This extraordinary story, freshly told by Michael Rosen – poet, children’s author, professor, broadcaster – looks at the flight into exile in the UK of 19th Century French author Emile Zola after publication of his fabulous stick-it-to-the-man letter “J’Accuse”, basically saying the French government and the French military were a bunch of lying anti-Semites, and Dreyfus, the Jewish Army captain they’d framed for espionage, was innocent. Well, we all know what the system does to whistleblowers, right? Hoping to force a libel action, Zola found himself sentenced and fined. His lawyer advised immediate flight. Internationally renowned author Zola arrived at Victoria Station, alone, his nightshirt wrapped in newspaper, and his wife, mistress and two children still in France. 18 months later the real culprit confessed; Dreyfus was allowed return from penal servitude and Zola from the UK. Six years later Zola was dead. Sensationally, in 1943, a man confessed to stopping up the Zola chimney – the great champion of freedom was murdered? The poo-poohers, and those wishing to whitewash France’s fearsome history of racism, say ‘twas just an accident. Pull the other one Charlie.
