Within a Budding Grove

Within a Budding Grove, Part One, continues Marcel Proust’s monumental cycle Remembrance of Things Past which has been described as ‘one of the greatest works of imagination of all time’. As the young narrator succumbs to the charms of the enchanting Gilberte, the author presents us with an unparalleled account of the pangs of adolescent love. Proust has created from the raw material of his life a work of art of unsurpassed originality, filled with his own uniquely sensitive and subtle spirit. Within a Budding Grove was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1918.

In Part Two of Within a Budding Grove, young Marcel falls under the spell of an enchanting group of adolescent girls. At first intoxicated by their beauty and athletic energy, he finds it difficult choose between them. But gradually he finds himself drawn to the beautiful Albertine – though without guessing how much she is to mean to him in the future. Within a Budding Grove is the second book of Marcel Proust’s monumental, quasi-autobiographical novel Remembrance of Things Past. It was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1919.