So, what exactly is this book? 'Les contemporains, première série' (The Contemporaries, First Series) isn't a novel. It's a collection of literary essays and reviews written by Jules Lemaître between 1885 and 1886. He was writing for newspapers and journals, and this book gathers his takes on the major French literary figures of his day. Think of it as a snapshot of a cultural moment.

The Story

There's no traditional plot. Instead, Lemaître takes us on a guided tour of his literary landscape. Each essay focuses on a different author—Émile Zola, Alphonse Daudet, Edmond de Goncourt, and others. He doesn't just summarize their books. He looks at their styles, their philosophies, and their place in the broader movement of Realism and Naturalism. He asks: Is Zola's ultra-detailed, almost scientific approach to writing about society brilliant or exhausting? Is Daudet's more sentimental touch more effective? Lemaître acts as our companion, pointing out what works, what doesn't, and why it all matters in the grand conversation of French letters.

Why You Should Read It

Here's the magic: Lemaître writes like a reader, not a professor. His voice is conversational, sometimes skeptical, often funny, and always curious. Reading him feels like getting a letter from a very smart friend who just finished a stack of new books. You get a real sense of what it was like to experience these now-classic authors as they were publishing new work. You see the debates—about morality in art, about the role of the writer in society—happening in real time. It makes literary history feel immediate and alive, not like something preserved in a museum.

Final Verdict

This book is perfect for curious readers who love French literature, especially from the Belle Époque, and want to understand it from the inside out. It's for anyone who enjoys smart, accessible criticism that feels like a conversation. If you've ever read Zola's Germinal or Daudet's short stories and wondered, 'What did people make of this when it first came out?'—Lemaître has your answer. It's not a light beach read, but for the right person, it's a fascinating and surprisingly engaging dive into the mind of a critic and the world he observed.