Gustave Flaubert (Author)
Gustave Flaubert was born in Rouen in 1821, the son of a
distinguished surgeon and a doctor's daughter. After three unhappy
years of studying law in Paris, an epileptic attack ushered him
into a life of writing. Madame Bovary won instant acclaim upon book
publication in 1857, but Flaubert's frank display of adultery in
bourgeois France saw him go on trial for immorality, only narrowly
escaping conviction. Both Salammbo (1862) and The Sentimental
Education (1869) were poorly received, and Flaubert's genius was
not publicly recognized until Three Tales (1877). His reputation
among his fellow writers, however, was more constant and those who
admired him included Turgenev, George Sand, Victor Hugo and Zola.
Flaubert's obsession with his art is legendary- he would work for
days on a single page, obsessively attuning sentences, seeking
always le mot juste in a quest for both beauty and precise
observation. His style moved Edmund Wilson to say,'Flaubert, by a
single phrase - a notation of some commonplace object - can convey
all the poignance of human desire, the pathos of human defeat; his
description of some homely scene will close with a dying fall that
reminds one of great verse or music.' Flaubert died suddenly in May
1880, leaving his last work, Bouvard and Pecuchet, unfinished.
Winner of the 2012 Fifty Books/Fifty Covers show, organized by
Design Observer in association with AIGA and Designers & Books
Winner of the 2014 Type Directors Club Communication Design
Award
Praise for Lydia Davis's translation of Madame Bovary:
"[Flaubert's] masterwork has been given the English translation it
deserves."
—Kathryn Harrison, The New York Times Book Review
"Dazzling . . . translated to perfect pitch . . . [Davis has] left
us the richer with this translation. . . . I'd certainly say it is
necessary to have hers."
—Jacki Lyden, NPR.org, Favorite Books of the Year
"One of the most important books of the year . . . Flaubert's
strict, elegant, rhythmic sentences come alive in Davis's
English."
—James Wood, The New Yorker's Book Bench
Praise for Penguin Drop Caps:
"[Penguin Drop Caps] convey a sense of nostalgia for the tactility
and aesthetic power of a physical book and for a centuries-old
tradition of beautiful lettering."
—Fast Company
“Vibrant, minimalist new typographic covers…. Bonus points for the
heartening gender balance of the initial selections.”
—Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
"The Penguin Drop Caps series is a great example of the power of
design. Why buy these particular classics when there are less
expensive, even free editions of Great Expectations? Because
they’re beautiful objects. Paul Buckley and Jessica Hische’s fresh
approach to the literary classics reduces the design down to
typography and color. Each cover is foil-stamped with a cleverly
illustrated letterform that reveals an element of the story. Jane
Austen’s A (Pride and Prejudice) is formed by opulent peacock
feathers and Charlotte Bronte’s B (Jane Eyre) is surrounded by
flames. The complete set forms a rainbow spectrum prettier than
anything else on your bookshelf."
—Rex Bonomelli, The New York Times
"Drool-inducing."
—Flavorwire
"Classic reads in stunning covers—your book club will be
dying."
—Redbook
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