Marcel PROUST Signed Autograph Letter 1913 Announcement Wynckele

  
Slnd [Thursday, April 10, 1913] - Letter published in the Kolb correspondence, volume XII, pages 130-131. A lovely letter from Marcel Proust to his friend Georges de Lauris following the death of Georges' uncle, Louis van de Wynckele. Georges de Lauris was part of the group of "young dukes" who frequently exchanged ideas with Proust and spent evenings in his room.

He was an intimate friend and contributed some traits to the character of Robert de Saint-Loup. We are just a few months away from the publication of "Du Côté de chez Swann" on November 14, 1913. At this time, Proust is deeply engaged in the countless corrections of the first volume of "In Search of Lost Time." This letter is quite characteristic of the essence of Proust's reflections in "In Search"; it reflects on time, memories, and their incarnations.

The death announcement of Louis van de Wynckele (1850-1913) is attached. A beautiful and grand signature. I have thought a lot about you upon learning of the death of your uncle.

I believe he was your mother's brother, and because of that, he must have been somewhat the keeper of a thousand memories, even memories from the time when your mother was not yet your mother. Perhaps he even reminded you of her in some physical traits. Perhaps you also think about the sorrow she would have felt (though surely her greatest sorrow was if she knew she was leaving you and that you would be so unhappy). Finally, Georges, there is not a single feeling you may have experienced that my anxious and poorly informed affection has not felt.

Please convey my respectful regards to Madame de Lauris and to your father. After the death of his uncle, Georges de Lauris moved into the house in Auteuil. It is there that he frequently receives his friends, including Marcel Proust.

The Auteuil house, with its garden and atmosphere of an old bourgeois residence, contributed to Proust's imagination. It echoes the house of Uncle Adolphe, largely inspired by Louis Weil, Proust's uncle, but enriched by visits to Georges de Lauris.

In August 1905, while Proust was deeply affected by the grief of his mother's passing, he stayed with Georges de Lauris in Auteuil (in the former house of Jules). This calm setting allowed him to rest and continue his reflections on time and memory. Below, Portrait of Marcel Proust, by Jacques-Emile Blanche. Letter published in the Kolb correspondence, volume XII, pages 130-131.