Gustave Flaubert is responsible for Guy de Mausappant's first few steps
into the world of literature. We know from their correspondence that the
disciple obeyed, without hesitation, all that his teacher directed.
Subsequently, it would be Mausappant who would go on to write some of
the most lucid texts that exist. Ideas, quotes, and judgments are
included in this book, with anecdotes and memories dispersed throughout.
These essays are among the first accounts of the significance and
novelty of Flaubert's method and design behind his novel. It is possible
that Flaubert ate, drank, and smoked like most men, probably even more
than most men. However, there were certain things he did completely on
his own terms, as this book shows.