Marcel Proust, Maruthoor Purushothaman, Translator
2025
Swann's Way tells two related stories, the first of which revolves around Marcel, a younger version of the narrator, and his experiences in, and memories of, the French town Combray. Inspired by the "gusts of memory" that rise up within him as he dips a Madeleine into hot tea, the narrator discusses his fear of going to bed at night. He is a creature of habit and dislikes waking up in the middle of the night not knowing where he is. He claims that people are defined by the objects that surround them and must piece together their identities bit by bit each time they wake up. The narrator traces the roots of his inclination to become a writer back to Combray. His grandparents and friends encourage him to read and introduce him to Bergotte, who becomes his favorite author. Marcel is awestruck by the overpowering beauty of the landscape around Combray, especially the hawthorn blossoms that line the path to Swann's house. He loves to fall asleep in the shade of these blossoms and then walk around the outskirts of Combray, where he can admire the town church. The novel now carries the reader back fifteen years to relate the second story—that of the love affair between Swann and Odette. Swann does not know that Odette has a terrible reputation and, thinking she will be harder to seduce than she really is, takes up an interest in her. He finds her only vaguely attractive, however, until one day when he realizes that she resembles Botticelli's beautiful rendering of Jethro's daughter in his painting Zipporrah. Idealizing Odette through the intermediary of the painting, Swann respects her beauty with all his heart and starts to obsess about her day and night. Nevertheless, Odette quickly begins to tire of Swann, who in turn is hopelessly in love with her. He suspects that she is cheating on him because she is such an awful liar, but his obsession for her runs so deep that he ignores the truth about their failed romance until there is no turning back: he must suffer the tormen
Read this work at the World Public Library (library card needed).