Proust

An electrifying analysis of one legendary giant of twentieth-century literature by another: Beckett on Proust.

The whole of Proust’s world comes out of a teacup . . .

When he was only 25, Samuel Beckett published his first ever book: an electrifying dissection of Marcel Proust’s masterpiece À la recherche du temps perdu.

Habit, memory and time: Beckett argues that these are the defining characteristics of the human condition. Involuntary memories – like those prompted by Proust’s famous madeleine – are radical moments that pierce the veil of habit, and offer inspiration that soothes the existential anguish of time passing.

Through analysing Proust’s technique, the young Beckett puts forth a blazing artistic manifesto for his own future works, such as Waiting for Godot, Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. The result is a totemic meeting of literary minds that illuminates the philosophies of two creative geniuses.

*Read in a new audiobook edition by Eimear McBride*