Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert, born in Rouen, France on December 12, 1821, showed early literary promise with publications in Le Colibri. Despite an incomplete law degree, he settled in Croisset after personal tragedies and health issues, supported by his father’s pension. Flaubert’s extensive travels across Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East influenced his writing, notably beginning Madame Bovary after his Egyptian journey in 1850. Serialized in 1856, the novel faced charges of immorality but was acquitted, becoming a bestseller upon full publication.

Flaubert’s meticulous writing style defined his subsequent works, including Salammbô (1862), Sentimental Education (1869), and The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1874). Known for his perfectionism and tumultuous relationship with Louise Colet, Flaubert remained unmarried. The 1870s brought personal and financial challenges, marked by declining health and mourning his mother’s death in 1872, to whom Madame Bovary was dedicated. His final work, Bouvard et Pécuchet, remained unfinished at his death from cerebral hemorrhage on May 8, 1880. Flaubert’s legacy endures through his groundbreaking realism and enduring literary contributions.