MARCEL PROUST - IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME
By: Fereshteh Priou
December 2019
2019 marked the 100th anniversary of Marcel Proust receiving the Prix Goncourt for À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs (translated as “Within a Budding Grove” or, more accurately in many editions, “In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower”). This was the second volume of his seven-volume masterpiece In Search of Lost Time, and the first to be published, appearing in 1918 from Gallimard. The prize was awarded to Proust in December 1919, making him the 17th recipient. Gallimard celebrated the centenary throughout the year with exhibitions and events at the Galerie Gallimard in Paris.
The Prix Goncourt, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards, was established in 1903 by Edmond de Goncourt. Together with his brother Jules, Edmond authored the famous Goncourt Journal—a detailed, often candid diary chronicling their life amid Parisian literary and artistic society in the late 19th century. The brothers were such close literary collaborators that it became difficult to distinguish one’s writing from the other’s; they were sometimes referred to by the portmanteau “Juledmond.”
Jules, initially regarded as the more naturally gifted writer, died prematurely at age forty from syphilis. Edmond temporarily abandoned the journal but later resumed it alone, with many considering the subsequent entries stronger. Though popular, the journal was often criticized as gossipy and overly preoccupied with the banalities, rivalries, backbiting, and social maneuvers of the artistic elite. Nevertheless, it remains one of the richest historical records of Parisian literary and artistic life in the second half of the 19th century.
Before his death in 1896, Edmond de Goncourt established and endowed an organization in his brother’s honor that became the Académie Goncourt. His goals were to promote original French literature and to counter certain policies of the Académie Française. The prize has been awarded annually since 1903 by the ten members of the Académie—known as les Dix (“the Ten”)—to the year’s most imaginative and original prose work.
The Ten traditionally meet on the first Tuesday of each month for lunch on the second floor of the upscale Restaurant Drouant, in the Salon Goncourt, near the Opéra in central Paris. A symbolic ritual accompanies new members: the cutlery (couverts) used by the outgoing member is passed to the newcomer, with their name engraved alongside those of their predecessors, representing the continuity of the Académie.
For many years, the Académie was presided over by Bernard Pivot, the influential journalist and television personality famous for his literary program Apostrophes (1975–1990) on Antenne 2. He was the first non-author to lead the Académie. His show was one of the most watched programs in France, featuring intellectuals, politicians, and writers. Guests faced the famous Proust Questionnaire at the end of each episode, and an appearance virtually guaranteed strong book sales.
Other notable members of the Académie have included Colette, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Hervé Bazin, Sacha Guitry, and Louis Aragon. The monetary value of the prize remains deliberately modest—symbolically around 10 euros, roughly the same as when it was first awarded. Its true worth lies in the immense prestige and the dramatic boost in book sales it provides winners, often worth millions.
The prize has traditionally gone to younger or emerging authors. Proust’s win at age 48 was therefore somewhat unusual, but the jury considered À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs his debut published novel. Interestingly, Proust had previously mocked the Goncourt brothers’ style in a 1907 satirical article published in Le Figaro, “The Lemoine Affair.” This collection of pastiches parodied various authors—including Zola, Balzac, and the Goncourts—while recounting the scandal of fake diamonds. Proust himself had lost money in the real-life Lemoine scam.
In the final volume of In Search of Lost Time, Time Regained, Proust pays a subtle tribute to the Goncourts. The narrator acknowledges: “Goncourt knew how to listen as he knew how to observe, and I do not.” He admires their ability to capture the banal conversations of distinguished artists and writers. Although the narrator (and by extension Proust) claims to lack this talent, many passages in the novel do precisely that—recording the trivialities, one-upmanship, and subtle cruelties of salon society with extraordinary precision. The Goncourts may not have been taken entirely seriously by the literary elite of their time, but they left an enduring mark on French literature. Despite his earlier mockery, Proust was genuinely proud to receive their prize, which proved a major turning point in his career.
Article by: Fereshteh Priou - December 2019