Germinal

Émile Zola wrote Germinal after he researched the lives of coal miners. He became infuriated with the insatiable ogre of capitalism.

Goenawan Mohamad

July 15, 2024

BATAILLE the white horse was blind. The coal mine had eliminated his ability to distinguish light from darkness. Everything, to him, was pitch black.

Bataille lost his sight because he had to live underground for the entire 10 years of his life. He knew nothing of light. He adapted to life within the tunnels and the dark corners that surrounded him.

Yet he survived, with what remained of his instincts and animal intelligence—up until

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