The Temptation of St. Anthony
The Temptation of St. Anthony is Gustave Flaubert's dramatic prose poem, first published by Charpentier in Paris in 1874. Written as a play, it follows one night of visions and temptations besetting the hermit Anthony in the Egyptian desert, a subject Flaubert reworked for decades.
- Editions tracked
- 1
- First published
- Charpentier et Cie, Paris, 1874
Which edition do you have?
Editions
- H. S. Nichols1895 Hardback I own The Temptation of Saint Antony, H. S. Nichols 1895 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
Adaptations
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony musical
Setting and characters
- Characters
- Anthony the Great
- Genre
- prose poetry
In print
- Editions recorded
- 86 on Open Library, 35 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 16 languages
- Free to read
- Project Gutenberg (out of copyright in the US)
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
More by Gustave Flaubert
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How to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
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For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
How many editions of The Temptation of St. Anthony are there?
We track 1 edition of The Temptation of St. Anthony. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has The Temptation of St. Anthony been adapted?
Yes, including The Temptation of Saint Anthony (musical), according to Wikidata.
When was The Temptation of St. Anthony first published?
The Temptation of St. Anthony by Gustave Flaubert was first published in 1874.
Can I read The Temptation of St. Anthony for free?
Yes: the text is out of copyright in the United States and free to read on Project Gutenberg. Collectors still pay for the first edition, which is the physical object, not the words.
Where these facts come from
- The Temptation of Saint Anthony (novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- La Tentation de Saint Antoine, Librairie Camille Sourget (camillesourget.com)
- The temptation of Saint Antony (London: H. S. Nichols, 1895), Internet Archive (archive.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.