The 100-Year Anniversary of Proust’s Final Night on the Town

Proust at the Majestic Book Cover

On May 18, 1922, one of Paris’ grandest hotels was the site of a legendary dinner party. Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Diaghilev, James Joyce, and Marcel Proust, were among the attendees. The evening is featured in a book, titled Proust at the Majestic: The Last Days of the Author Whose Book Changed Paris, by the British historian and biographer Richard Davenport-Hines. Proust was a life-long asthma sufferer whose allergies and attacks worsened as he aged. Gradually, he came to believe that these suffocating bouts were less severe at night. Thus, he began to sleep during the day, devoting the nighttime to his writing and seldom venturing from his apartment. Lamentably, the hypersensitive author self-administered a wide variety of stimulants and sedatives in order to adhere to this self-imposed regimen. By his mid-40s, Proust spent much of his time in bed. On November 18, 1922, exactly 6 months after the famous soirée, the brilliant novelist succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 51.

To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of Proust’s last appearance among Parisian high society, Jonathan Goldberg, a retired attorney, and fellow Francophile, blogger, and translator, suggested I translate a book review that he originally posted on his French history blog, Clio — La muse de l’histoire, in 2019. Written in French by Madame Nicole Dufresne, PhD, Professor Emeritus at UCLA’s Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, the review critiques the French translation of Davenport-Hines’s book.

In an exercise that may seem a bit like completing the ring formed by a serpent biting its own tail, I give you my English translation alongside Dufresne’s review of the French translation of Davenport-Hines’ book. I think you’ll find Dufresne’s summary both entertaining and informative.

«Proust at the Majestic»
Par Nicole Dufresne

La parution de Proust at the Majestic : The Last Days of the Author Whose Book Changed Paris [i] par Richard Davenport-Hines en 2006 et sa traduction en français [ii] en 2008 ont suscité grand nombre de critiques enthousiastes d’experts en Proust. [iii] Entre le fameux souper au Majestic en mai 1922 au premier chapitre et la mort de Proust en novembre de la même année au dernier, Davenport-Hines examine avec finesse, érudition et humour la vie personnelle de l’auteur, les personnages et les thèmes de La Recherche, faisant ainsi émerger toute la société qui entourait Proust au début des années 20.
Proust at the Majestic
Translated by Carol A. Seidl

In 2006, the publication of Proust at the Majestic: The Last Days of the Author Whose Book Changed Paris1, by Richard Davenport-Hines, and its French translation2 in 2008, sparked a number of enthusiastic reviews from experts on Proust.3 Between the famous late-night supper at the Majestic in May 1922 in the first chapter and the death of Proust that same year in the last, Davenport-Hines carefully examines, with scholarship and humor, the personal life of the author, as well as the characters and themes from his most famous work, À la recherche du temps perdu, thereby bringing to light the society that surrounded Proust at the beginning of the 1920s.
Davenport-Hines encadre son essai de deux lieux intérieurs – le Majestic, le palace moderniste de l’avenue Kléber[iv] et la chambre caverneuse de Proust, rue Hamelin – connectés par deux trajets extérieurs –de la chambre au Majestic et de la chambre au cimetière du Père Lachaise. Ces endroits délimitent l’acheminement de Proust à la fin de sa vie, le sanctuaire de la rue Hamelin étant le centre de travail et de souffrance de l’auteur. Je voudrais ici me concentrer sur la réunion nocturne au Majestic afin de démontrer son caractère à la fois exceptionnel et banal. C’est une soirée mondaine parmi bien d’autres à l’époque – sans doute l’équivalent aujourd’hui d’une post-Oscar party; cependant elle atteint une dimension mythique en rassemblant after-hours les grands du modernisme.
Davenport-Hines frames his account with two indoor settings—The Hotel Majestic, housed in the neoclassical palace on Avenue Kléber4, and Proust’s cavernous bedroom on Rue Hamelin—connected by two outdoor trajectories—one between Proust’s bedroom and the Majestic, and the other between the bedroom and Père Lachaise cemetery. These locations mark the extent of Proust’s movements at the end of his life, his sanctuary in the Rue Hamelin being the center of the author’s work and suffering. I would like here to concentrate on the nocturnal gathering at the Majestic in order to reveal its character, both exceptional and banal. This was a soirée of high society among many of that era—no doubt the equivalent of today’s post-Oscar party; however, it was to attain mythical proportions by assembling after-hours the great men of modernism.
Location of Proust's Last DInner Party
Formerly the Hotel Majestic, today’s Peninsula Paris remains a historic luxury hotel.
Le 18 mai 1922, un souper fin a lieu au Majestic pour fêter la première du ballet Le Renard de Stravinski interprété par les Ballets russes de Diaghilev avec une chorégraphie de Nijinska, la sœur de Nijinski. La soirée est donnée par un couple d’Anglais, Violet et Sydney Schiff, juifs fortunés, grands amateurs d’art, de musique et de littérature, mais elle est organisée par le célèbre impresario des Ballets russes Diaghilev, lui-même invité d’honneur. Une quarantaine de personnes sont invitées, soit par Diaghilev, soit par les Schiff : des femmes du monde (la princesse Edmond de Polignac qui avait commandité le ballet à Stravinski), le demi-monde des émigrés russes – danseurs, musiciens, peintres, Stravinski bien sûr et Picasso, très investi dans la création des décors des ballets russes, bref le tout-Paris du moment.
On May 18, 1922, a light dinner party was held at the Majestic to celebrate the premiere of Stravinsky’s ballet Le Renard, performed by the Ballets Russes, and choreographed by Nijinska, Nijinski’s sister. The soirée was hosted by an English couple, Violet and Sydney Schiff, wealthy Jews who were great connoisseurs of art, music, and literature, but it was organized by the famous impresario, Diaghilev, founder of the Ballets Russes, who himself was the guest of honor. Roughly 40 guests were invited, some by Diaghilev, some by the Schiffs: socialites (such as Princess Edmond de Polignac who had commissioned Stravinsky’s ballet), a small circle of Russian emigrants (dancers, musicians, painters), Stravinsky of course, and Picasso, who was devoted to designing scenery and costumes of the Ballets Russes; in short, the movers and shakers of Parisian high society.
Misia Sert, la mécène des Ballets russes, surnommée « Madame Verdurinska » par son amie Gabrielle Chanel, doit certainement assister à la soirée, car elle assure avec Diaghilev la médiation de ce nouveau gotha artistique, mais la liste des invités n’est pas publiée. [v] Cette soirée si soigneusement élaborée reste pourtant très tendue : Diaghilev est l’invité d’honneur, mais c’est aussi lui qui paie. Les critiques d’art (dont Clive Bell) observent, jugent et se moquent des amateurs d’art et autres invités. Amis et ennemis se toisent. Picasso s’ennuie. Diaghilev et Stravinski, bien que collaborateurs artistiques, entretiennent un rapport antagoniste depuis des années.[vi]Misia Sert, a benefactor of the Ballets Russes, nicknamed “Madame Verdurinska” by her friend Gabrielle Chanel, must certainly attend the party, assuring Diaghilev the mediation of this new mix of artistic figures, but the invitation list is not published.5 The evening, so carefully produced, remains, however, extremely tense: Diaghilev is the guest of honor but he is also the one paying. The art critics (including Clive Bell) are watching, judging, and mocking the art enthusiasts and other guests. Friends and enemies size each other up. Picasso becomes bored. Diaghilev and Stravinski, although artistic collaborators have maintained an antagonistic relationship for years.6
 L’imprésario est aussi enragé de la présence de Nijinska car elle lui rappelle Nijinski son ancien amant qui l’a laissé tomber pour se marier. La présence de Diaghilev doit exercer une tension érotique, lui qui a fait de la scène des Ballets russes un écrin public pour les beaux danseurs et chorégraphes – ses amants ou ses muses.[vii] Alors qu’on sert le café, James Joyce arrive l’air minable en titubant. Les Schiff ont sans doute du mal à cacher leur angoisse : l’ami intime qu’ils ont personnellement invité viendra-t-il ? Il s’agit évidemment de Marcel Proust. Celui-ci arrivera finalement vers deux heures trente du matin, élégamment vêtu ; malgré sa maladie, il ne peut laisser passer une telle occasion de se mêler au tout-Paris. La soirée est en effet l’apogée mondaine de la dernière année de sa vie.Diaghilev is also enraged by Nijinska’s presence since she reminds him of Nijinski, his former lover who left him in order to marry. Diaghilev’s presence has to provoke an erotic tension, he who turned the stage of the Ballets Russes into a public jewel case for beautiful dancers and choreographers—his lovers or his muses.7 Just when coffee is served, James Joyce arrives, looking disheveled and staggering. The Schiffs undoubtedly have difficulty hiding their concern: will the close friend that they personally invited appear? Obviously, they’re waiting for Marcel Proust, who finally arrives, elegantly dressed, around 2:30 in the morning. Despite his illness, he can’t pass up such an occasion to mix with the who’s who of Paris. The soirée is in effect the social pinnacle of the last year of his life.
Cette réception restreinte aux initiés, se situe hors du quotidien et de la normalité, puisqu’en pleine nuit, et chacun va y échanger conversations spirituelles ou mots acerbes en anglais, français ou russe. Les Schiff et Diaghilev facilitent les rencontres qui ne peuvent avoir lieu que dans un tel endroit, un tel « entre-deux » exclusif, toutefois des personnalités aussi monumentales que Stravinski, Picasso, Joyce et Proust peuvent-elles trouver un terrain d’entente ? Ainsi, la rencontre tant attendue de Proust et Joyce sera un fiasco : ils n’ont aucune appréciation pour leurs œuvres respectives.This reception, limited to insiders, takes place outside of the day-to-day and normal life. In the middle of the night, all will exchange witty conversations or acerbic words in English, French, or Russian. The Schiffs and Diaghilev facilitate encounters that can only take place in such an environment, in such an exclusive time frame. Nevertheless, can such monumental personalities as Stravinski, Picasso, Joyce, and Proust find common ground? Thusly, the much-awaited meeting of Proust and Joyce will prove a fiasco: they each hold zero appreciation for the other’s work.
A la fin de la soirée, Proust retourne chez lui en taxi avec les Schiff qui s’accrochent amoureusement à lui suivis de Joyce, l’indésirable, dont on arrivera difficilement à se débarrasser. La chambre de Proust est ce lieu caché, refuge pour écrire et souffrir, où seuls les intimes sont admis. Proust s’y cloîtrera durant les six mois à venir jusqu’à sa mort, le 18 novembre 1922. Trois jours plus tard, ce sera le passage de la mort privée à la mort publique et le cercueil de Proust sera amené au cimetière du Père-Lachaise accompagné du tout Paris. Au cimetière, en plein jour, se retrouveront ceux-là mêmes qui se trouvaient à la fête nocturne du Majestic.At the end of the evening, Proust returns home in a taxi with the adoring Schiffs clinging to his sides, followed by Joyce, the undesirable, whom they have difficulty getting rid of. Proust’s room is a secret spot, a refuge for his writing and suffering, where only intimate friends are admitted. There, Proust will shut himself in for the next 6 months leading to his death on November 18, 1922. Three days thereafter will mark the transition from private death to public death as Proust’s casket is brought to Père-Lachaise, accompanied by all of Paris. At the cemetery, in broad daylight, those who attended the nocturnal fête at the Majestic will find each other among the crowd.
En mai 1885, Paris donnait à Victor Hugo des funérailles nationales et la belle époque allait commencer avec une liberté artistique et culturelle inconcevable jusqu’alors. [viii] La culmination de cette ère de « banquets » et de fêtes fut la création par Diaghilev du ballet de Stravinski, Le Sacre du printemps, avec une chorégraphie de Nijinski en 1913. (Pour fêter le centenaire de l’œuvre, le Joffrey Ballet reprend en 2013 la chorégraphie originale.) On a comparé le scandale du Sacre à la bataille d’Hernani en 1830. Par ailleurs, la célébration du Renard peut se voir comme un coda à toute l’exubérance créatrice du début du vingtième siècle.In May of 1885, Paris held a state funeral for Victor Hugo. The Belle Époque was just beginning with an artistic and cultural freedom previously unimaginable.8 The culmination of this era of banquets and celebrations was Diaghilev’s production of Stravinski’s ballet, Le Sacre du printemps, choreographed by Nijinski in 1913. (To celebrate the centennial of this work in 2013, the Joffrey Ballet resurrected the original choreography.) People have compared the resulting scandal surrounding Nijinski’s Sacre with audience reactions to Hugo’s play La Bataille d’Hernani in 1830. [Both works challenged prevailing artistic standards and incited rioting.] Moreover, the celebration of Le Renard can be seen as a coda to the creative exuberance that marks the beginning of the 20th century.
Ceux qui accompagnèrent Proust à sa dernière demeure pensaient-ils à leur rencontre du 18 mai ? Etait-ce l’enterrement d’une époque révolue? Toujours est-il qu’avec sa mort Proust entrait vraiment dans le domaine public, lui qui avait toujours préféré vivre dans le privé et le nocturne, comme l’atteste la soirée au Majestic.Did those who accompanied Proust to his final resting place think back to the gathering on May 18th? Was this the burial of a bygone era? The fact remains that with his death, Proust entered definitively into the public domain; he who had always preferred to live in privacy and at night, as evidenced by the evening at the Majestic.
Marcel Proust's Grave
Marcel Proust’s Grave in Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
[i] L’édition originale a été publiée en Angleterre sous le titre A Night at the Majestic, Faber et Faber, 2006.
[ii] Davenport-Hines, Richard. Proust at the Majestic, Bloomsbury Press, 2006.
[iii] La traduction française de André Zavriew a été publiée sous le titre « Proust au Majestic » (Grasset & Fasquelle, 2008).
[iv] NDLR : Le « Majestic Hotel » a été construit initialement pour un aristocrate russe en 1864. Le noble russe a vendu le palace en 1868 a la Reine Isabelle II d’Espagne, qui l’établi comme son foyer d’exile pendant le premier République espagnole. Elle y habitait pendant 36 ans et le bâtiment a été connu comme le Palais de Castille. Après la mort de la reine, la propriété a été acquis par Leonard Tauber (principal mécène des échecs français pendant la première moitié du 20ème siècle.) On a changé son nom en « Peninsula Hotel ».
[v] Voir “Misia, Reine de Paris“. Exposition au Musée d’Orsay, 12 juin-9 sept. 2012.
[vi] Joseph, Charles M. Diaghilev and Stravinsky, The Ballets Russes and Its World, Yale University Press, 1999.
[vii] Garafola, Lynn. “Reconfiguring the Sexes”, The Ballets Russes and Its World, Yale University Press, 1999.
[viii] Shattuck, Roger. The Banquet Years, Vintage Books, 1955. Traduit en français sous le titre Les Primitifs de l’avant-garde, Rousseau, Satie, Jarry, Apollinaire.
1The first edition was published in England under the title A Night at the Majestic, Faber and Faber, 2006.
2Davenport-Hines, Richard. Proust at the Majestic, Bloomsbury Press, 2006.
3The French translation by André Zavriew was published under the title Proust au Majestic, Grasset & Fasquelle, 2008.
4Editor’s note: The Hotel Majestic was initially built in 1864 for a Russian aristocrat. The Russian nobleman sold the palace in 1868 to Queen Isabella II of Spain, who made it her home of exile during the First Spanish Republic. There she lived for 36 years during which time the building was known as the Palacio Castilla. After the queen’s death, Leonard Tauber (a major chess patron and hotel magnate during the first half of the 20th century) acquired the property and changed its name to the Peninsula Hotel.
5See Misia, Queen of Paris. Exhibit at the Musée d’Orsay, June 12 thru September 9, 2012.
6Joseph, Charles M. Diaghilev and Stravinsky, The Ballets Russes and Its World, Yale University Press, 1999.
7Garafola, Lynn. Reconfiguring the Sexes, The Ballets Russes and Its World, Yale University Press, 1999.
8Shattuck, Roger. The Banquet Years, Vintage Books, 1955. French translation titled Les Primitifs de l’avant-garde, Rousseau, Satie, Jarry, Apollinaire.

About Carol A. Seidl

Serial software entrepreneur, writer, translator, and mother of 3. Avid follower of French media, culture, history, and language. Lover of books, travel, history, art, cooking, fitness, and nature. Cultivating connections with francophiles and francophones.

14 Comments

  1. Denise McCauley

    BRAVA! Wonderful article — wonderful translation.
    There’s a special exhibit on Proust running now at the Museum of Jewish History & Culture in Paris. I don’t recall that they included this story. Really interesting!

  2. I wonder whether such gatherings even happen any more. Even a post-Oscar party probably wouldn’t include composers, authors, painters, and dancers, unless they happened to have worked on a film recently. This one sounds like it must have been rather stressful to attend, with all the tension and strained relationships involved. More a performative occasion for the prestige of being known to have attended, than a chance to let one’s hair down and relax.

    The word quarantaine is interesting. I can’t immediately think of another language that expresses “approximately [number]” as a single word. No doubt there’s some story behind how it also came to mean “quarantine”.

    I think the 2022 in the first line of the post should be 1922?

    I’m curious why a play or a dance performance would incite rioting. It’s hard to imagine Americans doing that.

    • I wondered the same thing Infidel. It seems to me that Bill Gates has done this kind of thing, inviting the foremost experts on a particular subject to dinner, mainly to pick their brains. Just looking at the stern faces in many of the portraits that I posted gives one the feeling that lively interactions would have been tough to spark.

      Yes, I like the French way of stating an age range. It helps avoid insulting people who are sensitive about their age. Somehow, saying « il a la cinquantaine » rather than “he’s in his 50s” just sounds more admirable and elegant.

      Thanks for spotting the error. That’s what happens when you switch up your opening sentence. I need an editor!

      No kidding about the riots, especially over Nijinsky’s Sacre du Printemps. I saw a restaging of that in the 90s and had trouble staying awake.

  3. With such a limited interaction with the world is it any wonder that the part of the world he DID interact with was laid out in such intricate detail? I found the best time to read Proust was at a lake house my in-laws owned. No real noise but the silence made a sound of its own. I made it through the first three books there.

    • Good to know. I’ve only read excerpts in French. I realized that I would need a similar setting if I were to tackle one of his novels. Unfortunately, that moment has yet to arrive.

      I missed a great opportunity several years ago when a local French prof and expert on Proust put together a series of talks that spanned months. Attendees needed to read only a chapter or two before each session. That would have been perfect.

  4. At first I thought this was a dinner party I would have loved to attend. Now, I think not. You gave us a vivid look into the cast of characters. So much talent! Such an abundance of ego!

    When I read Swann’s Way, Proust’s masterpiece was known as “Remembrance of Things Past.” Then it became “In Search of Lost Time,” which even my petit peu smattering of French suggests is more accurate— though I think Remembrance is more lyrical. I just checked and learned that change occurred with DJ Enright’s 1992 translation. Now sometimes the former is given, with the latter in parentheses. You were wise to bypass all this and stay with the French title.

    For years, I intended to read it all. Hope springs eternal.

    • I agree Annie, the dinner party sounds pretty awful but perhaps the tension could have been avoided by hanging out with the dancers of the Ballets Russes. In any case, the Schiffs certainly succeeded in creating a noteworthy event. Here we are one hundred years later, discussing it on a different continent.

      If you ever decide to tackle Proust, let me know. It’s something I’ve also wanted to do but haven’t. Reading it with others might motivate me to finally take the plunge.

  5. A really interesting read. Although I majored in History I never got the chance to learn much about France and your posts always help fill the gaps.

  6. Very interesting. (I see you changed the first date on your post… )
    Au revoir

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