Proust, Mar ‧ cel /pruːst, ˈmɑːsel $ mɑːrˈsel/ BrE AmE
(1871–1922) a French writer of novels, considered to be one of the greatest writers of modern times. His best known work is a series of novels called in English Remembrance of Things Past , which is a detailed description of French society in the late 19th century, and is sometimes mentioned as a typical example of a very long book. Many people also know how the book begins, when one of the characters eats a ‘madeleine’ (=a type of small cake) and the taste reminds him of an earlier time.