Tomorrow - December 12th - is the anniversary of the birth of the novelist
Gustave Flaubert who was born in the French city of Rouen in 1821.
The son of a senior surgeon, Flaubert began writing stories in his teens. His most celebrated novel - the result of five years writing - is
Madame Bovary, a work that was to mark the begining of a new era in French literature.
Originally serialised in
Revue de Paris in 1856,
Madame Bovary tells of the romantic illusions of a country doctor's wife and her adulterous liaisons. The book caused nothing short of a scandal, Flaubert was brought to trial for obscenity but he was acquitted and the novel went on to become a huge popular success.
What was all the fuss about? Listen to the wonderful actress
Julie Christie reading the complete unabridged audio book of
Madame Bovary to find out!
