Flaubert's first novel if you count novellas, Novembre is another story on a favourite Flaubert theme - the romantic bildungsroman of a young man. Separating this story into three distinct sections, the first part of the novella in fact recapitulates a lot of what Memoires d'un fou did but with much more structure and clarity than that had, all the way up to the German romanticist inspired sequence where the young protagonist finds himself overcome by the beauty of nature and the wider world. This is rapidly followed up by the second part and its his encounter with Marie which really gives the heart to this story, tinted with a kind of tragic regret and sadness as well as some of the most beautiful writing I've read in French yet. Interesting to draw parallels with Bovary because Marie shares several quite distinctive character traits in common with Emma even if she's ultimately a much more easily sympathetic figure and a more passive victim in her suffering. The last and third part which recounts the protagonist's life from this point onward is definitely the weakest and could probably have been removed to the novella's benefit even if it allows an interesting exploration of a kind of aimless driftlessness in the romantic hero.

A massive leap upwards in quality from Memoires d'un fou which shows how far Flaubert had come in just four years - the fact that he considered this unworthy of publication goes to show just how much of a perfectionist he really was as even with its flaws it's an excellent work even if one which is still a rung below the masterworks he would accomplish later (and I feel like the more earnest and forgiving treatment of the narrator here as opposed to the quite cynical and depressive treatment Flaubert would bring to his works later makes an interesting contrast - here it feels like he still holds out at least a faint hope for romantic transcendence within the world whereas by the time of Bovary it's become a feat synonymous with death and self-abolition.)

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Noticed how much I was able to sight read during the process of going through this - really feeling confident in my reading fluency that I'm able to do this with works this old at this point. ( )

The Sufferings of Young Gustave
Review of the Estonian language translation published in paperback by Kultuurileht (2020) translated from the French language edition Gustave Flaubert, Oeuvres Completes Tome 1: Oeuvres De Jeunesse (2001) based on the first publication Oeuvres de jeunesses inédites (1910) of the previously unpublished manuscript (1842)

Novembre is a novella by Gustave Flaubert written in 1842 and completed on 25 October 1842, never published during the author's lifetime; it was later published in the collection of his Oeuvres de jeunesses inédites (Unpublished Works of Youth), published in 1910. This partly autobiographical work, in which the author exalts the pathos of a young man's emotions, similar to the The Sufferings of Young Werther by Goethe, is today considered one of his first successes of his literary youth, although Flaubert denied it during his lifetime under the pejorative qualifier of "sentimental ratatouille" (correspondence with Louise Colet). - translated from French Wikipedia https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novembre_(Flaubert)

"I love autumn, this gloomy season is made for memories." Thus begins Gustave Flaubert's first novel, "November," which he completed in the fall of 1842 at the age of 21, but which did not see the light of day until after the author's death.
In this story with autobiographical elements, the reader can experience the emotional awakening of the young protagonist, his first joys of love and the boredom that gradually takes over his world. Maturation brings an awareness of time and its temporality, but erases the hope of receiving revelation through love. The author himself has said that he put an end to his youth with this work. - translation of the Estonian language synopsis

November is a novella length early work by Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) and December 12, 2021 will be the 200th Anniversary of his birth, so it is #GustaveFlaubert200 time. I've only ever previously read Madame Bovary in pre-Goodreads days, so this recent Estonian translation was an interesting curiosity to pick up.

November is full of the angst and the eagerness for love in early life but which then sinks into despair and a detachment from the world after a first romantic fulfillment. Although that sounds like it will be full of cliches, the writing is still very absorbing and I found myself quite swept along by it. I could see where the author would disavow it later, but it certainly captures that time of hope and longing that is felt in youth.

The Estonian translation read very well and the publication came with the typical care and attention to detail of the Loomingu Raamatukogu literary series. There are footnotes to explain various people and events that are relevant and an Afterword by the translator Leena Tomasberg provides biographical information and context. It was especially interesting to learn from the Afterword about the online archive of Gustave Flaubert's correspondence & other materials at https://flaubert.univ-rouen.fr/ from which Tomasberg drew upon* for snippets of Flaubert's later opinions about November.

Trivia and Links
The Loomingu Raamatukogu (The Creation Library) is a modestly priced Estonian literary journal which initially published weekly (from 1957 to 1994) and which now publishes 40 issues a year as of 1995. It is a great source for discovery as its relatively cheap prices (currently 3 to 5€ per issue) allow for access to a multitude of international writers in Estonian translation and of shorter works by Estonian authors themselves. These include poetry, theatre, essays, short stories, novellas and novels (the lengthier works are usually parceled out over several issues).

For a complete listing of all works issued to date by Loomingu Raamatukogu see Estonian Wikipedia at: https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loomingu_Raamatukogus_ilmunud_teoste_loend_aastak%...

* Such as from https://flaubert.univ-rouen.fr/jet/public/correspondance/trans.php?corpus=corres...

Si tu as bien écouté Novembre tu as dû deviner mille choses indisables qui expliquent peut-être ce que je suis. Mais cet âge-là est passé. Cette œuvre a été la clôture de ma jeunesse. Ce qui m’en reste est une peu de chose mais tient ferme. - Flaubert à Louise Colet 2 XII 1846

If you paid careful attention to November, you must have guessed a thousand indisputable things that perhaps explain who I am. But that time is past. This work was the end of my youth. What remains of it in me is only a little bit that still holds firm. - Flaubert to Louise Colet, 2 XII 1846

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A brilliant piece of juvenalia from Flaubert. True, the philosophizing and navel-gazing seem endless and there are stretches where nothing (plot-wise, at least) happens. But Flaubert mines this cliche-ridden genre (young, sensitive artist meets hooker with heart of gold) for all it's worth. An immature work, but also a beautiful work by a young writer, taut and excessive at the same time. I'd like to see the current crop of writers try to pull something like this off at the tender age of 19. ( )

1438 November, by Gustave Flaubert translated by Frank Jellinek (read 19 Mar 1977) This was read while I was reading a biography of Flaubert, and I thought I should read some of what he wrote before I finished the biography. This book was written when Flaubert was about 20. It starts out well but then degenerates into a paean of evil. ( )

Hilarious juvenilia.