This Week in Literary History: James Joyce and Marcel Proust Meet for the First (and Only) Time
On May 18, 1922, a dinner hosted by Sydney and Violet Schiff in Paris brought together literary giants James Joyce and Marcel Proust for the first and only time. The evening, intended to celebrate Igor Stravinsky's work, turned out to be awkward and unproductive, with both authors struggling to connect. Despite their literary significance, their conversation was limited and marked by mutual disinterest, culminating in a legendary but disappointing encounter.
- ▪The dinner was held at the Hotel Majestic in Paris to celebrate Igor Stravinsky's Renard.
- ▪James Joyce arrived shabby and drunk, while Marcel Proust came late, looking pale and sickly.
- ▪Their conversation was limited to a series of 'No' responses, highlighting their lack of connection.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
This first appeared in Lit Hub’s Literary History newsletter—sign up here. On May 18, 1922, the wealthy British art patrons Sydney and Violet Schiff hosted a dinner at the fashionable Hotel Majestic in Paris, ostensibly to celebrate Igor Stravinsky’s Renard, which had premiered that night, performed by the Ballets Russes at the Théâtre de l’Opéra, but really to bring together the men they considered to be “the world’s greatest living artists”: Marcel Proust, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, and Stravinsky himself. The Schiffs no doubt expected scintillating conversation, best friendships, and/or aesthetic transcendence to come of the evening, but they didn’t get any of that.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Literary Hub.
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