Gustave Flaubert(1821-1880)
- Writer
Gustave Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,
Seine-Inférieure, France. His father was a Medical Doctor and practiced
surgery in Rouen, in Hôtel-Dieu (where Flaubert was born). His mother
was from an aristocratic Norman family. Young Flaubert received a good
private education with emphasis on literature. In 1840 he went to Law
School in Paris. There he met
Victor Hugo and made his plan of
becoming a writer. In 1846 he abandoned Paris and the study of law,
after a probably nervous disease. From 1846-1854 he had an affair with
the poet Louise Colet, which was his only relationship, and he never
married. Flaubert traveled about several countries in Europe and in
Africa. His travel experiences, especially those in Greece, Egypt, and
Tunisia, gave him material for his writings.
Flaubert's first masterpiece, 'The Temptation of St. Anthony' (1849),
was at first rejected by his friends Louis Bouilhet and Maxime du Camp
and its publication was postponed. From 1850-1856 he was writing
'Madame Bovary', which was published in 1856. Flaubert and his
publisher were charged of immorality in a law suit brought by the
French government in 1957, but both were acquitted. In 1862 he
published 'Salammbo', which became material for the eponymous opera by
'Modest Mussorgsky'. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War,
Flaubert's home was occupied by Prussian soldiers, and he suffered from
a nervous breakdown. In 1872 his mother died, which caused him a
depression. At that time he was supported by his close friend
Ivan Turgenev, a Russian writer of decent
means, who lived in Europe. Flaubert also enjoyed a friendship by
correspondence with George Sand. After the
traumatic events of war and the death of is mother, Flaubert lived a
life of an ascetic monk for the rest of his life. He rarely visited
Paris, and his health deteriorated rapidly. He died on May 8, 1880, in
his mother's home in Croisset, and was laid to rest in the Flaubert
family vault in the cemetery of Rouen, France.
Flaubert's comprehensive biography by
Jean-Paul Sartre is considered
definitive. Flaubert's correspondence with
George Sand and
Ivan Turgenev has been studied ever since
as an immensely valuable historic and literary material. His books has
been translated in many languages and sold millions of copies around
the world. Flaubert's classic novel 'Madame Bovary' was adapted for
film and television more that ten times. The 1991 adaptation, starring
Isabelle Huppert, was nominated for
Oscar.
Seine-Inférieure, France. His father was a Medical Doctor and practiced
surgery in Rouen, in Hôtel-Dieu (where Flaubert was born). His mother
was from an aristocratic Norman family. Young Flaubert received a good
private education with emphasis on literature. In 1840 he went to Law
School in Paris. There he met
Victor Hugo and made his plan of
becoming a writer. In 1846 he abandoned Paris and the study of law,
after a probably nervous disease. From 1846-1854 he had an affair with
the poet Louise Colet, which was his only relationship, and he never
married. Flaubert traveled about several countries in Europe and in
Africa. His travel experiences, especially those in Greece, Egypt, and
Tunisia, gave him material for his writings.
Flaubert's first masterpiece, 'The Temptation of St. Anthony' (1849),
was at first rejected by his friends Louis Bouilhet and Maxime du Camp
and its publication was postponed. From 1850-1856 he was writing
'Madame Bovary', which was published in 1856. Flaubert and his
publisher were charged of immorality in a law suit brought by the
French government in 1957, but both were acquitted. In 1862 he
published 'Salammbo', which became material for the eponymous opera by
'Modest Mussorgsky'. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War,
Flaubert's home was occupied by Prussian soldiers, and he suffered from
a nervous breakdown. In 1872 his mother died, which caused him a
depression. At that time he was supported by his close friend
Ivan Turgenev, a Russian writer of decent
means, who lived in Europe. Flaubert also enjoyed a friendship by
correspondence with George Sand. After the
traumatic events of war and the death of is mother, Flaubert lived a
life of an ascetic monk for the rest of his life. He rarely visited
Paris, and his health deteriorated rapidly. He died on May 8, 1880, in
his mother's home in Croisset, and was laid to rest in the Flaubert
family vault in the cemetery of Rouen, France.
Flaubert's comprehensive biography by
Jean-Paul Sartre is considered
definitive. Flaubert's correspondence with
George Sand and
Ivan Turgenev has been studied ever since
as an immensely valuable historic and literary material. His books has
been translated in many languages and sold millions of copies around
the world. Flaubert's classic novel 'Madame Bovary' was adapted for
film and television more that ten times. The 1991 adaptation, starring
Isabelle Huppert, was nominated for
Oscar.