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"In Search of Lost Time" ("Remembrance of Things Past")--Á la Recherche du temps perdu
Marcel Proust was over forty years old when Du côté de chez Swann ("Swann's Way") was first published, at his own expense, in 1913. At the time of publication, he had planned the full work, A la Recherche du temps perdu, to span only 3 books/volumes/parts. However it grew in such a way that Proust ultimately conceived of his work as one novel, falling into seven books/volumes/parts.

C K Scott-Moncrieff, translator of the first English version of A la Recherche du temps perdu, gave it the title "Remembrance of Things Past". A subsequent translator gave the work the title "In Search of Lost Time". There are also variantions in the English translation of the titles of the various parts.

Publication of the final parts continued after Proust's death. In the course of publication (as almost a serial between 1913-1927), the work came out in as many as 18 volume.  For example, initial publication of Sodom et Gomorrhe was: Sodom et Gomorrhe I (1 vol) and Sodom et Gomorrhe II (3 vols.).  Another example is that at various times, the original A l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs has been published as 1 volume, 3 volumes, and 2 volumes.

Since this is one novel, and since Proust died before final editing, some of the divisions (in terms of text) between these parts are uncertain towards the end of the novel.  Some editions include certain pages as part of Albertine disparue and others include it as part of Le Temps retrouvé. Proust died leaving only an early draft of Le Temps retrouvé and his brother, Robert, spent several years editing this book..

An example of an English Publication of Remembrance of Things Past...

Remembrance of Things Past (À la recherche du temps perdu):
Chatto and Windus Uniform Edition (1941)--12 Volumes--Translated by C K Scott-Moncrieff

1. and 2. Swann's Way Parts I andII [1922] (Du côté de chez Swann [1913])
3. and 4 Within a Budding Grove Parts I and II [1924] (A l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs [1918])
5. and 6. The Guermantes Way Parts I and II [1925] (Le Côté de Guermantes [1920])
7. and 8. Cities on the Plain Parts I and II [1927] (Sodom et Gomorrhe [1921-1922])
9. and 10. The Captive Parts I and II [1929] (La Prisonnière [1923])
11. The Sweet Cheat Gone [1930] (Albertine disparue [1925])
12. Time Regained [1931] (Le Temps retrouvé [1927])

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Updated 4 August 04