Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist, best known for his monumental work, "In Search of Lost Time" (À la recherche du temps perdu), a series of seven novels considered one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. Here's a detailed look into his life, work, and influence:
Born on July 10, 1871, in Auteuil, France, to wealthy parents, Marcel Proust was raised in an environment that valued art, culture, and intellectual pursuits. His father, Adrien Proust, was a prominent pathologist, and his mother, Jeanne Clémence Weil, came from a wealthy Jewish family.
Proust was educated at the Lycée Condorcet, where he excelled in literature but was less interested in other subjects. After his military service, he entered the École libre des sciences politiques to prepare for a career in diplomacy, but his true passion was literature. He contributed to literary journals, wrote reviews, and mingled in Paris's high society, which would later influence his writing.
Proust's life was marked by ill health, particularly asthma, which led to a reclusive lifestyle. He spent much of his later years in a cork-lined room to shield himself from noise and drafts, working on his magnum opus.
Marcel Proust died on November 18, 1922, in Paris, before the complete publication of his masterpiece. His work continues to be studied and admired worldwide.