Swann's Way

Begun in 1909, finished just before Proust's death in 1922, many of the novel's ideas, motifs, and scenes appear in adumbrated form in Proust's unfinished novel, Jean Santeuil, and in his unfinished hybrid of philosophical essay and story, Contre Sainte-Beuve. His novel has had a pervasive influence on twentieth-century literature.

Marcel Proust, born on July 10, 1871, in Paris, was a French novelist best known for his seven-volume masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time. Raised in an affluent family, he struggled with severe asthma, which shaped his introspective nature and literary ambitions. His delicate health kept him close to home, fostering the reflective depth seen in his work.Proust attended the Lycée Condorcet, where he excelled in literature despite frequent illness. He was introduced to Parisian salons, which inspired his detailed depictions of high society. Though he briefly studied law, his passion for writing and the arts guided his career.Proust's magnum opus, published between 1913 and 1927, explores themes of memory, time, and societal transformation. His innovative narrative style, especially his use of "involuntary memory," revolutionized modern literature. Proust worked on his masterpiece until his death on November 18, 1922, leaving an enduring literary legacy.