The Irish Proust - Historicizing Modernism by Max McGuinness & Matthew Feldman & Michael Cronin & Erik Tonning Hardcover

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This collection of essays is the first book devoted to exploring Marcel Proust's influence on Irish literature and Irish themes within his work. Featuring contributions from eleven scholars of French and Irish studies, The Irish Proust reveals a surprising textual dimension of Proust's novel and traces the enduring legacy of his work throughout modern Irish letters.

Proust's work, which was banned in Ireland during the 1940s and 1950s, occupies an essential position within the Irish literary and cultural imaginary. From Samuel Beckett and Elizabeth Bowen to Brendan Behan and John McGahern, À la recherche du temps perdu has been a touchstone for generations of Irish writers.

Including bold new readings of Proust's presence within the writings of Beckett, Bowen, Behan, McGahern, and Mary Devenport O'Neill, The Irish Proust draws on a wide range of archival sources and sheds new light on the cosmopolitan, modernist literary culture that emerged in post-independence Ireland despite a hostile official climate.

Review Quotes

"It is not possible to do full justice to this pioneering collection of essays on Proust's influence on contemporary Irish writers from the 1920s to the beginning of the twenty-first century, and to a most penetrating exploration of the Irish dimension of Proust's own writings. The chapters that examine the penetration of Proust's work in Ireland and the echoes of Irish history and culture in Proust's novels represent a major contribution towards a better understanding of the close and often intriguing literary relationship between France and Ireland." --Pierre Joannon, Royal Irish Academy

"The editors have done a splendid job marshalling an Irish expedition to Proust's France, returning from the raiding party with rare and precious booty. These essays provide a cornucopia of subtle and scintillating crossings between Irish and French literary imaginations. A delight to read and relish." --Richard Kearney, Charles Seelig Chair of Philosophy, Boston College

About the Author

Max McGuinness is a Research Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow in French at Trinity College Dublin.
Michael Cronin is 1776 Professor of French at Trinity College Dublin.