Today we will explore Proust’s life, check out some exciting new jobs and conclude with some reading recommendations for your weekend. Before that, here is an exciting podcast episode that will help you understand the foundational debates that shaped India.
Bhanu Potta is one of our patrons who ran the product management fellowship, and helped scores of young leaders break into top schools. He will now be running more mentorship programs on Network Capital and might also write a few newsletters. Give his essay a read and let us know if you want to hear more from him.
How Proust could change your life?
Marcel Proust was a French novelist born in 1871 and is considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He was born into a bourgeois family in Paris and was initially expected to pursue a career in law or as a civil servant, following the path of his father. However, Proust showed an early interest in literature and began writing from a young age.
Despite his family's expectations, Proust pursued his passion for writing and literature, eventually publishing his first book, "Les Plaisirs et les Jours" (Pleasures and Days), a collection of short stories, in 1896.
Throughout his career, Proust faced numerous challenges, including health problems and financial difficulties. However, his dedication to his craft never wavered, and he continued to work tirelessly on "In Search of Lost Time" until his death in 1922. Also known as "Remembrance of Things Past”, This seven-volume novel is an expansive and deeply introspective exploration of the human experience, drawing heavily on Proust's own memories and observations of French society.
The novel is narrated by an unnamed protagonist, often assumed to be a fictionalized version of Proust himself, as he reflects on his life and experiences from childhood to adulthood, adding observations of French society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.