his guilt...

http://www.chameleon-translations.com/sample-Zola.shtml

I was struck by how some of the themes are so relevant today - though we might hear them talked about in less florid terms. [:)] Not what I've quoted! You have to read the whole thing. [:)]

 

 

[Alcazar]

 "Lt. Colonel du Paty de Clam"?

Isn't that French for "Blair"?????[;-)]

Alcazar, (not a Tory, either!)

[idontbelieveitche]

I beliewve that after J'Accuse was published Zola had to go on the run and recieved asylum in the UK. There are even theories that Zola's death (carbon monoxide fumes from a supposedly faulty fire) was belated revenge by the French military.

[Tresco]

Yes indeed. Zola knew that his accusations would draw accusations of libel, and hence more publicity.

 In fact Zola could have given Max Clifford a good run...

[Tony F Dordogne]

And the reason Dreyfus was treated as the scapegoat was that he was a Jew and at that time across Europe anti-semitism was rife especially in some of the armies like France, Austria (home of some of the more lurid anti-Jewish conspiracy theories running around at that time) and in the UK where plain old-fashioned anti-semetism among the upper echelons of the army was continuing apace.

The French anti-semetism is well documented and it was admitted 'officially' when Dreyfus was reinstated that part of the motivation of the conspirators against him was his faith.