In the Absence of Men. (Briefs).

Stone, Martha E.

by Philippe Besson (trans. by Frank Wynne) Carroll & Graf. 176 pages, $20.

In this biographical novel, Philippe Besson has attempted to climb into the extravagant world of Marcel Proust. Translated from the French by Frank Wynne, In the Absence of Men is an elegiac novel set in the summer of 1916. It is narrated by sixteen-year-old Vincent de l'Etoile, who never fails to remind us of his girlish beauty, believes he should deny himself nothing, and understands just how much power he wields. He is the platonically beloved of Proust, which doesn't prevent him from falling in love with Arthur, a French soldier a few years older than himself, with whom he initiates an affair. His "friendship" with Arthur meets with disapproval because the latter is the son of a women who's "in service" to the de l'Etoile family. Vincent is tiresome in his teenage way, full of wise thoughts, needing no adults, yet finally turning to Proust for advice. He and Proust often meet at the Ritz, the best vantage point for the War. The middle third of the book consists of letters exchanged between Vincent and Art hur, with Vincent carelessly writing undisguised letters of his love for Arthur, who's off in the trenches. All the letters that the three men exchange, however--including those of Proust--sound as if written by the same person, all sharing the same style. Besson closes with a thunderous revelation by Arthur's mother, told in her own voice, which comes as the novel's major eclat. The book is an engaging account of Proust and his times, recommended for anyone who's interested in Proust's stranger-than-fiction life.