Formas de Ler por Helena Vasconcelos

Marcel Proust’s monumental novel, considered to be one of the most important literary works of all time, has been studied, evaluated and dissected by countless specialists and enthusiastic readers. It is possible that everything has already been said about this cult book, divided into seven volumes, three of which were published posthumously. We know that Proust carefully (and exuberantly) recreated the past through the power of memory. Simultaneously, in a stroke of genius, he transformed Life into Art, creating his own inimitable aesthetics. In his Western Canon, Harold Bloom refers to In Search of Lost Time as «the true persuasion of sexual jealousy» and there is no doubt that this overwhelming feeling can be found running throughout the work. But we cannot limit ourselves to analysing jealousy and nostalgia, since, in the book’s thickly woven plot, the author includes references to philosophy, sociology, art, music, customs, sexuality, politics and, mainly, a revolutionary idea of Time itself. All these areas, and many more, are the subject of reflection throughout the narrative, which makes In Search of Lost Time a novel that has no end. Many of the characters correspond to figures from that time, and the events that were subtly inserted into their lives marked the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, giving us an essential view of this time of change. In the sessions that we will dedicate to In Search of Lost Time, we hope to analyse the various aspects of this unusual novel in great detail and, if possible, to discover new approaches and new pleasures.

Helena Vasconcelos recommends the Portuguese translation of In Search of Lost Time by Pedro Tamen, published by Relógio D’Água, in Lisbon.