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Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust's combination of solitary genius and passionate observance of social custom has made him an object of fascination to generations of readers enthralled by his great masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time. In this vivid and concise biography, Mary Ann Caws, the acclaimed author of Virginia Woolf, succinctly and vividly explores the details of Proust's life, from his daily routines to the elite social circle that captivated his youth.
Lavishly illustrated with Proust's favorite paintings, portraits of the people he was close to; sources for his fictional characterizations of Sarah Bernhardt, Emile Zola, Alfred Dreyfuss, and others; copious illustrations of the Ballets Russes Proust attended with such enthusiasm; scores of the music he loved, manuscripts, sketches, and the places dear to him and central to the great novel that was his life's work, Marcel Proust offers readers the unique opportunity to partake in the author's vision-and to see him as his contemporaries did.
112 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2003
55 people want to read
About the author
Mary Ann Caws
173 books63 followersMary Ann Caws is an American author, translator, art historian and literary critic.
She is Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Literature, English, and French at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, and on the film faculty. She is an expert on Surrealism and modern English and French literature, having written biographies of Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and Henry James. She works on the interrelations of visual art and literary texts, has written biographies of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, and edited the diaries, letters, and source material of Joseph Cornell. She has also written on André Breton, Robert Desnos, René Char, Yves Bonnefoy, Robert Motherwell, and Edmond Jabès. She served as the senior editor for the HarperCollins World Reader, and edited anthologies including Manifesto: A Century of Isms, Surrealism, and the Yale Anthology of 20th-Century French Poetry. Among others, she has translated Stéphane Mallarmé, Tristan Tzara, Pierre Reverdy, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Robert Desnos, and René Char.
Among the positions she has held are President, Association for Study of Dada and Surrealism, 1971–75 and President, Modern Language Association of America, 1983, Academy of Literary Studies, 1984–85, and the American Comparative Literature Association, 1989-91.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities.
In October 2004, she published her autobiography, To the Boathouse: a Memoir (University Alabama Press), and in November 2008, a cookbook memoir: Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France (Pegasus Books).
She was married to Peter Caws and is the mother of Hilary Caws-Elwitt and of Matthew Caws, lead singer of the band Nada Surf. She is married to Dr. Boyce Bennett; they live in New York City.
She is Distinguished Professor Emerita in Comparative Literature, English, and French at the Graduate School of the City University of New York, and on the film faculty. She is an expert on Surrealism and modern English and French literature, having written biographies of Marcel Proust, Virginia Woolf, and Henry James. She works on the interrelations of visual art and literary texts, has written biographies of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí, and edited the diaries, letters, and source material of Joseph Cornell. She has also written on André Breton, Robert Desnos, René Char, Yves Bonnefoy, Robert Motherwell, and Edmond Jabès. She served as the senior editor for the HarperCollins World Reader, and edited anthologies including Manifesto: A Century of Isms, Surrealism, and the Yale Anthology of 20th-Century French Poetry. Among others, she has translated Stéphane Mallarmé, Tristan Tzara, Pierre Reverdy, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Robert Desnos, and René Char.
Among the positions she has held are President, Association for Study of Dada and Surrealism, 1971–75 and President, Modern Language Association of America, 1983, Academy of Literary Studies, 1984–85, and the American Comparative Literature Association, 1989-91.
She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, and a Fellow of the New York Institute for the Humanities.
In October 2004, she published her autobiography, To the Boathouse: a Memoir (University Alabama Press), and in November 2008, a cookbook memoir: Provençal Cooking: Savoring the Simple Life in France (Pegasus Books).
She was married to Peter Caws and is the mother of Hilary Caws-Elwitt and of Matthew Caws, lead singer of the band Nada Surf. She is married to Dr. Boyce Bennett; they live in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 19, 2012
The problem with some illustrated books is that the text is considered by the editors to be practically 'ornamental', and nobody actually expects the reader to take the trouble of reading it. And probably the reader would do well to comply with this implied requirement, and limit himself to look at the pretty pictures, glancing sideways at the black block of text occasionally, but without actually looking at the words.
I foolishly thought this slender book could be a good way of knowing a little about Proust's life without actually going through a 800-page long tome - but what I actually found myself reading was a collection of sparse anecdotes (some about Proust, some about people he used to know, some about people he didn't even know but who were part of the atmosphere of the time). A waste of time and money - and I only spent a couple of quids on it, because it was on offer, but the retail price is £12.99!
Still, some of the pictures are good and interesting, and it is a shame that they are not supported by an adequate text.
I foolishly thought this slender book could be a good way of knowing a little about Proust's life without actually going through a 800-page long tome - but what I actually found myself reading was a collection of sparse anecdotes (some about Proust, some about people he used to know, some about people he didn't even know but who were part of the atmosphere of the time). A waste of time and money - and I only spent a couple of quids on it, because it was on offer, but the retail price is £12.99!
Still, some of the pictures are good and interesting, and it is a shame that they are not supported by an adequate text.
August 16, 2014
a nice quick read with lots of beautiful quotes and pictures, but lacking any meaningful structure that i could discern. the author speeds through proust's family life, love affairs and early influences, then spends about 15 pgs of this 100 pg book talking about Nijinsky and the Ballets Russes.
May 31, 2018
Well-categoried literary biography. For Proust aficionados, there's a surprise around every corner!
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March 26, 2010cool... a little book, with photos on nearly every page with gossipy facts about the strange life of a strange man... going out for sherbet at 4am at his favorite restaurant, where they always kept a small room for him at the 84 degrees F that he required... then to sleep, as he did everyday, from 8am to 4pm...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews