Anka Muhlstein is the author of biographies of Queen Victoria, James de Rothschild, and Cavelier de La Salle; studies on Catherine de Medicis, Marie de Medicis, and Anne of Austria; a double biography, Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart; and most recently, Balzac's Omelette and Monsieur Proust's Library (Other Press). She won the Goncourt Prize for her biography of Astolphe de Custine, and has received two prizes from the Academie fran aise. She and her husband, Louis Begley, are the authors of Venice for Lovers. They live in New York City.
“This gemlike exploration of the literary underpinnings of À la
recherche du temps perdu reveals a Marcel Proust who did not so
much read books as ‘absorb’ them.” —The New Yorker
“With Monsieur Proust’s Library, Anka Muhlstein has added another
volume to the collection of splendid books about Proust. A woman of
intellectual refinement, subtle understanding, and deep literary
culture…Muhlstein is an excellent provisioner of high-quality
intellectual goods.” —Wall Street Journal
“[Muhlstein] here turns her attention to Proust’s enthusiasms,
antagonisms, and literary influences…sensitive to nuances of style
and echoes of older standard French authors.” —Edmund White, New
York Review of Books
“[Muhlstein] is thoroughly versed not only in Proust’s life but
also in his work…This biography is an easy and interesting read,
even for the novice Proust scholar, and an excellent accompaniment
to an In Search of Lost Time (re)read.” —San Francisco Book
Review
“The author of Balzac’s Omelette offers another sensual
appreciation of a classic author, this time submitting to the books
that Proust loved…You don’t absolutely need to know In Search of
Lost Time to read Muhlstein’s brisk little volume, a mini-biography
that dissects the many literary influences of [Proust].” —Daily
Beast (Hot Reads)
“The general madeleine enthusiast is bound to be entertained by
Muhlstein’s witty and lucid prose…This tome energetically explores
the distinct literary tastes of a modern writing genius.” —Library
Journal
“[Monsieur Proust’s Library] has become a permanent addition to my
Proust library, and is a must read both for Proustians and
want-to-be Proustians alike…a marvelous book.” —Publishing
Perspectives
“Muhlstein shows admirable restraint, focusing on select topics to
contextualize Proust’s work in an accessible way…It’s a quick read,
and the tight focus and brisk, topical chapters offer an entrée to
a work that is not always easy to penetrate.” —Coffin Factory
“This engaging little volume looks at the writers and literary
works that influenced Marcel Proust, a passionate reader whose
characters often appear book-in-hand. A helpful introduction to À
la recherche du temps perdu, this new work reveals the ways in
which Proust’s favorite writers—Saint-Simon, Racine, Mme de
Sévigné, Balzac, Baudelaire, Dostoyevsky—inform his magnum opus.”
—France Magazine
“Muhlstein has ideas of her own about the way in which Proust not
only dealt with the anxieties of influence but also brought to a
head a long and rich tradition—something one can scarcely imagine a
writer doing today.” —Gay and Lesbian Review
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