Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert, son of surgeon Achille Flaubert and Justine Fleuriot, was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen, Normandy. His inclination towards literature was strong, and by the age of fourteen, he began writing narratives. His family intended for him to pursue legal studies in Paris; however, his failure in exams, frequent epileptic seizures, and above all, his deep desire to devote himself to literature, prevented him from completing them. He mostly lived away from the hustle and bustle of the capital, in Croisset, near his mother and beloved niece, with brief interruptions to his ascetic lifestyle for regular visits to Paris to see his friends: Gautier, Turgenev, Renan, Zola, George Sand, Louise Colet, among others, with whom he maintained long-term correspondence. He also undertook several journeys: from 1849 to 1851, he traveled to the Middle East with his friend Maxime Du Camp, and he is also known to have visited Greece. Upon returning, he began writing "Madame Bovary," which he completed and published six years later, in 1857. The writing of all his other works, such as "Madame Bovary," "The Temptation of Saint Anthony," "Sentimental Education," "A Simple Heart," "Bouvard and Pécuchet," among others, was also lengthy and laborious. Generous with his fellow artists and devoted to the people he loved, he sacrificed his small fortune to support his relatives and died poor in 1880. Apart from his adventurous relationship with Louise Colet and some tender friendships, Flaubert faithfully cherished the unfulfilled love of his sixteen-year-old self for Madame Schlesinger, whom he immortalized in "Sentimental Education."