Nana is a novel by the French naturalist author Émile Zola. Completed in 1880. Émile Zola, in full Émile-Édouard-Charles-Antoine Zola, (born April 2, 1840, Paris, France—died September 28, 1902, Paris), French novelist, critic, and political activist who was the most prominent French novelist of the late 19th century.