Sodom and Gomorrah—now in a superb translation by John Sturrock—takes up the theme of homosexual love, male and female, and dwells on how destructive sexual jealousy can be for those who suffer it. Proust’s novel is also an unforgiving analysis of both the decadent high society of Paris and the rise of a philistine bourgeoisie that is on the way to supplanting it. Characters who had lesser roles in earlier volumes now reappear in a different light and take center stage, notably Albertine, with whom the narrator believes he is in love, and the insanely haughty Baron de Charlus.
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Review
John Sturrock is pitch-perfect in Sodom and Gomorrah, equally at home with its intimacies and its bitter comedy... poetic. (The Irish Times)
About the Author
Marcel Proust (1871–1922) was the greatest French novelist of the twentieth century.
John Sturrock is a writer and critic who has previously translated Victor Hugo, Stendhal, and Rimbaud. A consulting editor at the London Review of Books, he lives in West Sussex, England.
Christopher Prendergast is professor of French at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of KingÂ’s College.
John Sturrock is a writer and critic who has previously translated Victor Hugo, Stendhal, and Rimbaud. A consulting editor at the London Review of Books, he lives in West Sussex, England.
Christopher Prendergast is professor of French at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of KingÂ’s College.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thank you, Penguin,
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This review is from: Sodom and Gomorrah: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 4 (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Mass Market Paperback)
Sturrock justifies the editor's (Prendergast's) decision to include him in his lineup of translators. The English (as is the case with the preceding Penguin volumes of In Search of Lost Time) feels fresh, contemporary, and natural, never stilted or forced. Idioms and puns are almost always rendered as well in the English as they must be in the French. Even if you have read the Moncrieff translation, Sturrock and his fellow translators make a return to Proust worthwhile. After the cliffhanger at the end of The Guermantes Way, I couldn't wait to get to Sodom and Gomorrah. Proust and Sturrock deliver an always engaging follow-up.
(A quick note on the book's physical character: I love how Penguin has handled these softcover editions. They are just big enough that the print can be of a legible size. They're a pleasure to hold for long spells of reading. And they're sturdily-enough constructed that the spine need not crease.)
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Helpful Footnotes,
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This review is from: Sodom and Gomorrah: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 4 (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Mass Market Paperback)
This new translations features 29 pages of helpful footnotes - limiting the need to constantly turn to Wikipedia for elucidation of Proust's many historical and literary references. The translation is easy to follow.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not my favorite of the series...but still a worthwhile read...,
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This review is from: Sodom and Gomorrah: In Search of Lost Time, Volume 4 (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'm glad I read this, but it was not my favorite entry in the series, due to the subject matter. Marcel, the narrator, grows up - and learns way more about the sex lives of his friends than I cared to know. Also, a lot of these characters are snobs, hypocritical, and/or manipulative. Fortunately there are a few good ones in the bunch that I could cheer for.
Marcel finally goes to the Princess Guermantes dinner party (the one he was invited to in the last book). There are some funny moments there. He talks to Swann for one last time. He comes to terms with his grandmother's death when he travels to Balbec again - without her. He becomes a regular at the Verdurin's house (where Swann met Odette back in book #1) and he gets better aquainted with the Baron de Charlus and the baron's protege, Morel. He spends a lot of time with Albertine and struggles to figure out if he loves her or not. I enjoyed the writing very much, as usual. Proust's descriptions are a bit long winded, but lovely. Again, I have to say that I love the way Proust shows us what people are thinking and feeling. It's easy to recognize modern day people in some of these characters. Now, on to book #5!
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