Valentin Louis Georges Eugene Marcel Proust (1871-1922) - French writer, poet, novelist, representative of modernism in literature. He gained worldwide fame thanks to the 7-volume epic "In Search of Lost Time" - one of the most significant works of world literature of the 20th century.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Marcel Proust, which we will talk about in this article.
So, here is a short biography of Proust.
Biography of Marcel Proust
Marcel Proust was born on July 10, 1871 in Paris. His mother, Jeanne Weil, was the daughter of a Jewish broker. His father, Adrian Proust, was a famous epidemiologist who was looking for means to prevent cholera. He wrote many treatises and books on medicine and hygiene.
When Marcel was about 9 years old, he had the first asthma attack, which tormented him until the end of his days. In 1882, the parents sent their son to study at the elite Lyceum Condorcet. During this period of his biography, he was especially fond of philosophy and literature, in connection with which he spent a lot of time reading books.
At the Lyceum, Proust made many friends, including the artist Morse Denis and the poet Fernand Greg. Later, the young man studied at the legal department of the Sorbonne, but he could not complete the course. He visited various Parisian salons, where all the capital's elite gathered.
At the age of 18, Marcel Proust entered military service in Orleans. Returning home, he continued to be interested in literature and attend recitals. At one of them, he met the writer Anatole France, who predicted a great future for him.
Literature
In 1892, Proust, together with like-minded people, founded the Pir magazine. A couple of years later, a collection of poetry came out from under his pen, which was coolly received by critics.
In 1896 Marseille published a collection of short stories Joy and Days. This work was heavily criticized by the writer Jean Lorrain. As a result, Proust was so angry that he challenged Lorrain to a duel in early 1897.
Marcel was an Anglophile, which is reflected in his work. By the way, Anglophiles are people who have a huge passion for everything English (art, culture, literature, etc.), which manifests itself in the desire to imitate the life and mentality of the British in every possible way.
In the early 20th century, Proust was actively involved in translating English works into French. During the biography of 1904-1906. he published translations of books by the English writer and poet John Ruskin - The Bible of Amiens and Sesame and Lilies.
Biographers of Marcel believe that the formation of his personality was influenced by the work of such writers as Montaigne, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Stendhal, Flaubert and others. In 1908, parodies of a number of writers, authored by Proust, appeared in various publishing houses. Some experts believe that this helped him hone his distinctive style.
Later, the prose writer became interested in writing essays that dealt with various topics, including homosexuality. And yet the most important work of Proust is the 7-volume epic "In Search of Lost Time", which brought him worldwide popularity.
An interesting fact is that in this book, the author involved about 2500 heroes. In the full Russian-language version, "Search" contains almost 3500 pages! After its publication, some began to call Marcel the best novelist of the 20th century. This epic consisted of the following 7 novels:
- "Towards Svan";
- "Under the canopy of girls in bloom";
- "At the Germans";
- Sodom and Gomorrah;
- "The Captive";
- "Runaway";
- Time Found.
It is worth noting that real recognition came to Proust after his death, as is often the case with geniuses. It is curious that in 1999 a sociological survey was conducted in France among bookstore buyers.
The organizers aimed to identify the 50 best works of the 20th century. As a result, Proust's epic "In Search of Lost Time" took 2nd place in this list.
Today the so-called "Marcel Proust questionnaire" is widely known. In the second half of the last century, in many countries, TV presenters asked celebrities questions from a similar questionnaire. Now the famous journalist and TV presenter Vladimir Pozner continues this tradition in the Pozner program.
Personal life
Many are not familiar with the fact that Marcel Proust was a homosexual. For some time he even owned a brothel, where he loved to spend his leisure time in the "men's team".
The manager of this institution was Albert le Cousier, with whom Proust allegedly had an affair. In addition, the writer is credited with having a love relationship with the composer Reinaldo An. The theme of same-sex love can be seen in some works of the classics.
Marcel Proust was perhaps the first writer of that era who dared to describe the juicy relationship between men. He seriously analyzed the problem of homosexuality, submitting to the reader the undisguised truth of such connections.
Death
In the fall of 1922, the prose writer caught a cold and fell ill with bronchitis. Soon, bronchitis led to pneumonia. Marcel Proust died on November 18, 1922 at the age of 51. He was buried in the famous Parisian cemetery Pere Lachaise.
Proust Photos
