Karl Marx · Gustave Flaubert Were Karl Marx and Gustave Flaubert alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Gustave Flaubert were alive at the same time for 58 years, from 1821 to 1880. Karl Marx was 3 when Gustave Flaubert was born.Karl Marx was 62 when Gustave Flaubert died, aged 58. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Gustave FlaubertFrench novelistBorn 12 December 1821 · died 8 May 1880, aged 58 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxGustave FlaubertMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert Einstein Karl Marx and Gustave Flaubert in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.