Gustave Flaubert was born in Rouen in 1821. After illness interrupted a career in law, he retired to live with his widowed mother and devote himself to writing. He achieved limited success in his own lifetime, but his fame and reputation grew steadily after his death in 1880. Geoffrey Wall (introducer) teaches French at the University of York. He is the author of a critically-acclaimed biography of Flaubert and has translated Madame Bovary for Penguin Classics. Roger Whitehouse (translator) is the editor of a book on literary expressions of exile. Geoffrey Wall (introducer) teaches French at the University of York. He is the author of a critically-acclaimed biography of Flaubert and has translated Madame Bovary for Penguin Classics. Roger Whitehouse (translator) is the editor of a book on literary expressions of exile.