Though I shouldn’t be too joyous because I have only read the first volume. (These two are part of the list of books that changed how I think about life.) I’ve benefited from his writing and understanding of human emotions as much as I have gained from Rabindranath Tagore ( Gora specifically) and Leo Tolstoy ( Anna Karenina), and now the three join hands as my teachers on human complexities and realistic writing. No matter how late to the party, I feel fortunate to finally discover Proust in all his abundant vulnerability, passion, tenderness, anxiety, and vigor. But in today’s world of ever-fleeting focus, we shouldn’t be surprised that titles as heavy, long, complex, and volumed as Proust Swann’s Way (and In Search of Lost Time books) have been run over by Instagram and Tik-Tok. After all, a plethora of articles, textbooks, reviews, essays, and biographies draw on Proust’s grandiose contributions to literature, including How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain De Botton (which I will read soon). Swann’s Way (and I’m sure the following six volumes) are full of such long (really long and semi-coloneated) lines full of deep wisdom about human composition, our inherently corrupt and compassionate nature, the everlasting misery of love and desire, and the sweetness of life. The writing is so ingenious I wonder why don’t I run into Proust’s work more often.

In search of lost time swann's way