The Irish Proust

The first book devoted to exploring Marcel Proust's influence on Irish literature and Irish themes within his work, this book reveals a surprising textual dimension of Proust's novel and traces the enduring legacy of his work throughout twentieth-century Irish letters.

Proust's work, which was briefly banned in Ireland, occupies a central position within the Irish literary and cultural imaginary. From Samuel Beckett and Elizabeth Bowen to Brendan Behan and John McGahern, À la recherche du temps perdu has been a touchstone for generations of Irish writers.

Including bold new readings of Proust's presence within the writings of Beckett, Bowen, Behan, McGahern, Mary Devenport O'Neill, and Gerald Murnane, this book draws on a wide range of archival sources and sheds new light on the cosmopolitan literary and intellectual mood that developed in post-independence Ireland despite extensive censorship and harsh official mores.