"Le sieur Grimm de Buda-Pesth, est un simple voleur, qui fait traduire mes romans au fur et à mesure de leur publication dans les journaux français, sans autorisation aucune."

Signed autograph letter by Emile Zola - apparently unpublished - addressed to an unknown correspondent, written in black ink on a double sheet. Folds inherent to mailing.
Interesting letter relating the translation of Emile Zola's works and the legal disputes inherent to their clandestine distribution.
This missive is visibly addressed to a correspondent considered for the German translation of La Joie de vivre: "I would ask you to give me the promptest possible response regarding the translation of La Joie de vivre; for I am already receiving proposals from Germany, and I would like to know where I stand." In this autumn of 1883, Zola - though vacationing in Brittany - is very occupied with managing the translation of his works which he handles directly with publishers. We see here the determination with which he conducts negotiations: "I repeat that I will only accept a fixed sum paid in advance. It is simpler, and without possible surprises."
But things are not simple and Zola, whose works already enjoy great success, must fight against the clandestine publication of his novels. Completely overlooked by biographers, the disputes with Hungarian publisher Gustav Grimm are nonetheless a leitmotif of Zolian correspondence: "Monsieur Grimm of Budapest is a simple thief, who has my novels translated as they are published in French newspapers, without any authorization. Already the Neue Freie Presse of Vienna has sued him in my name. But it appears we have no treaty with Hungary. I await the signing of a treaty, which they say is imminent." Indeed, Grimm had already published without Zola's authorization German translations of two novels: Nana (1881) and Pot-Bouille (Der häusliche Herd, 1882). These illegal publications discouraged German publishers Curt Busch and George Kuhr who, very interested in distributing the novel to German-speaking readers, declared forfeit. Gustav Grimm, who finally agreed to respect commercial treaties, won the battle and published the very first German translation of La Joie de vivre in 1889 under the title Die Lebensfreude. The man whom Zola here calls a "simple thief" would finally obtain authorization to distribute the German translation of the entirety of the twenty volumes of the Rougon-Macquart between 1892 and 1899.
Interesting letter revealing the editorial mechanisms of the Rougon-Macquart and testifying to the ardor with which Zola conducted negotiations inherent to the translation of his great hereditary fresco.