Malvern staff member Fernando is a New York Review Books Classics enthusiast, and he has an excellent recommendation for y’all…

Lost Time: Lectures on Proust in a Soviet Prison Camp by Józef Czapski

At the beginning of every year I ask myself, “Is this the year I will finally read Proust?” and by its end the answer is always no—however, I always enjoy reading about Proust. Polish artist and soldier Józef Czapski was a prisoner in a Soviet camp during the Second World War, and this book is based on two transcriptions of his lectures on In Search of Lost Time, which he delivered to his fellow inmates with only his memory to go on. It is a slim book, and I can vouch that it is very enriching for anybody interested in art, memory, Proust, World War II, and the power of literature.

Also recommended: Monsieur Proust by Céleste Albaret. This memoir written by Proust’s housekeeper during the time Proust wrote In Search of Lost Time is essential for anybody interested in learning the peculiarities of this canonical writer.