Gustave Flaubert

"Let us intoxicate ourselves with ink, since the nectar of the gods is lacking." The writer remained faithful to this maxim throughout his life. Born in 1821 in Rouen, Gustave Flaubert did not follow in his father’s footsteps as a physician. Afflicted by languor and nervous crises, he interrupted his law studies and chose literature instead. Settled in Croisset, along the banks of the Seine, he embarked on writing some of the greatest romantic masterpieces of the 19th century. "Madame Bovary" was serialized in 1856. The novel faced a trial for obscenity, from which Flaubert was acquitted. In 1862, he published "Salammbô," inspired by his travels in the Orient. "I carry on my shoulders two entire armies," he said about this depiction of the Punic Wars, praised by Georges Sand. In 1869, he released "Sentimental Education," a novel of initiation intertwining personal torments and revolutionary aspirations, reflecting the events of 1848. His final work, "Bouvard and Pécuchet," "finished him before he finished it," and Flaubert passed away on May 8, 1880. His style remains with us.