Adam Watt Books

The most up-to-date and detailed introduction to Proust's life and work available today, including a volume-by-volume study of Proust's novel.

Adam Watt's biography considers Proust's early years of personal and aesthetic experiment, the growth of his masterwork A la recherche du temps perdu and his personal decline due to ill-health.

In December 2007, an international conference titled ‘Le Temps retrouvé – 80 ans après/Eighty Years After’ was held at Royal Holloway University of London to mark the eightieth anniversary of the final volume of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. The essays in this volume, originating from the conference and presented in both English and French, feature contributions from established scholars and doctoral researchers. They encompass a diverse array of analyses, (re)readings, and critiques of Le Temps retrouvé, addressing themes such as time, social change, politics, war, desire, memory, aging, death, mourning, and the triumph of Art. The authors engage in comparatist readings and historico-cultural analyses, while also critiquing the role and function of ‘theory’ within the novel and evaluating its critical reception. This collection reflects the multifaceted nature of Proust's work and its enduring relevance, inviting readers to explore the intricate layers of meaning within the text.