Ã mile Zola ( 2 April , 1840 â `` 29 September , 1902 ) was a major French writer and the most important naturalist writer . Ã mile FranÃ ois Zola ( ; 2 April 1840 -- 29 September 1902 ) was a French writer , the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism .