MARCEL PROUST

David Case's refined delivery of this adventurous look at Proust's motivations and personality is done with a mixture of "litany and spurn"--in other words, perfect Proustian style. Case expertly intensifies the effect of Proust's flaws, which seem at times to predominate. For those without an ear for Case's accent, names and places are less recognizable then they would be in print, but it adds a lilt of irony and an undertone of subversion to a sometimes bizarre, sometimes confused existence. Proust resolves to forgive the private lives of geniuses, and so can we, with Case's lively assistance. M.L. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]