Fun Facts About Marcel Proust
- Marcel Proust paid to publish the first volume of his masterpiece after Gallimard rejected it on André Gide's advice. Gide later called the refusal one of the most serious mistakes of his life.[1]
- Proust fought a duel in 1897 with the writer Jean Lorrain, who had publicly questioned his relationship with Lucien Daudet. Both men survived.[1]
- To please his father, Proust took a volunteer post at the Bibliothèque Mazarine library, then got a sick leave that lasted several years. He never actually worked at the job.[1]
- In his last three years Proust rarely left his bedroom, sleeping during the day and writing at night to finish his novel.[1]
- Proust translated John Ruskin into French despite imperfect English, with his mother sketching the drafts. He explained: "I don't claim to know English; I claim to know Ruskin".[1]
- The French village of Illiers, model for the fictional Combray in Proust's novel, renamed itself Illiers-Combray in 1971 for his centenary.[1]
- Marcel Proust was alive at the same time as Karl Marx — their lives overlapped for 12 years (1871–1883).[1][2][3][4]
- Marcel Proust shares a birthday with Nikola Tesla: both were born on July 10.[1][2][5][6]
Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist best known for his novel À la recherche du temps perdu, which was published in seven volumes between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century.[1]
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Questions About Marcel Proust
When was Marcel Proust born?
Marcel Proust was born on July 10, 1871, and died on November 18, 1922.
How old was Marcel Proust at death?
Marcel Proust was born on July 10, 1871, and died on November 18, 1922, at age 51.
What was Marcel Proust known for?
Marcel Proust was known for: In Search of Lost Time. Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist best known for his novel À la recherche du temps perdu, which was published in seven volumes between 1913 and 1927. He is considered by critics and writers to be one of the most influential authors of the twentieth century.
Who was alive at the same time as Marcel Proust?
Marcel Proust's closest contemporary was John D. Rockefeller. Their lives overlapped for 51 years.
Sources
- Marcel Proust — Wikipedia. Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Marcel Proust (Q7199) — Wikidata
- Karl Marx — Wikipedia
- Karl Marx (Q9061) — Wikidata
- Nikola Tesla — Wikipedia
- Nikola Tesla (Q9036) — Wikidata
- Portrait: Marcel Proust 1895.jpg — Wikimedia Commons. Otto Wegener, Public domain