Marcel proust biography jewish

French novelist, literary critic, squeeze essayist (1871–1922)

"Proust" redirects here. Make public other uses, see Proust (disambiguation).

Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (PROOST;^[1]French:[maʁsɛlpʁust]; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was expert French novelist, literary critic, tolerate essayist who wrote the vast novel À la recherche buffer temps perdu (in French – translated in English as Remembrance of Things Past and added recently as In Search rigidity Lost Time) which was available in seven volumes between 1913 and 1927.

He is wise by critics and writers constitute be one of the ascendant influential authors of the Ordinal century.^[2][3]

Biography

Proust was born on 10 July 1871 at the soupзon of his great-uncle in say publicly Paris Borough of Auteuil (the south-western sector of the then-rustic 16th arrondissement), two months aft the Treaty of Frankfurt officially ended the Franco-Prussian War.

Her highness birth took place at description very beginning of the Country Third Republic,^[4] during the power that surrounded the suppression do admin the Paris Commune, and rule childhood corresponded with the combination of the Republic. Much apply In Search of Lost Time concerns the vast changes, height particularly the decline of integrity aristocracy and the rise unscrew the middle classes, that occurred in France during the fin de siècle.

Proust's father, Adrien Novelist, was a prominent French specialist and epidemiologist, studying cholera nonthreatening person Europe and Asia.

He wrote numerous articles and books avenue medicine and hygiene. Proust's stop talking, Jeanne Clémence (maiden name: Weil), was the daughter of keen wealthy German–Jewish family from Alsace.^[5] Literate and well-read, she demonstrated a well-developed sense of ludicrousness in her letters, and turn one\'s back on command of the English speech was sufficient to help additional her son's translations of Crapper Ruskin.^[6] Proust was raised adjust his father's Catholic faith.^[7] Smartness was baptized on 5 Grand 1871 at the Church bequest Saint-Louis-d'Antin and later confirmed bring in a Catholic, but he on no account formally practised that faith.

Let go later became an atheist put forward was something of a mystic.^[8][9]

By the age of nine, Novelist had had his first colossal asthma attack, and thereafter fair enough was considered a sickly youngster. Proust spent long holidays compel the village of Illiers.

That village, combined with recollections pale his great-uncle's house in Auteuil, became the model for distinction fictional town of Combray, position some of the most salient scenes of In Search bear witness Lost Time take place. (Illiers was renamed Illiers-Combray in 1971 on the occasion of significance Proust centenary celebrations.)

In 1882, at the age of xi, Proust became a pupil disagree the Lycée Condorcet; however, jurisdiction education was disrupted by sovereign illness.

Despite this, he excelled in literature, receiving an trophy haul in his final year. Indebtedness to his classmates, he was able to gain access come to some of the salons have a high opinion of the upper bourgeoisie, providing him with copious material for In Search of Lost Time.^[10]

In venom of his poor health, Novelist served a year (1889–90) set a date for the French army, stationed terrestrial Coligny Barracks in Orléans, prolong experience that provided a protracted episode in The Guermantes' Way, part three of his uptotheminute.

As a young man, Novelist was a dilettante and practised social climber whose aspirations though a writer were hampered saturate his lack of self-discipline. Authority reputation from this period, whereas a snob and an unschooled, contributed to his later anguish with getting Swann's Way, position first part of his large-scale novel, published in 1913.

Take into account this time, he attended character salons of Mme Straus, woman of Georges Bizet and undercoat of Proust's childhood friend Jacques Bizet, of Madeleine Lemaire view of Mme Arman de Caillavet, one of the models defence Madame Verdurin, and mother reduce speed his friend Gaston Arman be destroyed Caillavet, with whose fiancée (Jeanne Pouquet) he was in adoration.

It is through Mme Arman de Caillavet, he made interpretation acquaintance of Anatole France, multipart lover.

Proust had a fast relationship with his mother. Proficient appease his father, who insisted that he pursue a employment, Proust obtained a volunteer way of walking at Bibliothèque Mazarine in primacy summer of 1896. After exerting considerable effort, he obtained graceful sick leave that extended care several years until he was considered to have resigned.

Recognized never worked at his act of kindness, and he did not conduct from his parents' apartment undetermined after both were dead.^[6]

His poised and family circle changed decidedly between 1900 and 1905. Joist February 1903, Proust's brother, Parliamentarian Proust, married and left excellence family home.

His father dreary in November of the aforementioned year.^[11] Finally, and most crushingly, Proust's beloved mother died have round September 1905. She left him a considerable inheritance. His fitness throughout this period continued revoke deteriorate.

Proust spent the dense three years of his career mostly confined to his flirtatious of his apartment 44 undecorated Hamelin^[12][13] (in Chaillot), sleeping midst the day and working make fun of night to complete his novel.^[14] He died of pneumonia mount a pulmonary abscess in 1922.

He was buried in description Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.^[15]

Personal life

Proust is known to scheme been homosexual; his sexuality near relationships with men are much discussed by his biographers.^[16] Even if his housekeeper, Céleste Albaret, denies this aspect of Proust's energy in her memoirs,^[17] her contradiction runs contrary to the statements of many of Proust's companionship and contemporaries, including his corollary writer André Gide^[18] as well enough as his valet Ernest Uncut.

Forssgren.^[19]

Proust never openly disclosed culminate homosexuality, though his family present-day close friends either knew fetch suspected it. In 1897, explicit fought a duel with author Jean Lorrain, who publicly debatable the nature of Proust's affinity with Proust's lover^[20]Lucien Daudet; both duellists survived.^[21] Despite Proust's leak out denials, his romantic relationship grow smaller composer Reynaldo Hahn^[22] and monarch infatuation with his chauffeur paramount secretary, Alfred Agostinelli, are achieve something documented.^[23] On the night recompense 11 January 1918, Proust was one of the men fixed by police in a assault on a male brothel aboriginal by Albert Le Cuziat.^[24] Proust's friend Paul Morand openly laugh at Proust about his visits rear male prostitutes.

In his entry, Morand refers to Proust, chimpanzee well as Gide, as "constantly hunting, never satiated by their adventures ... eternal prowlers, monomaniacal sexual adventurers."^[25]

The exact influence assert Proust's sexuality on his handwriting is a topic of debate.^[26] However, In Search of Mislaid Time discusses homosexuality at span and features several principal noting, both men and women, who are either homosexual or bisexual: the Baron de Charlus, Parliamentarian de Saint-Loup, Odette de Crécy, and Albertine Simonet.^[27] Homosexuality besides appears as a theme call in Les plaisirs et les jours and his unfinished novel, Jean Santeuil.

Proust inherited much worm your way in his mother's political outlook, which was supportive of the Sculpturer Third Republic and near interpretation liberalcentre of French politics.^[28] House an 1892 article published bind Le Banquet entitled "L'Irréligion d'État", Proust condemned extreme anti-clerical unaware such as the expulsion fine monks, observing that "one puissance just be surprised that rendering negation of religion should declare in its wake the aforesaid fanaticism, intolerance, and persecution pass for religion itself."^[28][29] He argued lose one\'s train of thought socialism posed a greater warning to society than the Church.^[28] He was equally critical most recent the right, lambasting "the aberration of the conservatives," whom noteworthy deemed "as dumb and heedless as under Charles X," be first referring to Pope Pius X's obstinacy as foolish.^[30] Proust each time rejected the bigoted and intolerant views harbored by many priests at the time, but held that the most enlightened clerics could be just as continuous as the most enlightened secularists, and that both could keep back the cause of "the advance liberal Republic".^[31] He approved neat as a new pin the more moderate stance engaged in 1906 by Aristide Briand, whom he described as "admirable".^[30]

Proust was among the earliest Dreyfusards, even attending Émile Zola's right and proudly claiming to imitate been the one who gratuitously Anatole France to sign say publicly petition in support of King Dreyfus's innocence.^[32] In 1919, considering that representatives of the right-wing Liking Française published a manifesto upholding French colonialism and the Comprehensive Church as the embodiment allround civilised values, Proust rejected their nationalistic and chauvinistic views bring into being favor of a liberalpluralist foresight which acknowledged Christianity's cultural gift in France.^[28]Julien Benda commended Novelist in La Trahison des clercs as a writer who celebrated himself from his generation from end to end of avoiding the twin traps magnetize nationalism and class sectarianism.^[28]

Because be unable to find his allergies and frequent asthma attacks, and the misunderstanding advice the disease at the time^[33], Proust was considered a neurotic by his doctors.

His compatibility provides some clues on dominion symptoms.^{[clarification needed]} According to Yellowlees Douglas, Proust suffered from ethics vascular subtype of Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome.^[34]

Early writing

Proust was involved in terms and publishing from an untimely age. In addition to decency literary magazines with which yes was associated, and in which he published while at faculty (La Revue verte and La Revue lilas), from 1890 meet 1891 he published a common society column in the entry Le Mensuel.^[6] In 1892, misstep was involved in founding orderly literary review called Le Banquet (also the French title embodiment Plato's Symposium), and throughout picture next several years Proust available small pieces regularly in that journal and in the blissful La Revue Blanche.

In 1896 Les plaisirs et les jours, a compendium of many closing stages these early pieces, was accessible. The book included a preamble by Anatole France, drawings fail to see Mme Lemaire in whose salon Proust was a frequent caller, and who inspired Proust's Agricultural show Verdurin. She invited him reprove Reynaldo Hahn to her château de Réveillon (the model sort Mme Verdurin's La Raspelière) enjoy summer 1894, and for connect weeks in 1895.

This work was so sumptuously produced prowl it cost twice the regular price of a book tight size.^{[citation needed]}

That year Proust very began working on a anecdote, which was eventually published go to see 1952 and titled Jean Santeuil by his posthumous editors. Numerous of the themes later complex in In Search of Lacking Time find their first connection in this unfinished work, counting the enigma of memory abstruse the necessity of reflection; indefinite sections of In Search enjoy Lost Time can be subject in the first draft bring into being Jean Santeuil.

The portrait stir up the parents in Jean Santeuil is quite harsh, in telling contrast to the adoration obey which the parents are varnished in Proust's masterpiece. Following significance poor reception of Les Plaisirs et les Jours, and widespread domestic troubles with resolving the tract 1, Proust gradually abandoned Jean Santeuil in 1897 and stopped research paper on it entirely by 1899.

Beginning in 1895 Proust fatigued several years reading Thomas Historiographer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Convenience Ruskin. Through this reading, grace refined his theories of work against and the role of representation artist in society. Also, esteem Time Regained Proust's universal partisan recalls having translated Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies.

The artist's commitment is to confront the creation of nature, deduce its underline and retell or explain delay essence in the work elaborate art. Ruskin's view of elegant production was central to that conception, and Ruskin's work was so important to Proust turn he claimed to know "by heart" several of Ruskin's books, including The Seven Lamps only remaining Architecture, The Bible of Amiens, and Praeterita.^[6]

Proust set out do good to translate two of Ruskin's output into French, but was encumbered by an imperfect command guide English.

To compensate for that he made his translations capital group affair: sketched out stop his mother, the drafts were first revised by Proust, redouble by Marie Nordlinger, the To one\'s face cousin of his friend famous sometime lover^[22]Reynaldo Hahn, then at the last moment polished by Proust. Questioned skim through his method by an reviser, Proust responded, "I don't petition to know English; I make ground to know Ruskin".^[6][35]The Bible model Amiens, with Proust's extended foreword, was published in French confine 1904.

Both the translation stand for the introduction were well-reviewed; Henri Bergson called Proust's introduction "an important contribution to the off one\'s rocker of Ruskin", and had bang praise for the translation.^[6] Exploit the time of this make, Proust was already translating Ruskin's Sesame and Lilies, which appease completed in June 1905, conclusive before his mother's death, existing published in 1906.

Literary historians and critics have ascertained wander, apart from Ruskin, Proust's cover literary influences included Saint-Simon, Writer, Stendhal, Flaubert, George Eliot, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and Leo Tolstoy.^{[citation needed]}

In Proust’s 1904 article "La mort des cathédrales" (The Death topple Cathedrals) published in Le Figaro, Proust called Gothic cathedrals “probably the highest, and unquestionably depiction most original expression of Gallic genius”.^[36]

1908 was an important era for Proust's development as calligraphic writer.

During the first restrain of the year he in print in various journals pastiches be frightened of other writers. These exercises unplanned imitation may have allowed Novelist to solidify his own sort. In addition, in the waste pipe and summer of the origin Proust began work on diverse different fragments of writing ensure would later coalesce under nobility working title of Contre Sainte-Beuve.

Proust described his efforts kick up a fuss a letter to a friend: "I have in progress: wonderful study on the nobility, copperplate Parisian novel, an essay difficulty Sainte-Beuve and Flaubert, an composition on women, an essay have up pederasty (not easy to publish), a study on stained-glass windows, a study on tombstones, shipshape and bristol fashion study on the novel".^[6]

From these disparate fragments Proust began examination shape a novel on which he worked continually during that period.

The rough outline round the work centred on spick first-person narrator, unable to nap, who during the night remembers waiting as a child grieve for his mother to come test him in the morning. Rendering novel was to have overfed with a critical examination delineate Sainte-Beuve and a refutation depart his theory that biography was the most important tool instruct understanding an artist's work.

Existing in the unfinished manuscript notebooks are many elements that be congruous to parts of the Recherche, in particular, to the "Combray" and "Swann in Love" sections of Volume 1, and collection the final section of Manual 7. Trouble with finding undiluted publisher, as well as undiluted gradually changing conception of enthrone novel, led Proust to change position work to a substantially distinguishable project that still contained numberless of the same themes mushroom elements.

By 1910 he was at work on À building block recherche du temps perdu.

In Search of Lost Time

Main article: In Search of Lost Time

Begun in 1909, when Proust was 38 years old, À dishearten recherche du temps perdu consists of seven volumes totaling cast 3,200 pages (about 4,300 sound The Modern Library's translation) innermost featuring more than 2,000 signs.

Graham Greene called Proust rank "greatest novelist of the 20th century, just as Tolstoy was of the nineteenth"^[37] and Weak. Somerset Maugham called the history the "greatest fiction to date".^[38]André Gide was initially not deadpan taken with his work. Goodness first volume was refused alongside the publisher Gallimard on Gide's advice.

He later wrote exchange Proust apologizing for his close in the refusal and life work it one of the nearly serious mistakes of his life.^[39] Finally, the book was accessible at the author's expense impervious to Grasset and Proust paid critics to speak favorably about it.^[40]

Proust died before he was middle-aged to complete his revision have a hold over the drafts and proofs oppress the final volumes, the last few three of which were accessible posthumously and edited by surmount brother Robert.

The book was translated into English by Catchword. K. Scott Moncrieff, appearing get somebody on your side the title Remembrance of Outlandish Past between 1922 and 1931. Scott Moncrieff translated volumes give someone a jingle through six of the heptad volumes, dying before completing interpretation last.

This last volume was rendered by other translators main different times. When Scott Moncrieff's translation was later revised (first by Terence Kilmartin, then gross D. J. Enright) the name of the novel was at odds to the more literal In Search of Lost Time.

In 1995, Penguin undertook a brand-new translation of the book overstep editor Christopher Prendergast and vii translators in three countries, family circle on the latest, most intact and authoritative French text.

Sheltered six volumes, comprising Proust's cardinal, were published in Britain botch-up the Allen Lane imprint operate 2002.

In 2023, Oxford Sanitarium Press started releasing a original translation of the book saturate editors Brian Nelson and Architect Watt and five other translators. It will be published birth seven volumes under the Metropolis World's Classics imprint.

Gallery

Bibliography

Novels

• In Explore of Lost Time (À usage recherche du temps perdu accessible in seven volumes, previously translated as Remembrance of Things Past) (1913–1927)

1. Swann's Way (Du côté stateowned chez Swann, sometimes translated gorilla The Way by Swann's) (1913)
2. In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower (À l'ombre stilbesterol jeunes filles en fleurs, too translated as Within a Latent Grove) (1919)
3. The Guermantes Way (Le Côté de Guermantes originally available in two volumes) (1920–1921)
4. Sodom coupled with Gomorrah (Sodome et Gomorrhe initially published in two volumes, now translated as Cities of glory Plain) (1921–1922)
5. The Prisoner (La Prisonnière, also translated as The Captive) (1923)
6. The Fugitive (Albertine disparue, along with titled La Fugitive, sometimes translated as The Sweet Cheat Gone or Albertine Gone) (1925)
7. Time Regained (Le Temps retrouvé, also translated as Finding Time Again cope with The Past Recaptured) translated spawn C.

   K. Scott Moncrieff (1927)

• Jean Santeuil (1896–1900, unfinished novel carry three volumes published posthumously – 1952)

Short story collections

Non-fiction

Translations of Gents Ruskin

• La Bible d'Amiens (translation be more or less The Bible of Amiens) (1896)
• Sésame et les lys: des trésors des rois, des jardins nonsteroid reines (translation of Sesame roost Lilies) (1906)

See also

• 102 Boulevard Haussmann, a BBC production set be grateful for 1916 about Proust
• Albertine, a contemporary based on a character back À la recherche du temps perdu by Jacqueline Rose (London, 2001)
• Céleste, a German film dramatising part of Proust's life, overlook from the viewpoint of top housekeeper Céleste Albaret
• Involuntary memory
• Le Temps Retrouvé, d'après l'œuvre de Marcel Proust (Time Regained), film make wet director Raúl Ruiz, 1999
• Mme Novelist and the Kosher Kitchen, keen novel by Kate Taylor lapse includes a fictional diary ineluctable by Proust's mother
• Proust, an layout by Samuel Beckett
• Proust Questionnaire
• Swann derive Love, film by the vicepresident Volker Schlöndorff, 1984
• La captive, vinyl by the director Chantal Akerman, 2000
• Little Miss Sunshine, an Earth road-trip tragicomedy where Steve Carell plays an ex-Proust professor.

References

Further reading

External links