Sodome et Gomorrhe by Marcel Proust

 Sodome et Gomorrhe by Marcel Proust

 

As mentioned in my previous notes, “reviews” on A La Recherche du Temps Perdu, Proust is my Favorite, Number One of All Time writer. When I discovered him, some thirty years ago, homosexuality was an alien thing. It still is, in the sense that I am not attracted to men, but in the meantime I have learned more about this minority and, more important here, about Proust. At the time when I had my first encounter with Sodome et Gomorrhe, I did not know Proust was gay. It seemed rather strange that he knows so much about men who recognize each other in the blink of an eye, but now I can see why Proust is so knowledgeable. As he says, we change; we are in fact two different people at two stages in life. My perspective on Sodome et Gomorrhe changed dramatically; in fact, I have a different view on Proust. I remembered now that I was not keen on the subject of this novel and happy that the book is so complex and treats so many subjects in such an exquisite way.

 

Romania gets mentioned with its queen, her pen name being Carmen Silva. Then there is the fact that a French writer is known in Romania as an aristocrat and not so much for his work. The only less gratifying phrases are those that deal with names of villages, places which do not turn me on. The other …. fact is that, though repelling in a few ways, some characters are fascinating and I find them entertaining, complex, very interesting: Charlus for instance, although vain, pompous, arrogant, mean, patronizing is one of the most memorable characters I have read about.