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Celebrated French novelist (1821–1880) best known for his classics Madame Bovary, Salammbo, and A Sentimental Education. ALS in French, signed “G.,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 8, [October 15, 1853]. Handwritten letter to his lover, the poet Louise Colet, about his composition of Madame Bovary. In part (translated): "What is the matter with you, poor dear Louise? B. [Bouilhet] showed me a letter from you that saddens me. What do you mean by my silence? On the contrary, it is yours that I complain about. Write to me, write to me! Are you sad? Tell me to write to you every day and when I send you only the first lines that come to me, when I don't know what to say to you, I will send you so many kisses that they will do you good, because I judge you as I do: provided that I receive something from your writing, I am happy. Come on, dry your tears. How can you believe that I forget? Where does this crazy idea come from that you are stuffing into your brain? I am doing everything I can to hurry up my cursed comices, in order to go and see you more quickly. But I am in despair. All my work this week has to be redone. We, the two of us Bouilhet, have just had a three-hour discussion about five pages. I finally gave in to his reasons! But what a mess! I'm losing my mind—it's enough to hang yourself." In fine condition, with a small repaired file hole to the left edge.
Famed for his sometimes-debilitating perfectionist style, Flaubert struggled with writer's block in the months prior to beginning his debut novel, Madame Bovary, in September 1851. He would spend six years toiling on the piece, always searching for 'le mot juste'—the right word—in his pursuit of precise prose. This letter conveys his perfectionist disposition as a writer, sometimes occupying a week in the completion of one page, and never satisfied with what he had composed. Here, he refers to his mentor, guide, and best friend, the French dramatist Louis Bouilhet; Flaubert never wrote anything without his advice.
Finally published in 1856, Flaubert's novel follows Emma Bovary, a dissatisfied and ambitious woman trapped in a mundane marriage, as she seeks escape through extravagant affairs and reckless spending. A seminal work of literary realism, the novel sparked an obscenity trial and is considered to be one of the most influential works of the 19th century.
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