In Search of Lost Time

Often compared to a symphony, this complex masterpiece is ideally suited for audio. Listening lets you appreciate anew the incredible beauty of Proust's language and the uniqueness of his style. The novel's narrator, Marcel, finds the true meaning of experience in memories stimulated by some random object or event. He recalls his childhood, and eventually reconstructs the story of Monsieur Swann and his passion for Odette, a beautiful, but socially inferior woman. Marcel's waking reverie gives rise to fascinating questions about the meaning of time. Swann's Way, with its long passages of intricate introspection, becomes much more accessible and enjoyable with George Guidall's lucid narration.

Remembrance of Things Past is one of the monuments of 20th century literature. The Guermantes Way is the third of seven volumes. The narrator penetrates the inner sanctum of Paris high society and falls in love with the fascinating Duchesse de Guermantes. Marcel Proust describes vividly the struggles for political, social and sexual supremacy played out beneath a veneer of elegant manners. He also finds himself pursued by the predatory Baron de Charlus.

Remembrance of Things Past is one of the monuments of 20th century literature. Sodom and Gomorrah is the fourth of seven volumes. Accidentally witnessing an encounter between the Baron de Charlus and the tailor Jupien, the narrator's eyes are opened to a world hidden from him until now; he suspects that Albertine is attracted to her own sex.

The Fugitive is the sixth of seven volumes. The Narrators obsessive feelings for Albertine have forced her to flee. It comes as a terrible shock and is followed by further debilitating news about other friends.

Lost in the blacked-out streets of Paris during the First World War, Marcel stumbles into a brothel and accidentally witnesses a shocking crime involving Baron de Charlus. Later, at a reception given by the Prince de Guermates, his meditations on the passage of time lead to his determination to embark on his life's work at last.

Volume VII of the Naxos AudioBooks recording of Remembrance of Things Past. Sodom and Gomorrah, Part I: Accidentally witnessing an encounter between the Baron de Charlus and the tailor Jupien opens Marcel's eyes to a world hidden from him till now. Meanwhile his love for Albertine is poisoned by the suspicion that she is attracted to her own sex. Sodom and Gomorrah – Cities of the Plain addresses the subject of homosexual love with insight and understanding.

In Sodom and Gomorrah, Part II, Marcel continues his voyage of discovery through the homosexual world, where the affairs of the ageing Baron de Charlus lead to unexpected and hilarious adventures. But the discovery of a secret in the past of his mistress, Albertine, fills Marcel with fear and forces him to change his plans. Sodom and Gomorrah – Cities of the Plain addresses the subject of homosexual love with insight and understanding.