The definitive translation of a truly great French novel - Proust's beautiful, atmospheric story of memory and loss. This is the first volume of In Search of Lost Time , one of the greatest French novels of the twentieth century. Travelling back through time, the narrator tells the story of events long since past - his childhood happiness and sadness, and memories brought famously back to life by the taste of a madeleine. His family's friend and neighbour, the aristocratic Swann, weaves through the tale. We learn of Swann's passionate love affair with Odette, a jealous love that creates a model for the narrator's own relationships. All Proust's great themes begin here: time and memory, love and loss, art and the artistic vocation. THE ACCLAIMED FULLY REVISED EDITION OF THE SCOTT MONCRIEFF AND KILMARTIN TRANSLATION The best translation available: 'A really major, significant achievement, and one that you should put on your Christmas list immediately' Guardian VINTAGE FRENCH CLASSICS - six masterpieces of French fiction in collectable editions.