Gustave Flaubert

Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) was born in Rouen, France, and dropped out of law school to become a writer. His first published novel, Madame Bovary, was censured by the French government; the resulting trial, on charges of obscenity, brought Flaubert to national prominence. He was eventually acquitted, and Emma Bovary’s tragic quest for romance is now considered one of the finest novels in Western literature.