Who Was Alive

Were Karl Marx and Émile Zola alive at the same time?

Yes. Karl Marx and Émile Zola were alive at the same time for 42 years, from 1840 to 1883.

Karl Marx was 21 when Émile Zola was born.

Émile Zola was 42 when Karl Marx died, aged 64.

Karl Marx

German-born philosopher

Born 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64

Émile Zola

French novelist, journalist, playwright, and poet

Born 2 April 1840 · died 29 September 1902, aged 62

  1. Napoleon
  2. Abraham Lincoln
  3. Karl Marx
  4. Émile Zola
  5. Mahatma Gandhi
  6. Vladimir Lenin
  7. Albert Einstein
  8. Adolf Hitler
Karl Marx and Émile Zola in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.