Recollections of the Young Proust

In 1896 a young girl called Marie Nordlinger arrived in Paris from Manchester to study painting. Her cousin, Reynaldo Hahn, was becoming known as a composer and performer whose songs were sung in many European drawing-rooms. His close friend Marcel Proust was an aspiring novelist and student of law and philosophy. Their friendship was based on a passion for literature and music. The mainspring of the enduring friendship between Marie and Marcel was their devotion to Reynaldo, but they also shared an enthusiasm for the fine arts, the countryside and the writings of John Ruskin. Marie spoke fluent French and helped Marcel, who spoke no English, when he embarked on a study of Ruskin’s work. During these five years Marcel developed his theories on memory, imagination and creativity. Ruskin and Turner, Marie’s Japanese water flowers, Reynaldo’s playing of a Saint-Sans sonata, these are part of the mosaic of memories that compose la Recherche du temps perdu.