30 moments

1. Birth in Rouen

   1821-12-12 · Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

   Flaubert was born in Rouen, the Norman city that remained central to his family life and literary imagination.

2. School-age letter from Rouen

   1834-08-26 · Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

   A surviving letter documents Flaubert in Rouen during his school years, when he was already writing. The university document identifies the letter by its Rouen dateline.

3. Rouen letter before departure for Paris

   1840-01-19 · Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

   Flaubert wrote from Rouen shortly before his move to Paris for legal studies later in 1840.

4. Southern-France journey at Marseille

   1840-09-29 · Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France

   During his 1840 journey through southern France en route toward Corsica, Flaubert reported his arrival at Marseille after traveling from Toulouse by the Canal du Midi.

5. Stay at Trouville

   1841-09-21 · Trouville-sur-Mer, Calvados, Normandy, France

   A letter datelined Trouville records a coastal Normandy visit during Flaubert's early period of legal study.

6. Journey through Brittany with Maxime Du Camp

   1846-01-01 · Brittany, France

   Flaubert and his lifelong friend Maxime Du Camp traveled in Brittany, a journey later associated with their travel writing. The evidence supports Brittany as a region; coordinates represent Rennes as a defensible regional point.

7. Return to Croisset

   1846-01-01 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

   

   After abandoning law studies in Paris, Flaubert returned to Croisset, his principal adult home and working base near Rouen. Coordinates represent the surviving Flaubert pavilion and former Croisset estate area.

8. Letter from Rouen

   1847-01-01 · Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

   Flaubert was in Rouen at the beginning of 1847, during the period following his return from Paris and before his eastern journey. The source dates the letter only to the beginning of 1847.

9. Arrival in Alexandria

   1849-11-17 · Alexandria, Egypt

   Flaubert arrived in Alexandria with Maxime Du Camp at the opening of their long eastern journey and immediately began observing the city. The date is bracketed by the correspondence editor.

10. Cairo and the Giza-Memphis excursion

    1849-12-14 · Cairo, Egypt

    

    Writing from Cairo, Flaubert described a six-day excursion to Giza, Saqqara, and Memphis and preparations for travel on the Nile.

11. Five-week stay in Constantinople

    1850-01-01 · Istanbul, Türkiye

    Flaubert spent five weeks in Constantinople, exploring its streets, bazaars, waterways, theaters, and major monuments during the return stage of his eastern journey. The letter was written after the Constantinople stay; the source does not supply exact arrival and departure dates.

12. Stay in Beirut

    1850-01-01 · Beirut, Lebanon

    On the Levantine leg of his journey, Flaubert stayed longer than planned in Beirut before traveling overland toward Jerusalem. The cited letter is dated 10 August 1850 from Jerusalem and confirms an earlier 1850 stay in Beirut; the exact Beirut dates are not specified.

13. Cairo before the Nile voyage

    1850-02-03 · Cairo, Egypt

    

    Flaubert was in Cairo while arranging the Nile journey that became a major part of his Egyptian travels.

14. Nile voyage beyond Syene

    1850-03-13 · Near Aswan (ancient Syene), Egypt

    Flaubert wrote aboard his Nile boat beyond Syene during the southward Egyptian expedition with Du Camp. The documented position is twelve leagues beyond Syene; coordinates represent Aswan/Syene rather than an unknowable exact river position.

15. Travel journal at Jerusalem

    1850-08-11 · Jerusalem

    Flaubert's travel notebook places him in Jerusalem, where he recorded his early reactions after several days in the city.

16. Quarantine at the Lazaret of Piraeus

    1850-12-19 · Lazaret of Piraeus, Piraeus, Attica, Greece

    Flaubert wrote from quarantine at the Lazaret of Piraeus after reaching Athens, beginning his brief Greek itinerary. Coordinates represent Piraeus; the historic lazaret's exact site is not specified in the letter.

17. Antiquarian stay in Naples

    1851-03-09 · Naples, Campania, Italy

    During the Italian return journey, Flaubert was in Naples, devoting much of his time to the Museum of Antiquities.

18. Working on Madame Bovary at Croisset

    1852-07-27 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    At Croisset, Flaubert was revising the first part of Madame Bovary and described the exacting labor of correction. Coordinates represent the former Croisset estate area.

19. Madame Bovary revisions at Croisset

    1854-01-01 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Flaubert wrote from Croisset while continuing detailed revisions to Madame Bovary, calling the work slow and difficult. The source supports January 1854 but not a day.

20. Research visit to Carthage

    1858-05-01 · Carthage Archaeological Site, Tunis, Tunisia

    Flaubert was at Carthage during his Tunisian research journey for Salammbô, keeping notes while surveying the ancient site. The year is supplied in brackets by the edition.

21. Tunisian research journey from Tunis

    1858-05-08 · Tunis, Tunisia

    Writing from Tunis, Flaubert reported four full days at Carthage and travel onward toward Bizerte as part of his research for Salammbô.

22. Finishing Salammbô at Croisset

    1862-06-01 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Flaubert wrote from Croisset while still revising Salammbô shortly before its publication. The editor dates the letter to the middle of June 1862.

23. Paris research for Sentimental Education

    1867-03-17 · Paris, France

    

    Flaubert was in Paris researching the 1848 material used for Sentimental Education, including work at the deputies' library.

24. Croisset during the Franco-Prussian War

    1870-10-30 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Flaubert remained at Croisset during the Franco-Prussian War while anticipating the arrival of Prussian forces in the Seine-Inférieure. The date is bracketed by the correspondence editor.

25. Paris during Le Candidat reception

    1874-05-01 · Paris, France

    

    Flaubert wrote from Paris amid hostile press reaction to his drama Le Candidat. The place is bracketed by the editor.

26. Croisset while writing Bouvard et Pécuchet

    1875-05-10 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Flaubert was at Croisset while laboring on the book that became Bouvard et Pécuchet and worrying about his health and finances. Coordinates represent the former Croisset estate area.

27. Paris literary work

    1878-03-01 · Paris, France

    

    Flaubert was in Paris in early 1878, pursuing the reading and historical research that fed his late work.

28. Croisset work on Bouvard et Pécuchet

    1878-11-07 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Back at Croisset, Flaubert told Guy de Maupassant that he was working intensely on a chapter of his unfinished final novel. The date is bracketed by the correspondence editor.

29. Final spring at Croisset

    1880-03-18 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Less than two months before his death, Flaubert wrote from Croisset inviting Émile Zola and fellow writers to visit him there. Coordinates represent the former Croisset estate area.

30. Death at Croisset

    1880-05-08 · Croisset, Canteleu, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France

    

    Flaubert died at Croisset of a cerebral hemorrhage at age fifty-eight. The article infobox supplies the exact death date, 8 May 1880; coordinates represent the former Croisset estate area.