While I have not yet dared to attempt Proust's most famous work, I did want to get a taste of his writing. Enter 'The Mysterious Correspondent'! This is a fascinating collection of stories, which leaves unfinished what wasn't finished and which has detailed introductions and afterwords that explain the context of the story. Simon Vance does a brilliant job weaving these elements together and I found myself more and more intrigued by Proust as I listened. Its a bit of a shame that the NetGalley app, mine at least, doesn't give chapter titles etc. as that would have helped me in going back to certain stories and relistening.

The Mysterious Correspondent is a scholarly study of eight previously unpublished stories(ish) by Proust. The manuscripts were never published, presumably because they were unfinished works or works that Proust did not believe were good enough for publishing, or he lost interest in them, or no one wanted to publish them.

I have only recently began reading stories by Proust. In general, I prefer stories to tomes - which best describes the body of Proust's most celebrated volumes. Proust's prose is beautiful and, at times, so much so that it is cloying. Also, his descriptions can be so intimate at times, as to make me feel uncomfortable. The theme of unrequited homosexual/lesbian love is recurring in the stories that I have read by this author, in this work, and in others, yet this will not be news to anyone familiar with Marcel Proust.

In the first story, of the same title as the book, Francoise is greatly distressed by her friend Christiane's failing health. It is clear that her dearest friend does not have long to live, and she worries over what she can do to help Christiane regain her health. Christiane, who has never married, will be travelling the next day to the countryside (Cannes) where the climate could improve her health. Francoise invites Christiane to come to dinner that evening in her home, since her husband is away and the two can make their farewells.

At the same time, Francoise has been receiving unsigned letters, professing unrequited love, arriving mysteriously at her doorstep, in her dining room, and elsewhere in the house. The letters spark in Francoise, lustful memories of her youth and her own unrequited love for a soldier(/s). In a final unsigned letter, left in a box upon a table, Francoise is beseeched to either accept the love offered or refuse and order that the correspondent leave immediately. Francoise writes demanding that her admirer, “...leave immediately, I order you…” and places her letter back in the box. Although Proust may have been influenced by Poe’s The Purloined Letter (so suggested), the only similarity I found was the fact that there was a mysterious letter – any other similarities eluded me.

Francoise travels to Cannes and hears some surprising advice from her friend’s physician. She also finds a surprising message and calls for her Confessor and what follows is a religious and moral debate that will determine the fate of her friend.

This first story, the correspondent’s letters, is followed by a partial story or a variation, undeveloped theme in the same story whereby Francoise’s lustful memory or fantasy over the soldier(s) with long swords and wide sash belts that take so long to unfasten, is instead remembered by a widow. The similar description by he widow, in this second story, is not nearly as powerful and intimate (developed) as in the “finished” story.

In The Captain’s Reminiscence, a soldier returns to the place where he was previously billeted and describes his brief infatuation with a Colonel. This story describes a more “casual” reminiscence than that of Francoise in the Mysterious Correspondent, where the passion described by Proust is more achingly personal. The Captain Reminiscence is almost childish infatuation by comparison.

Jacques Lefelde (The Strange) eluded me completely. This is a story but barely. Well written and mildly entertaining. The point seems to be missing.

In the Underworld – It is clear now that I am out of my depth. This is a play or skit of sorts which went right over my head since I slept through most of my Bible classes and never studied philosophy or mythology (I know I should be embarrassed by that confession, but I am not, or rather was not, until I read the next story/composition).

After Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony – okay, by this point I am convinced that Proust is showing off… while at the same time I am in awe of the breadth and depth of his knowledge of philosophy, religion, music….. I concede! Proust is for intellectuals and this book is for the intellectually inclined. I had to look up Schopenhauer's doctrine on music, and I’ll be darned if I could follow the analogy.

The Awareness of Loving Her – finally back to something I can at least follow.
The Gifts of the Fairies and That is How he Loved – did not seem to me stories.

Although the narration by Simon Vance was amazing, listening to the analyses did not interest me and I tended to skip ahead at times to get to the stories. This is a short audio of only a few stories, not Proust's best but interesting and beautifully written, never-the-less. I found parts of the book hard to follow because of the lengthy introductions and ended up borrowing an a e-book version from one of my libraries to see what I was missing.

My overall impression of the audio (and e-book) was positive – I enjoyed the prose, the stories, and the ambience. I also particularly enjoyed the narration by Simon Vance. Never-the-less, I would be remiss if I did not note that the stories are more like unfinished (if brilliant) sketches only partially developed and polished.

Many thanks to NetGalley the publisher for the opportunity to listen to and enjoy this audio book.

I chose to listen to this audiobook because I am a Francophile and, though I have read other French writers, I’ve not yet begun to explore Marcel Proust. Knowing his best-known work, In Search of Lost Time, is some 6 volumes seems more than a little daunting!

The Narrator of this few-hours long audiobook, Simon Vance, has a graceful, elegant voice, and matches the intellect of the material provided. Not being familiar with Proust or his work put me at a disadvantage to clearly understanding the material; however, the introduction by Professor Luke Fraisse, University of Strasbourg, was enlightening as to the history and scope of the works. I believe it is also his information/research that introduces/provides context for each work.

The Proust scholar, indeed, the Modernist scholar, will likely find this material quite special in that Proust wrote these pieces as a budding writer, but also that he kept them secreted away in a much-private collection and never revealed them to anyone, not even his dearest companions; therefore, but one of these pieces has never been published until now. Prior to this publication, the work was part of Bernard de Fallois’ collected archives, and after his passing in 2018, are now making their way out into the light of day.

Personally, I would have done better with the written version of this particular work, because 1) again, I am not familiar with Proust. And 2) I am a visual learner, but have honed my listening skills to the point that I no longer have any issues with comprehension or detail gathering with audiobooks. With this particular piece, the written word would have made it easier to understand the history provided in the introduction (I needed to listen a few times), seeing and comprehending the French vocabulary, as well as any unfamiliar English vocabulary.

#TheMysteriousCorrespondent #NetGalley
Thank you, Tantor Audio and NetGalley for an audiobook version in exchange for my honest review.

Marcel Proust is in many ways "PROUST," the author of a celebrated work of autobiographical fictions that is not only part of the cannon but has also crossed over into a go to example in pop science (books that discuss how smells can trigger memories are contractually obligated to mention Madeline cookies). So he's part of the firmament of authors, but I've never read anything by him and I didn't know much about what he wrote about (save those cookies). Enter this slim volume, of stories unpublished during his lifetime. Turns out one of the things I didn't know about Proust was that he was gay, and these stories were unpublished not because of any lack (the writing is gorgeous) but because they all deal, in different ways, with homosexual desire. Different genres too, from slice of life to sly social commentary to gothic-esque suspense. These are clearly minor works, bur given how much I enjoyed them it's inspired me to actually tackle In Search of Lost Time. Someday.

The Mysterious Correspondent is a collection of previously unpublished shorter works by French author Marcel Proust. Some of the included works are more complete than others. Several just ended abruptly in the middle, clearly never being completed by the author. Perhaps he set these aside to rethink. It was hard for me to establish much of a connection with a bunch of "incomplete thoughts". Yes, his writing was good, but I wish there was more to what was included.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* More like incomplete thoughts than actual stories but if you really liked the author this would be for you

3.5 stars

A collection of previously unpublished short stories by Proust, most written early in his career, circa when he wrote & published Pleasures & Days. Several are unfinished. Some are in draft form with multiple endings. Most deal with (queer) sexuality, though philosophy, appreciation for music & the arts, & mortality are also explored as themes. I enjoyed the collection, brief as it is, but it might be appreciated mainly by those who already have an interest in Proust.

[What I liked:]

•A thorough though accessible introduction contextualized these stories enough that I could appreciate them, even though they are brief & I haven’t read much Proust. There are also notes provided at the beginning of each story giving details of its completeness, how it reveals the evolution of Proust’s voice & writing style, & how it connects to his other writings (particularly to In Search of Lost Time, but also referencing his private letters & personal papers).

•The writing is somewhat unpolished & some narrative ideas not fully developed (I mean, these are unfinished stories for the most part), but there is a liveliness & yearning & beauty captured in them that made them thoroughly enjoyable. In fact, they remind me of Kate Chopin’s short stories—brief, bursting with vitality, packing deep feeling & meaning into just a few words.

The themes (forbidden love, facing terminal illness, feeling like an outsider, the ecstasy of music, etc.) have meaning & Proust has something say, whether or not he fully fleshed it out in these stories.

•I really liked the story “The Fairy’s Gift”, which is more parable or mini essay, perhaps, than narrative. It’s an unapologetic declaration of the writer’s appreciation for his personality & identity, despite how society may judge his otherness & misunderstand & not appreciate him. It’s not subtle, but it has strength & self power & it resonated with me.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Do I agree with all of Proust’s sentiments, especially on queerness, presented here? No. The story I most disliked the message of is the title story of the collection, which portrays the suffering of queer people’s unrequited love as a fatal disease, & declares it a noble sacrifice of honor & conscience to deny oneself that love. Yeah, I do not like that at all.

That said, these stories are Proust’s early writings, not meant to be published or shared, in which he wrestles with sexuality in the context of Catholicism & contemporary conventional morality. His later writings show how his views evolved, so I don’t judge him for his views here.

His feelings here are certainly valid, even precious by my reckoning. How many stories exploring queer identity do we have from this era, expressing real people’s real struggles & real love? Not many, which is sad & unfair & honestly infuriating.

So even the stories & ideas I have a hard time reading are meaningful. It’s an assumption, but quite likely they were the honest & authentic beliefs of the writer at a certain point in time. Were they shaped & influenced by oppressive heteronormative bullshit? Probably, but that doesn’t make them less authentic, & imo they enrich our understanding of the evolution of how Proust wrote about his identity as a gay man & the ideas about queerness he expressed in his later writings.

CW: homophobia, terminal illness

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

First a note on the narrator: Simon Vance is among the best male audiobook narrators in the business, and he elevates everything he reads, and this title is no different. As for the book itself, to discover previously unpublished and newly translated stories by an author like Proust is a rare gift. While on their own merits the stories are at times uneven, this collection provides a rare insight into the development of a literary genius and is a must read for scholars and enthusiasts of Proust’s later masterpieces.

Format: audiobook
Author: Marcel Proust ~ Title: The Mysterious Correspondent ~ Narrator: Simon Vance
Content: 5 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

I have wanted to read In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust since forever. These fragments gave me a glimpse of Proust's writing, and now I'm even more convinced that I have to read it.

Not all these texts are full-length short stories. They are mostly just shorter fragments that the author has taken out from his work. All these stories, with one exception, remained unpublished. The audiobook contains a lengthy introduction as well as comments to each short story or fragment. I returned to the comments at the beginning after each part to help me better understand the text.

The Mysterious Correspondent is an excellent audiobook. The narration is very good, clear. But only those who already read Marcel Proust and were amazed by his writing will find it interesting. It will probably help you understand the author a bit more. Also, scholars will appreciate this. So, I would recommend this only to those who know Marcel Proust and scholars. If you want to read fun (and complete) short stories, this may not be what you are looking for.

Thanks to the publisher Tantor Audio for the ARC and the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

This is a collection of short pieces by Proust previously unpublished in English. I can’t refer to these as short stories since some are just fragments of stories ending in mid-thought. None of them felt like a complete story. I think if an author chooses to keep some work unpublished during his lifetime you should probably respect that and perhaps keep the work available for scholars only. This is a collection that only a Proust scholar could love. There is a lengthy introduction to the collection. Then each piece has another introduction, sometime with footnotes to finished works, that tells the reader what to think about the piece. I was disappointed by this audiobook, although Simon Vance did his usual competent job narrating it.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.