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Letters to His Neighbor

by Marcel Proust

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1044264,481 (3.82)1
A charming, funny, poignant collection of twenty-three letters from Marcel Proust to his upstairs neighbour 102 Boulevard Haussmann, an elegant address in Paris's eighth arrondissement. Upstairs lives Madame Williams, with her second husband and her harp. Downstairs lives Marcel Proust, trying to write In Search of Lost Time, but all too often distracted by the noise from upstairs. Written by Proust to Madame Williams between the years 1909 and 1919, this precious discovery of letters reveals the comings and goings of a Paris building, as seen through Proust's eyes. You'll read of the effort required to live peacefully with annoying neighbours; of the sadness of losing friends in the war; of concerts and music and writing; and, above all, of a growing, touching friendship between two lonely souls. 'Delightful. Big news for Proustians' Daily Telegraph'If you have suffered from noisy neighbours, you will sympathize with Marcel Proust' Times Literary Supplement'A haunting portrait of a friendship between two people who lived within earshot of one another, separated only by a few inches of plaster and floorboard, but who scarcely ever met' New Statesman… (more)
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English (3)  Dutch (1)  All languages (4)
Showing 3 of 3
Are you a Proust completist? If so, you already own this. If you're not, you have no real reason to own it, delightful as the letters are. Lydia Davis's essay at the end is very good, too, as one would expect. ( )
  stillatim | Oct 23, 2020 |
Great set of letters - the great author complaining about the noise form the left of him, above him, beside him - but complaining in the most pleasant of ways. The translator's note by Lydia Davis is enchanting too as is her analysis of Proust's style which creates some not inconsiderable difficulties for the translator, what with ellipses, parentheses, lack of commas etc. ( )
  jon1lambert | Dec 25, 2017 |
It's quite short, mostly letters complaining about the noise. But for someone like me, who studies Proust & his work, an fascinating sidebar incorporating his over-the-top letter-writing style, his pickiness, his flattery skills. Short, but fun, interesting intro by Tadié, lovely translation by L. Davis. Thank you to Norton, New Directions, & Edelweiss for this ARC. ( )
  ReneeGKC | Jun 6, 2017 |
Showing 3 of 3
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Marcel Proustprimary authorall editionscalculated
Davis, LydiaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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A charming, funny, poignant collection of twenty-three letters from Marcel Proust to his upstairs neighbour 102 Boulevard Haussmann, an elegant address in Paris's eighth arrondissement. Upstairs lives Madame Williams, with her second husband and her harp. Downstairs lives Marcel Proust, trying to write In Search of Lost Time, but all too often distracted by the noise from upstairs. Written by Proust to Madame Williams between the years 1909 and 1919, this precious discovery of letters reveals the comings and goings of a Paris building, as seen through Proust's eyes. You'll read of the effort required to live peacefully with annoying neighbours; of the sadness of losing friends in the war; of concerts and music and writing; and, above all, of a growing, touching friendship between two lonely souls. 'Delightful. Big news for Proustians' Daily Telegraph'If you have suffered from noisy neighbours, you will sympathize with Marcel Proust' Times Literary Supplement'A haunting portrait of a friendship between two people who lived within earshot of one another, separated only by a few inches of plaster and floorboard, but who scarcely ever met' New Statesman

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