Emile Zola was a French novelist, playwright, and journalist who is best known for his involvement in the Dreyfus Affair. He wrote an open letter to the President of France in 1898 titled 'J'ACCUSE' which accused the government of anti-Semitism and injustice in the case of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish army officer who had been falsely convicted of treason. Zola's letter sparked a public outcry and eventually led to Dreyfus' exoneration. As a result, Zola became known as a Dreyfus Defender.