The definitive translation of thegreatest French novel of the twentieth century"One of the cornerstones of the Western literary canon."-The TimesInThe Guermantes WayMarcel Proust's narrator recalls his initiation into the dazzling world of Parisian high society. Looking back over his time in the glamorous salons of the aristocracy, he satirises this shallow world and his own youthful infatuation with it. His observations, and his experiences with his lover Albertine, also educate him in the volatile nature of desire as he walks the path towards adulthood."It's a novel with zero plot, but the narrator's brilliant analyses of everyday experiences more than make up for it. I've never read a better description of what it feels like to fall asleep."-Alain De Batton, Mail On Sunday"The plot is as gripping as any soap opera, the jokes come thick and fast...Proust's is a world entire - so why not take it with you anywhere in the world?"-Will Self, Independent On Sunday"The way he replicates the workings of the mind changed the art of novel-writing forever...his style is extraordinary, enveloping, captivating."-The Guardian