If you only ever read one letter writer, make it Flaubert. But along with the art-theory torrent, be prepared for lush obscenity. I'd always bought into the myt

If you only ever read one letter writer, make it Flaubert. But along with the art-theory torrent, be prepared for lush obscenity. I'd always bought into the myth of Flaubert as shutaway, but he was just as much a man of the world. There's a superb collection of his letters here: https://flaubert.univ-rouen.fr/correspondance/correspondance/ https://flaubert.univ-rouen.fr/correspondance/correspondance... As for translations, I found Geoffrey Wall's more even and nearer Flaubert's style than Steegmuller's.