Novelist · 1871 – 1922

Marcel Proust

Little-Known Facts

  • Suffering from asthma and ill health, he wrote much of his novel in a cork-lined, soundproofed bedroom.
  • The first volume, Swann's Way, was rejected by publishers, so Proust paid to have it printed.

Myths & Misconceptions

What is the 'Proustian moment'?

It refers to a sudden, vivid memory triggered by a sensory experience — famously, the narrator tasting a madeleine dipped in tea, which floods him with the past.