Travel along the river with the writers

Médan

Médan is a small residential town in Yvelines. During the Renaissance, Ronsard stayed at the Château de Médan, as did Du Bellay and the other poets of the Pléiade, who went there to hunt and write poems paying tribute to their patron, Jean Brinon, ruler of Médan. However, the town is mostly famous for being the location of Émile Zola’s house, which became a meeting place for naturalist writers. The collection of short stories entitled Les Soirées de Médan encapsulates six tales by Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, J.-K. Huysmans, Henry Céard, Léon Hennique and Paul Alexis, representatives of the naturalist movement.

image de Paysage, photographie Paysage, photographie © F. Guillotte
Le groupe de Médan, dessin, auteur inconnu
Guy de MAUPASSANT
« De Paris à Rouen », 1883 / MÉDAN
Maison d’Emile Zola, photographie
Paul ALEXIS
« Le succès » dans Émile Zola. Notes d’un ami, 1882 / MÉDAN