TEHRAN-The Persian translation of the book “The Paradise of Cats,” which is a collection of five short stories by the French author Emile Zola have been released in the market.

Translated by Mojgan Hosseini Ruzbahani, the book has been published by Qoqnoos Publications, Mehr reported.

The short stories included in the book are “The Paradise of Cats,” “The Legend of Cupid's Little Blue Mantle,” “The Blacksmith,” “The Slack Season,” and “Memories”.

The stories were originally written in 1874 along with more stories. However, in 2019, Éditions Gallimard, a leading French book publishing company, published five of those stories in a book, which has been now translated into Persian.

The short story that has given its name to the title of the book, “The Paradise of Cats,” is about a fat, comfortable cat who longs to leave his luxurious life and run wild on Paris rooftops. Told in the cat’s own words, the cat soon discovers that life in the street is not as free and beautiful as he expected.

Zola was a lover of animals. The story teaches the true essence of paradise. It is based on the pet cat’s realization that one must be content with where one is placed in life. For the cat, the home was paradise even though it was completely locked up.

The pet cat did not realize how good his life was. He always thought that the grass is greener on the other side. He realized the value of ‘home’ only once he left it and had to struggle for his existence. It is important to be content and grateful for wherever one is placed in life.

Through the character of the pet cat, the readers understand that in order to live a free life, one must sacrifice comfort and wherever they are happy and comfortable, it is a paradise for them.

Zola (1840-1902) was a novelist, critic, and political activist who was considered one of the most prominent French novelists of the late 19th century and as a man of action—a defender of truth and justice, a champion of the poor and persecuted. He was nominated for the first and second Nobel Prize in Literature in 1901 and 1902.

He was an influential French novelist, the most important example of the literary school of naturalism, and a major figure in the political liberalization of France.

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