"Always try to keep a patch of sky above your life."
Some fun facts about Monsieur Proust as we continue our journey through the first volume of In Search of Lost Time.
Proust's full name was Valentin Louis Georges Eugene Marcel Proust
Proust struggled with asthma throughout his lifetime. He died from a bout of pneumonia on November 18, 1922.
In Search of Lost Time was written after a self-imposed seclusion shortly after the passing of Proust's mother. It was published posthumously. The pages total 4,600 and features more than 2,000 characters.
Proust spent his life as a closeted homosexual and it is thought that his lovers included Lucien Daudet and Reynaldo Hahn.
Proust's father was a well known pathologist and an author of many books on medicine and hygiene. His mother was an equally well-read woman, descended from a rich, Jewish family.
I am thoroughly enjoying the humor and imagery with which Marcel Proust composes his narrative. At first, I was terrified to take on all of In Search of Lost Time. Now I can't wait til we get to the episode where I get to move past Swann's Way!