Proustian Recommendations

There are many books, essays, websites, etc, devoted to Proust. There are biographies and criticism and even comic books. Here are some that I like (and one that I don't), but I am not a great one for searching out the criticism, so there is doubtless much more than this out there, which you can seek to your heart's content! If you find something you really like, let us know - I just offer these as possible places to start.

For those of you who want a guide to the characters in Proust: Who's Who in Proust, Patrick Alexander (Xlibris Corporation, 2007) Description from Amazon:

"Who's Who In Proust describes 51 of the major characters who appear in the novel 'In Search of Lost Time' by Marcel Proust. The book also includes a brief biography of Proust and additional background material on the Dreyfus Affair and the Belle Epoch. This slim guide is the perfect companion for new readers and dedicated Proustians alike."

A favorite Proust website: tempsperdu.com. There are many "I'm reading Proust" websites, and most of them are a waste of time. This is a website by a dedicated Proustian, it's well worth a browse.

Favorite books of Proust criticism:

Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life: Not a Novel ( Pantheon, 1997) I recommended this earlier - it is a disarmingly "little" book, but has a lot of insight into Proust's work, it's a great thing to read before embarking on the novel.

Malcolm Bowie, Proust Among the Stars (Columbia U. Press, 1998) This is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read on any subject. Bowie, who died several years ago in his fifties, a tragedy, has an incredible sense of Proust and is able to articulate the most complex ideas in the most simple and communicative and elegant prose, this book is one of my favorites.

Michael Murphy, Proust and America (Liverpool U. Press, 2007) Intriguing and utterly fresh insights into Proust's modernity and thus his connection to America, or the idea of America. An engaging new look at Proust's novel and a great antidote to the popular but false notion that he is a writer of nostalgia, that his work somehow stands for a return to the past.

Roger Shattuck, Proust's Way, a Field Guide to "In Search of Lost Time" (Norton, 2000) A very worthwhile overview of Proust, his work, and his place in literary history.

Edmund Wilson, essay: A Short View of Proust, published in The New Republic in 1928. Written just as Proust's novel was being translated, this essay is astonishingly forward thinking in its assessment of Proust and the importance of his work. It is one thing to find current critics who understand his genius and his significance, but for Wilson to have called it so clearly at the time it was first being read is truly amazing. Click here to read it online.

A book I DO NOT recommend: Phyllis Rose, The Year of Reading Proust. Spend your time reading Proust instead!