Gustave Flaubert (December 12, 1821-May 8, 1880), French author, is considered one of the great novelists of literature. Known for his lifelike characters and precise powers of observation and description, Flaubert's first novel, Madame Bovary (1857), is considered by many to be the finest French novel of all time. He was deeply sensitive to the human condition though often pessimistic in his tone, a realist with a romantic side. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage at age 58.