Gustave Flaubert (1821–1880) was born December 12, 1821, in Rouen, France. Flaubert showed an interest in literature, particularly the work of Romantic novelists, at an early age. To satisfy his father's wishes, Flaubert went to Paris to study law in 1841. He later left to devote his life to literature. He received a large inheritance that allowed him to retire to his family's estate and write. In 1875 he lost his fortune trying to help his niece and her husband financially. Flaubert was a meticulous writer who would sometimes spend days trying to find the precise word or formulating a flawless sentence. He spent five years writing his best-known work, Madame Bovary. His other works include L'Education Sentimentale and La Tentation de St. Antoine.