THE EMILE ZOLA SOCIETY  

Programme of Events

Forthcoming Events

15 June 2012, 6pm: ‘Toulouse-Lautrec’, a talk by David Hillier-King, our Publicity Officer.

7 July 2012: An outing to Darwin’s House

The outing this year will be to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin the English naturalist. Although his famous work Origin of the Species caused great controversy on publication, by the end of his life he was universally recognised and the book considered a great achievement.

The house, to which he moved after his marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood, is set in a pleasant garden and covers two storeys. Amongst other mementoes, the house is full of memories relating to his voyage in 1831-1836 aboard HMS Beagle, during its world voyage and contains many of his original artefacts and furniture.

There is a lift to the upper floor, a shop, a café where we will be able to have our tea, and parking facilities fifty metres from the house with separate disabled bays. We will pay for our individual entrance tickets on arriving at the house.

However, visitors are recommended to travel by public transport, and we shall leave Victoria Station during late morning (at a time to be announced) for Bromley South Station from where we take the 146 bus to Downe village. The house is a very short distance from the bus stop.

Entrance to the house is: Adult: £9.90 Concession: £8.90 Child: £5.90*

*There might be a slight increase on these prices as these existed in 2011

Anyone wishing to accompany us should complete the form below and return it to
PAMELA BIRLEY, FLAT D, 49 CHRISTCHURCH STREET, LONDON SW3 4AS
(Tel: 020 7351 6377)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outing to Down House, 7 July 2012

Name…………………………………………………………………….. 

Address………………………………………………………………….. 

Tel.No…………………………………………………………………….

Guest/s Name (if applicable……………………………………………………… 

Train times and ticket prices will be advised to you as soon as the new Timetable for the area is published. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7 October 2012: Pilgrimage to Médan: Meeting between 10/10.30 a.m. at Gare St Lazare (upstairs, on platform of the departure train).

N.B.: Should there be no Pilgrimage due to major refurbishment works, the Emile Zola Society will hold a meeting on Friday 5th October.

7 December 2012, 6pm: AGM followed by a talk (details to follow).

Past Highlights of the Year

30 March 2012, 7.30pm: ‘Avec Zola à table’: the Emile Zola Society Dinner, at the Bistrot of the French Institute.

25 February 2012: THE THIRD OF OUR ANNUAL SATURDAY SEMINARS.

An afternoon of talks and discussions, in English, followed by an optional, informal dinner, at The French Institute, 17 Queensberry Place, London,  SW7 on  Saturday 25 February 2012, from 2-6 p.m.

The central theme this year was:

'Seeing Life... with Zola and his contemporaries'

Speakers:

Dr A.J. Counter (Cambridge)

‘Dreyfus, Vérité, and Zola's fin-de-siecle Sexual Politics’

Cécilia Falgas-Ravry (Cambridge) 

‘Passive Criminals, Absent Convicts: Zola's break with traditional criminal characterisation.’

Dr Jann Matlock (London)

'Seeing Ghosts with Zola: La Curée in the Shadow of the Commune.'

Keith Howell (London) Vice-President of the Emile Zola Society

'Saints, Sinners, Pigs and Ordure.  Emile Zola through the eyes of others'. 

Costs:
Light Refreshments: £5 (All participants).
Seminar: Free for Emile Zola Society Members. £5 for French Institute Members (Concessions £4). £10 for the General Public (Concessions: £8).

***