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Proust's Overcoat

The True Story of One Man's Passion for All Things Proust

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

“A rare and wonderfully written book of literary detection that is heartbreaking as well as thrilling.”
—Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient

In the tradition of Simon Winchester’s The Professor and the Madman comes Proust’s Overcoat by Lorenza Foschini—the charming, endlessly intriguing story of a collector’s obsessive search for the personal effects of legendary author Marcel Proust. This fascinating true story introduces readers to a truly delightful character—Jacques Guérin, owner of a perfume company in France—and enthralls them with his relentless lifelong pursuit of all things Proustian, even the author’s most mundane possessions.

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    • Library Journal

      August 1, 2010

      How fitting that Marcel Proust, perhaps the greatest writer on memory, spawned this book, and others, on memories of himself! Italian journalist Foschini (Radiotelevisione Italiana; Investigation at Millennium's End) here traces the obsession of French collector Jacques Guerin to hunt down anything left by Proust that was not claimed by heirs. Among his startling finds over the years was Proust's overcoat, the "ultimate relic." Though some might chide the collector, who died in 2000, for hoarding his many treasures (he donated Proust's furniture and personal effects, including the overcoat, to Paris's Musee Carnavalet), Foschini points out that Guerin rescued from oblivion or destruction many objects, including letters, notebooks, an early edition of A la recherche du temps perdu, and personal artifacts. She also provides a harrowing account of the efforts of Proust's sister-in-law, Marthe, to destroy any trace of the writer's life that might dishonor the family's name. The translation by Karpeles (Paintings in Proust) is seamless. VERDICT This reviewer belonged to a group that read only Proust; we called ourselves the Proustitutes. Proust's Overcoat is urgently recommended to Proustitutes wherever you are.--Edward Cone, New York

      Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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  • English

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