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Swann’s Way (In Search of Lost Time, #1)

Questions About Swann’s Way (In Search of Lost Time, #1)

by Marcel Proust

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Answered Questions (19)

this is killing me, I can't get past a few pages without falling asleep. is this for fans of James Joyce or Tolstoy? I'm a Tolstoy. If this is for Joyce readers I might as well quit now.
Leanne Kidd For me, it has been the opposite experience. I LOVE this book so much that I can't wait to get home and read!
What can happen, if you allow it, is you …moreFor me, it has been the opposite experience. I LOVE this book so much that I can't wait to get home and read!
What can happen, if you allow it, is you get lulled into a kind of meditation, lost with him in his thought world. And once you emerge, if you have paid close attention without having expectations of how and what should happen next, you will feel like you have been on a journey with a dear friend.
Advice, only read this book when you have uninterrupted, quiet time. Allow yourself to get gently lost with no time or particular place to go to (that is, do not try to predict the way you want a story theme to unfold). Notice how one thought can lead into another, and another, and then he often returns so as to not leave us hanging. I feel that he is reflecting on the way our minds naturally wander. Go with him. Be there.
You may find that it is the best book you have ever read.
Also, the interpretation is important. I am currently reading the version of Swann's Way interpreted into (American) English by Lydia Davis. Excellent! (less)
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should i read this in english or in spanish?
Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) French is closer to Spanish than it is to English, linguistically, so I'd go with Spanish. I'm listening to the English audiobook and thinking I shoul…moreFrench is closer to Spanish than it is to English, linguistically, so I'd go with Spanish. I'm listening to the English audiobook and thinking I should have tried either French or Spanish.(less)
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OK, I'm late to this, but I'm going to read Proust's magnum opus... I have a question tho, I've been browsing Amazon Kindle site and it seems like the reviews are all cut and pasted for the different versions. And, given these are sometimes different translations, it makes it very hard to decide which book to buy! Can anyone help me with some recommendations about where to start? Which translation/kindle version?
Simona Balková The best consistent translation is said to be Moncrieff revised by Enright. It just depends on what you are looking for exactly. If it’s consistency =…moreThe best consistent translation is said to be Moncrieff revised by Enright. It just depends on what you are looking for exactly. If it’s consistency = Moncrieff-Enright
If it’s readability then I would say Lydia Davis. But Davis’ version is followed by many different translators so I suppose that it’s like someone is telling you a story and then other person starts to tell it, but they have a slightly different style of speaking.
Some people even combine the two (they start with Swann’s Way by Davis and finish with the other parts by Moncrieff)
I chose Moncrieff-Enright and I would say it’s going well. :) hope this helps(less)
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anyone recommend the lydia davis translation over moncrieff, or nah?
Lucy Day Werts .
For anyone considering reading Swann's Way, (just the first volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time), there are now *7 versions* to consider, inclu…more.
For anyone considering reading Swann's Way, (just the first volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time), there are now *7 versions* to consider, including versions titled "The Way by Swann's" and "The Swann Way":

· Scott Moncrieff
· Scott Moncrieff revised by Kilmartin
· Scott Moncrieff revised by Kilmartin and Enright
· Scott Moncrieff revised by Carter
· Grieve
· Davis
· Nelson edited by Watt

The "best" translation is a matter of personal taste. As Kumari de Silva has said below, the Davis translation is a more modern style and the Scott Moncrieff translation is a more old-fashioned style. The Scott Moncrieff translation is still pretty popular, but I feel like the Davis translation is the trendy one these days.

For information on the available translations and editions of Swann's Way, including book covers, ISBNS, pagecounts, and links to reviews and relevant articles, visit We Love Translations: World Literature in English.

» What's the best translation of In Search of Lost Time?
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Is this easier to read or Ulysses?
Jonathan Castillo Ulysses is significantly more difficult than Swann's Way but the difficulty in Proust is more cerebral and speaks in a tangential prose. Ulysses on th…moreUlysses is significantly more difficult than Swann's Way but the difficulty in Proust is more cerebral and speaks in a tangential prose. Ulysses on the other hand is difficult for Joyce's knowledge of the English language. Joyce pulls in references from a variety of sources and writes them in a comedic and difficult way -- his stream-of-conscious writing style jumps all over the place which is difficult to slice through on the first read. Swann's Way only requires the reader to take time and be in a quiet place, but Ulysses requires knowledge of a significant portion of English language history.(less)
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Unanswered Questions (2)

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