Zola‎'‎s masterpiece of working life‎,‎ Germinal ‎(‎1885‎)‎‎,‎ exposes the inhuman conditions of miners in northern France in the 1860s‎.‎ By Zola‎'‎s death in 1902 it had come to symbolise the call for freedom from oppression so forcefully that the crowd which gathered at his State funeral chanted ‎'‎Germinal‎!‎ Germinal‎!‎‎'‎‎.‎ The central figure‎,‎ Etienne Lantier‎,‎ is an outsider who enters the community and eventually leads his fellow‎-miners in a strike protesting against pay‎-cuts ‎- a strike which becomes a losing battle against starvation‎,‎ repression‎,‎ and sabotage‎.‎ Yet despite all the violence and disillusion which rock the mining community to its foundations‎,‎ Lantier retains his belief in the ultimate germination of a new society‎,‎ leading to a better world‎.‎ Germinal is a dramatic novel of working life and everyday relationships‎,‎ but it is also a complex novel of ideas‎,‎ given fresh vigour and power in this new translation‎.‎ ABOUT THE SERIES‎:‎ For over 100 years Oxford World‎'‎s Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe‎.‎ Each affordable volume reflects Oxford‎'‎s commitment to scholarship‎,‎ providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features‎,‎ including expert introductions by leading authorities‎,‎ helpful notes to clarify the text‎,‎ up‎-to‎-date bibliographies for further study‎,‎ and much more‎.‎