{"title":"Benjamin Taylor","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to the collection of works by Benjamin Taylor, a distinguished author celebrated for his insightful contributions to the realm of Biography \u0026amp; Memoir. Taylor's writing is renowned for its depth, clarity, and nuanced exploration of literary figures and their intricacies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAmong his notable works is \u003cem\u003eProust\u003c\/em\u003e, a vivid and engaging biography that delves into the life and times of the legendary French writer Marcel Proust. In this book, Taylor masterfully weaves together Proust's personal journey with his literary achievements, offering readers a comprehensive look into one of literature's most enigmatic figures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBenjamin Taylor's works consistently reflect his profound understanding and appreciation for literature, making them a perfect choice for both avid readers of biographies and those newly exploring the genre. Dive into his collections for an illuminating experience that connects you with the lives of remarkable individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"proust-by-benjamin-taylor-9780300224283","title":"Proust","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an arresting new study of the life, times, and achievement of one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Taylor’s endeavour is not to explain the life by the novel or the novel by the life but to show how different events, different emotional upheavals, fired Proust’s imagination and, albeit sometimes completely transformed, appeared in his work. The result is a very subtle, thought-provoking book.” — Anka Muhlstein, author of \u003ci\u003eBalzac’s Omelette\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMonsieur Proust’s Library\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMarcel Proust came into his own as a novelist comparatively late in life, yet only Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoyevsky were his equals when it came to creating characters as memorably human. As biographer Benjamin Taylor suggests, Proust was a literary lightweight before writing his multi-volume masterwork \u003ci\u003eIn Search of Lost Time\u003c\/i\u003e, but following a series of momentous historical and personal events, he became—against all expectations—one of the greatest writers of his, and indeed any, era.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis insightful, beautifully written biography examines Proust’s artistic struggles—the “search” of the subtitle—and stunning metamorphosis in the context of his times. Taylor provides an in-depth study of the author’s life while exploring how Proust’s personal correspondence and published works were greatly informed by his mother’s Judaism, his homosexuality, and such dramatic events as the Dreyfus Affair and, above all, World War I. As Taylor writes in his prologue, \u003ci\u003eProust’s Search\u003c\/i\u003e is the most encyclopaedic of novels, encompassing the essentials of human nature. . . . His account, running from the early years of the Third Republic to the aftermath of World War I, becomes the inclusive story of all lives, a colossal mimesis. To read the entire \u003ci\u003eSearch\u003c\/i\u003e is to find oneself transfigured and victorious at journey’s end, at home in time and in eternity too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout Jewish Lives:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMore praise for Jewish Lives:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Excellent.” – New York Times\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Exemplary.” – Wall Street Journal\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Distinguished.” – New Yorker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e“Superb.” – The Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855825948908,"sku":"9780300224283","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24240573482294.jpg?v=1759279818"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/benjamin-taylor.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}