Marcel Proust, Prix Goncourt 1919: the centenary exhibition
- Heritage exhibition of the September 11, 2019 at October 23, 2019
- Exhibition produced with the support of the Maison de Tante-Léonie (Illiers-Combray), the Prix Goncourt (Nancy), the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the Jacques-Doucet Literary Library.
© Marcel Proust by Otto Wegener, known as Otto, 1896, Maison de Tante-Léonie- Marcel-Proust Museum.
Drouant, December 10, 1919: Marcel Proust receives the 17th Goncourt Prize for À l’ombre des jeunes filles en fleurs , second part of À la recherche du temps perdu.
This decision is a historic one: a new literary era opens with the consecration of an unparalleled novel, in which our relationship to time, reality, subjectivity and loved ones is at stake.
The following days were marked by a protest movement in the French press. This led Jacques Rivière, a friend of the writer and director of La NRF, who witnessed this "little riot" of paper, to say: "Only masterpieces have the privilege of winning over such a consonant chorus of enemies at once. Fools never start a revolution without having been subjected to some positive and truly cruel insult."
Return to the Galerie Gallimard on the history of this prize, based on the archives of Éditions Gallimard, the Maison de Tante-Léonie (Illiers-Combray), the Prix Goncourt (Nancy), the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques-Doucet, with the presentation of around sixty exceptional documents, some of which were exhibited as part of the Printemps proustien in Aunt Léonie's House in Illiers-Combray: letters, printing proofs, manuscripts and original "cupboards", drawings and photographs.
Particularly noteworthy is Marcel Proust's personal notebook. Moi prix Goncourt (around 1920-1921) and exhibited for the first time, two drawings by Paul Morand loaned by the National Library of France: Marcel Proust au Ritz (around 1917) and Marcel Proust sur son lit de mort (November 1922).
Paul Morand, Marcel Proust sur son lit de mort, November 1922, ink and wash (© Succession Paul Morand / photo Bibliothèque nationale de France)
"You know nothing about the Goncourt Brothers' will. I do. The clause does not specify that they left the prize to a young man. No, it is a young talent. Which is exactly the case with Mr. Proust; for, I tell you, he is a writer who is more than a hundred years ahead of his time."
Léon Daudet at Drouant, December 10, 1919
The Galerie Gallimard also exhibits an original seat (Saint-Loup , stepladder chair, 2018) created by designer Anthony Guerrée as part of the project “Les assises du temps perdu” (Private Collection edition). Walls covered with the kind collaboration of our partner FARROW&BALL. Wallpaper reference: Shouchikubai BP 4504.
