Proust: The Search

by Benjamin Taylor

Taylor's endeavor is not to explain the life by the novel or the novel by the life but to show how different events, different emotional upheavals, fired Proust's imagination and, albeit sometimes completely transformed, appeared in his work. The result is a very subtle, thought-provoking book."-Anka Muhlstein, author of "Balzac's Omelette" and "Monsieur Proust's Library"
Marcel Proust came into his own as a novelist comparatively late in life, yet only Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky were his equals when it came to creating characters as memorably human. As biographer Benjamin Taylor suggests, Proust was a literary lightweight before writing his multivolume masterwork "In Search of Lost Time," but following a series of momentous historical and personal events, he became-against all expectations-one of the greatest writers of his, and indeed any, era.
This insightful, beautifully written biography examines Proust's artistic struggles-the "search" of the subtitle-and stunning metamorphosis in the context of his times. Taylor provides an in-depth study of the author's life while exploring how Proust's personal correspondence and published works were greatly informed by his mother's Judaism, his homosexuality, and such dramatic events as the Dreyfus Affair and, above all, World War I. As Taylor writes in his prologue, "Proust's "Search" is the most encyclopedic of novels, encompassing the essentials of human nature. . . . His account, running from the early years of the Third Republic to the aftermath of World War I, becomes the inclusive story of all lives, a colossal mimesis. To read the entire "Search" is to find oneself transfigured and victorious at journey's end, at home in time and in eternity too."

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Jewish, Literary Criticism, Judaism, Literature

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2015

About the author

Benjamin Taylor is the author of a book of essays, Into the Open, and two novels, Tales Out of School, winner of the Harold Ribalow Prize, and The Book of Getting Even, a 2009 Barnes & Noble Discover Award Finalist, a 2008 Los Angeles Times Favorite Book of the Year, and a Ferro-Grumley Prize Finalist. In October 2009, The Book of Getting Even appeared as El Libro de la Venganza in Spain, where it was named a best book of the year by El Pais. In November 2010, Viking Press released Saul Bellow: Letters, edited by Taylor. Naples Declared: A Walk Around the Bay, a travel memoir from Marian Wood Books, is scheduled for 2012. Taylor is a graduate of Haverford College and Columbia University where he earned the doctorate in English and comparative literature. He has contributed to magazines including Bookforum, BOMB, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, The New Leader, The Georgia Review, Raritan, and others. A longtime member of the Graduate Writing Program faculty at The New School, he has also taught at Washington University in St. Louis, the Poetry Center of the 92nd Street Y, Bennington College and the Graduate Writing Division of the School of the Arts at Columbia.

Reviews

[Lee Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short bio focused on Proust's transition from social-climbing gadabout dilettante to the next Stendhal thanks to the conception, execution, and reception of In Search of Lost Time, his "telescope fixed upon time." The prose is dignified, flowing, accessible, not quite aping Proust but in a similar direction, with a similar spirit. It's also not at all fawning or overcelebratory or sensationalist -- a few times it calls out Marcel for being foolish to suggest that he'd pay for printings of his books, for example, and there's a bit about Marcel's penchant for autoerotic manual manipulation while two starved caged rats are released to eviscerate one another. The author gapes aghast along with the reader. A percentage of the text is dedicated to inversion, mostly in terms of source material for his great inverts, but most of it focuses on the budding and flowering of The Search, for example Marcel's pivotal translations of John Ruskin (downloaded the complete Ruskin ebook for $2 as a result):

"Art divinizes, according to Ruskin, according to Proust. Of course the great difference between them was, as Tadie says, that the 'Bible lay at the heart of Ruskin's aesthetics; it was his religious fervor that had guided his religious feelings; Proust would retain the divine without the religion.' Judaism and Christianity, the enemy creeds of Marcel's maternal and paternal ancestors, had beautifully canceled out in him. He was what he would remain: a congregation of one."

Of course it's also compelling to learn about the provenance of the little phrase in the sonata, or that the source model for Albertine was actually an Alfred, or that the primary model for Charlus is the same as Des Esseintes in Huysman's Against Nature (Au Rebours).

Also confirms that Swann's Way and Time Regained were composed simultaneously -- one day I intend to read The Search backwards, or at least start with TR and then SW before reading the others. Will most likely read the Tadie bio at one point but not right away. For now, this more than sufficed as an introduction to Proust's life. Also worth it for descriptions of his late-life appearance as a sort of Jewish Howard Hughes, emaciated, his paper-thin skin blue, his eyes in profile almost Asian, and the bit about his bathetic late-life encounter with James Joyce, not to mention elucidation of the social repercussions/semi-hysterical antisemitism of the Dreyfus Affair.

A beautiful hardback that's aptly weightier than it should be in a book so slight, with deckled edges, and a sweet Philip Roth blurb on the back.

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written overview that offers insight and anecdotes. Who is this book for, another reader wonders? For me it was like a family get together, or a meeting of old friends — sure you've heard all their stories before, but some you may have forgotten or never heard told quite the same way.

Benjamin Taylor has a way of offering polished sentences that delighted this reader and made the meeting of dear old friends very satisfying. Why don't we do this again? Soon? Yes, let’s.

[Jim Coughenour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benjamin Taylor's abbreviated biography is not the place to begin with Proust – there are massive biographies by George Painter (a sentimental favorite) and Jean-Yves Tadié, as well as Edmund White's handsome abridged version.* Taylor's book belongs more in the good company of slim volumes like Proust in Love or Monsieur Proust's Library, a view into one aspect of Proust's life and work: the mysterious inner alchemy that turned a lazy fop into the author of the greatest novel of the 20th century.

Taylor doesn't provide any dramatic revelations. What he offers is a series of polished reflections on the transition that will engage anyone who's worked their way through the volumes of In Search of Lost Time. I could have forgiven his omission of one of the more distasteful aspects of Proust's private eroticism, but appreciated his light touch.

On the subject of Proust's erotic tastes Tadié writes: "He required increasingly complicated scenarios: voyeurism and masturbation had always been at the wretched core of this. Proust possessed nothing and no one despite his attempts at relationships; the power he tried to exercise over people was of a moral kind, which explains the cross-examinations, the solemn pacts, the inevitability that to be loved by him was to stand trial. He never succeeded in these relationships except with his mother, and with Céleste Albaret. We should console ourselves with the thought that no historian has ever classified writers according to their sexual achievements."** All just and accurate and beyond anything said by earlier Proustians – though what is so wretched about voyeurism and masturbation I do not see.

Indeed - such are the besetting sins of any writer, more or less. The astonishing thing is that Proust's books seem to know everything about love, jealousy and the permutations of desire.

___________
* For those looking for instant insight into Proust, I highly recommend The Proust Project with lightning essays by André Aciman, Lydia Davis, Richard Howard, Susan Minot, Colm Tóibín, Edmund White et al.

** I'm guessing Tadié has never heard of Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love which proves that being smart (or getting laid) isn't everything.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great bio, but not quite a "Jewish life"

I realize, given Disraeli numbers in this series, there's room for ambiguity; unlike Benjamin D., M. Proust was born to not only a Mother of the Tribe, but that Mme. Weil never renounced ancestral ties. Benjamin T., who treats, as expected, L'affaire Dreyfus, passes a devastating judgement on Marcel.

Proust's "telling phrase that perhaps summed up his feelings about the maternal heritage, that he was 'not free to have the ideas I might otherwise have on the subject.' This choice of words, so tense with ambivalence, is Marcel’s deepest avowal about the Jews: He was not at liberty to dislike them."

But that's about it. Marcel's First Communion may have been his last, his mother was required by his father--one presumes as a nod to formalities imposed by the groom's own paterfamilias--to raise any children as Catholic, and the matter of maternal identification itself may have been largely moot, as his aunt converted and brought his cousins into the embrace of Holy Mother Church, not long after.

As for the scope of Taylor's study otherwise, you'll peek into the erotic fantasy enacted with procured lads and, uh, rats. Unfortunately this episode may remain the most vivid from my reading of overall a valuable examination of how life gets transmuted to art, rather than transmitted as if a roman ã clef. And to his credit, his biographer demonstrates smoothly (or with a bit of hesitation), how the sexual drive compelling Proust energizes his oeuvre, in channelling investigation of the sordid alongside the elevated, true to his determination to honestly present the overcoming of inhibitors in his own career.

Still, even allowing for the disciplined approach Taylor takes, and probable paucity of reliable primary source material about another delicate, and potentially blackballing matter--Jewishness--which in Proust's personal maturation might have been sidelined for complicated reasons, necessary caution, and social advancement, the comparatively light touch exerted on this subject in a "Jewish Lives" entry left me let down, despite the consistent craft of the elegant volume. For often, generalists within introductions to Proust--which may in passing cover his Jewish concerns among a plethora--nod to the put-down of cancer-ridden Charles Swann, insulted by the ducal pair of Guermantes, with no less scrutiny, pointing out his precarious position. In Taylor, this predicament doesn't get sufficient space.

So I anticipated a deeper close reading of this portentous scene in Taylor's presentation. I understand he's offering us not literary criticism, but biographical insight. Yet, for a pivotal moment in the grand saga, which undeniably, if typically subtle in its dramatization, reveals the persistent anti-Semitic and prejudicial turn of many in France (plus ça change...), this episode deserved heightened analysis...

[Gerald Weaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

One wishes this slender volume were seven times longer than it is. Each page contains several gems, insights, revelations and joyous connections that delight every reader, even it one has not read Marcel Proust’s great masterwork. Benjamin Taylor makes a point of saying that one cannot draw conclusions about those volumes from the study of their author’s life, nor can those life experiences explain the elements of The Search for Lost Time. But Taylor shows that what lies in those connections and comparisons is poetry, not unlike the kind Proust has given us.

Taylor says we permit Proust almost anything, but question the rats. I am fine with the rats, and all of Proust that is revealed in this book and in the work itself, and largely because of what this biography reveals about the humane and eccentric genius in the cork-lined room.

It is a book that has to be read. It will drive the reader to go forth again into the Proust masterpiece, and then go back and read this biography.

[Richard Epstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, but like many such studies, it raises the question, Who is it for? If you didn't already know Proust well enough not to need it, you be unlikely to read it. (It's not A Reader's First Proust or A Reader's Guide to In Search of Lost Time, Let Alone Remembrances of Things Past.) But it is well told and full of details and provocative of wonder -- How could that guy have written one of the great novels? (Answer came there none.)

[Alicea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deanna Tiao from Yale University Press reached out to me for a review of the following book.

Benjamin Taylor's Proust: The Search is a part of the Jewish Lives series from Yale University Press. This biographical account details Proust's journey as a writer and his penultimate work In Search of Lost Time. I have to admit that until I read this book the only thing I knew about Proust was that he was a wordy writer and Steve Carell's character from Little Miss Sunshine was obsessed with him. He was most certainly a flawed man who had to contend with poor health, prejudices against his sexuality, and preoccupation with his chosen craft. The majority of his time was either spent wooing young men or feverishly writing. It seems he was quite feverish in his wooing as well although all of his romances were of short duration. He was passionate, intelligent, and ambitious. While this book is a part of the Jewish Lives series, Proust was not in fact religious. His mother was Jewish and because of that he would often speak up for the Jewish people but as often as not he would stay mute when others would decry the faith...except in reference to Alfred Dreyfus. During the course of the Dreyfus Affair, as it later came to be called, Proust was very interested in the proceedings and outspoken in his beliefs that a miscarriage of justice had occurred. Up until this point, he had been mainly concerned with other writer's and their works but after this he began to reflect on human nature and the changes that occur over time. I've decided to give In Search of Lost Time a shot and I've added it to my TRL. Taylor has certainly hyped it up and only time will tell if it lives up to it. (haha joke about time haha) Fans of biographies will most certainly enjoy this and if you've never really given Proust much thought then a read of this book might just change your mind. 8/10

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb little biography. Excellent at tracing the events of Proust's life which help shape his magnum opus.

The best that I can say about this book is that it convinced me that I must re-read all seven volumes again, and soon!

[The Jewish Book Council]

Review by Maron L. Waxman for the Jewish Book Council.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful, erudite book. So many interesting, gossipy details about Proust and his circle that it was almost a guilty pleasure.

[Gerald Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Proust: The Search" by Benjamin Taylor is an excellent Proust companion - even if somewhat (well... a lot!) shorter than other Proust biographies. Indeed, because he refers to and discusses many characters and passages from In Search of Lost Time, I wouild receomment it to readers who have read all or most of Proust's great work. In my case, I have read all but the final volume but learned several details that could be considered significant "spoilers." (But can spoiling be a "thing" with regards to Proust?)

Taylor writes well, and he has put in considerable research as well as thought into this book. It cleared more than a few misconceptions I'd had about M. Marcel. For example, I'd believed he took to his bed and lived essentially as a recluse for most of his final years, but Taylor shows he maintained many of his friendships, took up new ones, and, if feeling okay wouldn't hesitate to go to the Ritz for Champagne and a meal (or to charm new, young waiters). I also learned that Proust had confidence that he'd written one of the great works of world literature -- and he appreciated discussing the work with like-minded admirers. Most importantly, Taylor makes clear that The Search is NOT merely a thinly-disguised memoir or even an autobiographical novel. Proust mined his life - experiences, loves, obsessions, parents, travels, and people he knew - but used all of this to create a new story -- and a new literary art form.

After reading this charming book, I am convinced more than ever that I will continue reading and re-reading In Search of Lost Time throughout the years I have left.

[Morgan Miller-Portales · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Proust: The Search’ by American author Benjamin Taylor, is a brief yet evocative biography of one of literature’s most polarising neurasthenics. Though this was never intended to become a definitive account of the French novelist of ‘A la recherche du temps perdu’, the author has managed to trace the intricacies of Proust’s personality and arduous artistic development over the years from its inception to his subsequent recognition of genius, by focussing solely on key events of his life. In shimmery prose, and aided with Scott Moncrieff’s English translation of the 1920s, this slim but sophisticated book is both a delightful introduction and a welcome addition to Proust studies.

[Hugh Coverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a remarkably brief biography Benjamin Taylor presents the life of Marcel Proust and his creation of one the greatest books of the 20th century, In Search of Lost Time. Taylor presents Proust in the context of his times that stretches from the beginnings of the Third Republic, through the Dreyfus Affair, and on to the First World War and its aftermath. One learns of Proust's emergence as a talented writer as a critic before becoming a renowned writer of an exhaustive series of books that explores how involuntary memory interrupts and shapes one's life.

[Chloe Noland · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great little book about Proust, providing a broad, contextual picture of what was going on in France during his life (i.e., WWI). I picked it up hoping to get juiced about reading all of ISOLT before I die, which I still want to do, but I got a bit lagged down by the political/economic detail, and wanted to know more about Proust as a person. I really enjoyed this as an introduction, but will probably keep looking for more in-depth Proust bios.

[Ann Otto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read many books on Proust, I found this one which focuses on his writing years brought back memories of characters and situations in his masterwork, In Search of Lost Time. However, the author gives too much space to Proust's sexual life. It obviously played a large role in his psyche, but continual mention diverts from the story.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you looking for a brief, informative and very readable biography of Marcel Proust? If so, this is the one for you. In these well-written 168 pages you will probably find all the casual reader wants to know about this great French novelist. And now excuse me while I go and line my bedroom with cork. From Amazon:“Taylor’s endeavor is not to explain the life by the novel or the novel by the life but to show how different events, different emotional upheavals, fired Proust’s imagination and, albeit sometimes completely transformed, appeared in his work. The result is a very subtle, thought-provoking book.”—Anka Muhlstein, author of Balzac’s Omelette and Monsieur Proust’s Library

Marcel Proust came into his own as a novelist comparatively late in life, yet only Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky were his equals when it came to creating characters as memorably human. As biographer Benjamin Taylor suggests, Proust was a literary lightweight before writing his multivolume masterwork In Search of Lost Time, but following a series of momentous historical and personal events, he became—against all expectations—one of the greatest writers of his, and indeed any, era.

This insightful, beautifully written biography examines Proust’s artistic struggles—the “search” of the subtitle—and stunning metamorphosis in the context of his times. Taylor provides an in-depth study of the author’s life while exploring how Proust’s personal correspondence and published works were greatly informed by his mother’s Judaism, his homosexuality, and such dramatic events as the Dreyfus Affair and, above all, World War I. As Taylor writes in his prologue, “Proust’s Search is the most encyclopedic of novels, encompassing the essentials of human nature. . . . His account, running from the early years of the Third Republic to the aftermath of World War I, becomes the inclusive story of all lives, a colossal mimesis. To read the entire Search is to find oneself transfigured and victorious at journey’s end, at home in time and in eternity too.”

[Ingrid Wassenaar · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was excellent about this biography of Proust is that Taylor actually brought the reality of the First World War into an account of Proust, which I have not seen done, or done so well, before.

I think there is scope for a whole book here -- Proust and the Great War. For Anglophone readers of Proust, it is difficult to grasp that the war meant something different to the Parisians, who lived with the threat of occupation, and with aerial bombardment that we tend to associate with WW2.

Although Proust conceived the whole of 'A la recherche' BEFORE the war started, he introduced vast new sections into the existing architecture DURING the war, when no publication was possible, which in fact reorder that architecture, giving the book a completely new 'via negativa', and making the eventual redemption through writing, literature and art so much more substantial.

Living through and with the war, and the experience of loss it involved for Proust – and everyone he knew, was responsible for making Proust a modern, not a late nineteenth-century, author.

Here's a paradox – he's a first-person writer chastened into third-personhood by a historical event that engulfed everyone.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating short biography that I felt gave a wonderful insight into Proust's art and background. Quite remarkable to realise there are still so many of his letters hidden from insight. I don't know whether it is relevant that this is a "jewish life" although certainly the Dreyfuss case figured significantly in Proust's life and anti-semitism was rife. At times, the omniscient views of the author intrude, commenting on what it is like to be swept up in the course of young love, but on the whole this was a throughly enjoyable and interesting book.

[kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whole world of French authors, musicians - the salons of the early 20th century of Paris - of whom I am not familiar. It was a good source for that point of view. It also serves an a basic introduction to Proust and his work In Search of Lost Time that I will be glad to have read.

[Elka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for those unfamiliar with Proust or his circle, but worth the read.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I now know that Proust got off watching starving rats fight to the death. There's that.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review, published in H-France Review Vol. 17 (July 2017), No. 98: https://h-france.net/h-france-review-...

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting approach on Proust. But the French quotes are so full of errors, it is a real shame!!