In Search of Lost Time, Volume 1 of 7 - Swann's Way by Marcel Proust (1913) in the Yale Edition edited and annotated by William C. Carter

I last read Marcel Proust's ( 1871 to 1922, France) massive seven part novel Remembrance of Things Past about forty years ago.  In honor of the centenary of the 1913 publication of Swann's Way, Vol. 1 of seven, William C. Carter, widely considered the world's greatest authority on Proust, and Yale University Press have begun what will be a seven year project in which Carter will annotate and where he deems it essential update the translation of Charles Kenneth Scott Moncrieff.  In his very illuminating introduction, Carter says Moncrieff's translation is considered among the best of all translations of a literary master work.  It is the translation that almost all in the English language literary community have read and loved.  Moncrieff (1889 to 1930, Scotland) was an exquisite stylist.  Proust greatly admired his work but was not sure it should have been called Remembrance of Things Past but preferred, as does Carter, In Search of Lost Time.

I was very kindly sent a free advance publication copy of this wonderful book by Yale University Press for which I am very grateful.  I will just talk a bit about the annotations and introduction by Carter and explain as best I can why I loved this book, which is at the pinnacle of high literary art.

Carter begins by talking about the differences between the prose style of Proust and Moncrieff.  Carter says the English style of the translation is written in more "old fashioned" prose than Proust's French.  Where ever, Carter changes the translation, he explains his reasons.  He has the utmost veneration for the incredible work of Moncrieff.  The annotations are very illuminating and edifying. It as if you were in attendance at a post doctoral seminar in French culture.  Carter is particularly detailed in his annotations to the many references to paintings found in Swann's Way.  Carter also provides great insight into the culture of very affluent French Jews and aristocracy.  There is a huge cast of characters and Carter helps us keep track of them and their relationships.  ( I have found in large novels with lots of characters that if one reads on all will fall in place for you.)  The main personages in Swann's Way are the narrator, from a very affluent family, his parents and their friend Swann and a woman, from the demimonde world, Odessa with whom he is obsessed.  Part of the intricate charm of this work is constructing what really happens from the words of the narrator.  I found the relationship between Swann and Odessa totally fascinating as we slowly try to understand it.  I think I liked best the acute observational powers of Proust, his acute psychology, his artistic sophistication and his creation of a world.  

Charles Moncrieff 

I am so glad I experienced this book in Carter's great edition.  

There is an excellent article by Carter on translating Proust, from The Public Domain Review, which you can read here

http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/11/13/lost-in-translation-proust-and-scott-moncrieff/

Words and Peace hosts a weekly meme in which you can include a link to any France related books or topics you posted on in the week. It is an excellent source of reading ideas, I have been following it for a long time.

I will be reading the complete novel straight through and then will reread it, hopefully volume two of Carter's work will be out in early 2014.

http://wordsandpeace.com/