How was Swann’s Way finally published?

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Portrait of French author Marcel Proust, seated with his hand resting thoughtfully against his chin, wearing a dark suit and looking directly at the camera. — Marcel Proust French author Marcel Proust wrote what is considered one of the supreme achievements of modern fiction, the seven-part autobiographical novel *À la recherche du temps perdu* (1913–27; *In Search of Lost Time*).

The first volume of Marcel Proust’s masterpiece, Swann’s Way (Du côté de chez Swann), faced significant challenges before reaching the public. After the manuscript was rejected by prominent publishers such as Fasquelle and Ollendorff, as well as the intellectual La Nouvelle Revue Française, Proust finally secured its publication by issuing the work at his own expense.12

The book was released in November 1913 by the progressive young publisher Bernard Grasset and achieved a measure of success. It was not until years later, following the success of subsequent volumes and the awarding of the Prix Goncourt to the second installment of his novel, that Proust achieved widespread fame.12