The Past Is All We Have: André Aciman’s Homo Irrealis
Is it not in the warm chambers of the past, after all, that we are immortal, invincible, and alive?
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Join NOW!Is it not in the warm chambers of the past, after all, that we are immortal, invincible, and alive?
...moreTo read Amina Cain is to enter tide pools of the mind.
...more…one has no idea, no idea at all, what it’s about. What’s the point of all this? What does it all mean? At Lit Hub, Claude Arnaud shares an excerpt from his biography, Jean Cocteau: A Life, focusing on the strained friendship between Cocteau and Marcel Proust. Proust was indebted to Cocteau for publishing Swann’s Way […]
...moreAt The Millions, J.P. Smith describes the singular effect that Marcel Proust has had on his growth as a writer: This isn’t a rambling, stream-of-consciousness book of memories lost and found; it’s a novel with a subtle and solid architecture, where in its last volume, Time Regained, the shape of the work comes finally into focus.
...moreMake sure no one else is awake. Turn off the lights. Your windows can stay open. Now turn on your phone and begin reading. Repeat as necessary each night. Do not stop until the very last word of the very last volume. For the Atlantic, Sarah Boxer recounts the unexpectedly Proustian experience of finally finishing In […]
...moreFor The Millions, Hannah Gersen recalls past attempts to read Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and explains why she came up short. The essay also serves as an announcement for a new series, in which Gersen will once again attempt to tackle Proust and write monthly posts about her impressions.
...moreWhat I’ve always liked about Proust is his unabashed shallowness – or, more precisely, his celebration of the power and primacy of fleeting impressions in decision-making.
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