In recent years, an exhibition of the early work of Cezanne has revealed a young genius whose imagination was violent and troubled Drawing on contemporary sources, the author charts the twists and turns of Cezanne's life, outwardly uneventful but full of inner anguish He examines Cezanne's relationship with Emile Zola with whom he later quarrelled, and reveals a man who, despite his own weakness and despair, became an exemplar of artistic commitment