“L’Assommoir” (1877) is the seventh novel in Émile Zola''s twenty-volume series Les Rougon-Macquart. Usually considered one of Zola''s masterpieces, the novel—a study of alcoholism and poverty in the working-class districts of Paris—was a huge commercial success and helped establish Zola''s fame and reputation throughout France and the world. (Excerpt from Wikipedia)
