In Search of Lost Time

Name: In Search of Lost Time
ISBN: 9787559435491

普鲁斯特Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.4

Word count: 1M words
Chapters: 20
ISBN: 9787559435491

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Summary

A plump little cake, a kiss on Mother's cheek, a letter from the one you love, a rosy cloud, the sound of a lover's breathing... these small, radiant moments make up the eternity of a life. In Search of Lost Time collects Zhou Kexi's translations of three volumes—Swann's Way, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, and The Prisoner.

Editor's review

This three-volume set, comprising Zhou Kexi's translations of Swann's Way, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, and The Prisoner, offers a comparatively light-footed way into Proust's vast narrative. What makes Proust captivating is how he turns small moments—eating a cake, waiting for a goodnight kiss, receiving a letter—into doorways of memory, reminding readers that the meaning of a life often lies hidden in unremarkable details. Zhou Kexi's translation attends to rhythm and the texture of Chinese prose; there are many long sentences, but once you settle into them you find they breathe. This is not a set for readers who crave plot momentum. It is more like a slow walk: you can stop at any time, or return again and again to a single page. Read it as a long-term companion, a few pages a day, letting the narrative voice seep gradually into your sensibility. When you finish, you may see the overlooked moments in your own memory differently.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of literary fiction interested in stream-of-consciousness writing and the theme of memory, willing to read slowly
Readers who want a systematic introduction to Proust but need a reliable Chinese translation
Readers who enjoy finding linguistic beauty in minute descriptions of daily life
Readers with long-term reading plans who hope to read a few pages of a classic each day

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking tight plotting, strong story drive, or a quick read
Those with little patience for long sentences and multi-paragraph retrospective narration
Readers who want only a single slim volume and are unwilling to commit to a multi-volume reading

Reading tips

Read a fixed ten to twenty pages a day; don't chase speed—let the rhythm of the long sentences gradually become familiar.
Keep a pen or sticky notes handy and mark passages that move you; look back at these marks when you finish.
Pause briefly between volumes; after one volume, wait a few days before starting the next to avoid aesthetic fatigue.
When you reach long stretches of recollection, first grasp the narrator's feeling; don't rush to untangle the entire timeline.

About the publisher

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House focuses on literary publishing while also covering the humanities, social sciences, and books on art and daily life. Its approximately 1,535 titles in the database span social novels, world history, design, science fiction, classic works, and film and television: they include modern Chinese literary classics by Lu Xun such as A Madman's Diary: The Complete Short Stories of Lu Xun, Call to Arms, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, as well as foreign literary memoirs like Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday. In science fiction it offers Asimov's Galactic Empire series, while in architecture and art it publishes Liu Dunzhen's Classical Gardens of Suzhou and design titles from Phoenix Space. Its authors are concentrated among classic writers such as Lu Xun, Zweig, and Asimov, with translators including Liang Xijiang, Zhong Haonan, and Ye Lihua. Its overall character is built on classic works while embracing genre fiction and visual culture. Public information is limited, and this introduction is based on the titles in the database.

版权信息
追寻逝去的时光·第一册
第一部贡布雷
I
II
第二部斯万的爱情
第三部地方与地名：地名
《去斯万家那边》故事梗概
时间在艺术中永存
追寻逝去的时光·第二册
第一部在斯万夫人身旁
第二部地方与地名：地方
《在少女花影下》故事梗概
追寻逝去的时光·第三册
女囚
《女囚》故事梗概
追寻逝去的时光·小册子
去斯万家那边
在少女花影下
女囚

FAQ

How does this set relate to In Search of Lost Time?

This book is a Chinese translation selection from Proust's long work, collecting three volumes translated by Zhou Kexi: Swann's Way, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, and The Prisoner. It is not the complete text, but the three volumes are enough for readers to enter Proust's narrative world and experience his theme of memory and his style.

Proust is hard to read—is this set suitable for beginners?

Relatively suitable. The three-volume set is lighter than the complete work, and Zhou Kexi's translation attends to Chinese rhythm, lowering the linguistic barrier. Still, it requires slow reading; advance in small amounts each day and don't demand of it what you would of a plot-driven novel. If you can't get into it on the first try, read the first volume first—there's no need to finish all three at once.

Do I need to know French history to read this set?

Not necessarily. Proust's narrative centers on personal memory, feeling, and human relationships; historical background is part of the atmosphere. On a first reading, focus on the detailed descriptions and the narrator's inner feelings. When you encounter unfamiliar social background, don't stop to look it up—keep the reading continuous.

Can the three volumes be read out of order?

It's best to read them in the order Swann's Way, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, The Prisoner. The narrator's growth, relationships, and memory threads are continuous, and reading in order makes the echoes easier to appreciate. If time is limited, reading the first volume alone still gives a relatively complete reading experience.

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About the author

普鲁斯特 Author

Proust is a French writer, known in Chinese as Marcel Proust. The library holds five of his works, including The Way by Swann's, In Search of Lost Time, In Search of Lost Time: Selected Edition, Swann in Love, and Against Sainte-Beuve; they are commonly classified under foreign literature and social fiction. Public information is limited, and basic details such as his dates and nationality are not available in the library, so no conjecture is offered here. Judging from the works, he excels at capturing the flow of memory, time, and emotion through delicate, prolonged narration, with layered long sentences and intricate psychological description, often presenting social life through everyday scenes and human relationships. In Search of Lost Time is his central masterpiece, widely influential and regarded as one of the classics of modernist fiction.