In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower

Edited and annotated by leading Proust scholar William Carter, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower is the second volume of one of the twentieth centurys great literary triumphs. It was this volume that won the Prix Goncourt in 1919, affirming Proust as a major literary figure and dramatically increasing his fame. Here the narrator whose childhood was reflected in Swanns Way moves further through childhood and into adolescence, as the author brilliantly examines themes of love and youth, in settings in Paris and by the sea in Normandy. The reader again encounters Swann, now married to his former mistress and largely fallen from high society, and meets for the first time several of Prousts most memorable characters: the handsome, dashing Robert de Saint-Loup, who will become the narrators best friend; the enigmatic Albertine, leader of the little band of adolescent girls; the profoundly artistic Elstir, believed to be Prousts composite of Whistler, Monet, and other leading painters; and, making his unforgettable entrance near the end of the volume, the intense, indelible Baron de Charlus. Permeated by the bloom of youth and its resonances in memories of love and friendship, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower takes readers into the heart of Prousts comic and poetic genius. As with Swanns Way, Carter uses C. K. Scott Moncrieffs beloved translation as the basis for this annotated and fully revised edition. Carter corrects long-standing errors in Scott Moncrieffs otherwise superlative translation, bringing it closer than ever to the spirit and style of Prousts original textand reaching English readers in a way that the Pliade annotations cannot. Insightful and accessible, Carters edition of Marcel Prousts masterwork will be the go-to text for generations of readers seeking to understand Prousts remarkable bygone world.