According to Marcel Proust: Selon Marcel Proust

French novelist, literary critic, and essayist Marcel Proust (1871–1922) was one of the most prominent authors of the twentieth century. This innovative edition features excerpts from In Search of Lost Time in their original French with the English translation en face.

Whereas many introductory guides to Proust’s novel attempt to follow the development of the narrative, this guide focuses on Proust’s approach to writing as an art, one that can represent the changes brought by personal experiences as well as new inventions and historical events. Daunting in volume, in its range of topics, in its many characters, In Search of Lost Time requires steadfast attention and a discerning understanding not only of time, people, and place, but also of the expressivity of literary language. This guidebook entices readers to either start or renew their interest in Proust by presenting short citations from À la recherche du temps perdu (1913–1927) gathered around ten topics: Proust’s Project; Literature and Writing; Memory and Time; Art; Love and Jealousy; Sodom and Gomorrah; High Society; Objects; The Dreyfus Affair; and World War I. By including short extracts, this edition allows readers time to focus attention on specific issues dealing with Proust’s project, allowing readers to rediscover Proust or discover Proust for the first time.

These accessible bilingual citations from À la recherche du temps perdu make an invaluable text for students of French or comparative literature, as well as translation, literature, and culture.

Patrick Bray is Professor of French Literature and Director of the Centre for French and Francophone Research at University College London, UK. He is the author of The Novel Map (2013) and The Price of Literature (2019), as well as Retours proustiens (2022).

Nelly Furman is Professor Emerita of Romance Studies at Cornell University, USA, and former Director of the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages at the Modern Language Association.