Gustave Flaubert

Born in Rouen on December 12, 1821, Gustave Flaubert grew up in a medical family and later gave up studying law to devote himself to writing. He became one of the major figures of French realism, with a reputation for extraordinary discipline and for revising his sentences until they sounded exactly right.

His most famous novel, Madame Bovary, was published in 1857 and caused a public scandal for its unsparing portrait of provincial life and adultery. Flaubert was taken to court on charges of immorality and acquitted, and the novel went on to become a landmark of world literature.

He also wrote Sentimental Education, Salammbô, The Temptation of Saint Anthony, and Three Tales, and his letters remain famous for the insight they give into his working methods and artistic ideals. Flaubert died at Croisset, near Rouen, on May 8, 1880, but his influence on later novelists has been immense.