William C. Carter, professor emeritus of French at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the author of Proust in Love and a new, fully annotated edition of Proust’s classic Swann’s Way.

“An impeccably researched and well-paced narrative that brings vividly and credibly to life not only the writer himself but also the changing world he knew.”—Roger Pearson, New York Times Book Review“Serious, thoughtful, well-balanced, well-informed. . . . Carter is the kind of reader Proust hoped for, one who understands that a great work compels us to become better readers of ourselves.”—Victor Brombert, Los Angeles Times

William C. Carter, professor emeritus of French at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the author of Proust in Love and a new, fully annotated edition of Proust’s classic Swann’s Way.

“An impeccably researched and well-paced narrative that brings vividly and credibly to life not only the writer himself but also the changing world he knew.”—Roger Pearson, New York Times Book Review“Serious, thoughtful, well-balanced, well-informed. . . . Carter is the kind of reader Proust hoped for, one who understands that a great work compels us to become better readers of ourselves.”—Victor Brombert, Los Angeles Times

William C. Carter, professor emeritus of French at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is the author of Proust in Love and a new, fully annotated edition of Proust’s classic Swann’s Way.

“An impeccably researched and well-paced narrative that brings vividly and credibly to life not only the writer himself but also the changing world he knew.”—Roger Pearson, New York Times Book Review“Serious, thoughtful, well-balanced, well-informed. . . . Carter is the kind of reader Proust hoped for, one who understands that a great work compels us to become better readers of ourselves.”—Victor Brombert, Los Angeles Times