In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
This renowned novel is a sweeping exploration of memory, love, art, and the passage of time, told through the narrator's recollections of his childhood and experiences into adulthood in the late 19th and early 20th century aristocratic France. The narrative is notable for its lengthy and intricate involuntary memory episodes, the most famous being the "madeleine episode". It explores the themes of time, space and memory, but also raises questions about the nature of art and literature, and the complex relationships between love, sexuality, and possession.
The 3rd greatest book of all time
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This book is on the following lists:
- 1st on Books of the Century (The Age (Newspaper))
- 1st on Robert McCrum's top 10 books of the twentieth century (The Guardian)
- 1st on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 1st on The Greatest Stories Ever Told (The Sydney Morning Herald)
- 1st on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 1st on The 25 Favorite Books of 100 Francophone Writers (Telerama)
- 2nd on The Greatest 20th Century Novels (Waterstone)
- 2nd on Six Professors from "Esteemed" Universities Favorite Books (Democrat and Chronicle (Newspaper))
- 2nd on The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha de São Paulo)
- 2nd on Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century (Le Monde)
- 2nd on For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- 3rd on Pour une Bibliothèque Idéale (Raymond Queneau)
- 3rd on 100 Best Novels, in Translation, Since 1900 (CounterPunch)
- 3rd on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 4th on Greatest Prose Works of the 20th Century (Vladimir Nabokov)
- 4th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 5th on Biblioteca (Argentina)
- 5th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 6th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 6th on The 16 Greatest Books of All Time (NYU Local)
- 6th on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 7th on The 100 Best Books of World Literature (ABC.es)
- 8th on The Celebrity Reading List (Gardiner Public Library)
- 9th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 9th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 21st on Kanon na koniec wieku (Canon at the end of the century) (Rzeczpospolita (newspaper))
- 33rd on Waterstone's Books of the Century (LibraryThing)
- 34th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 41st on The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- 80th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 348th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- The Bigger Read List (English PEN)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- 100 Most Influential Books of the Century (Boston Public Library)
- Great Books of the Western World (Great Books Foundation)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- The Guardian's Essential Library (The Guardian)
- 50 Greatest Books of All Time (Globe and Mail)
- The 50 Most Influential Books of All Time (Open Education Database)
- Daily Telegraph's 100 Books of the Century, 1900-1999 (Daily Telegraph)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The New Lifetime Reading Plan (The New Lifetime Reading Plan)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)
- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century (January Magazine)
- How to Read and Why (Harold Bloom)
- Finest Works of Fiction (Martin Seymour-Smith and Editors)
- ZEIT-Bibliothek der 100 Bücher (Die Zeit)
- 100 Life-Changing Books (National Book Award)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)