Frederick Brown's definitive biography of Gustave Flaubert paints an intricate portrait of a man of contradictions. A homebody who embarked on epic journeys; a man of genius, yet uncouth; devoted to the craft of prose and hungry for popular success. From his relationships with women that fueled his imagination to his financial downfall and abrupt death at fifty-nine, Brown explores Flaubert's personal and professional life. Set against the backdrop of revolution-era Paris and Normandy during the Second Empire, the book takes readers through the circumstances that led to the creation of immortal works like 'Madame Bovary,' and the trials that came with it.