In the last three years of his life at 44 Rue Hamelin, Marcel Proust dedicated himself to completing and revising the final volumes of In Search of Lost Time. By this time, the early volumes, such as Swann’s Way and In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, had already been published. However, the remaining volumes—especially the last three, The Captive, The Fugitive, and Time Regained—were significantly revised and completed during this period.
These final volumes take on a distinctly reflective and retrospective tone, exploring themes of memory, loss, and the reconciliation with the past. The physical and emotional intensity of Proust’s last years at Rue Hamelin is reflected in these volumes, especially in Time Regained, where the narrator finally grasps the nature of time and art’s role in preserving memory. Proust worked feverishly, often staying up all night, making last-minute additions and revisions until his death in 1922.
Thus, the move to Rue Hamelin marked a period of intensified labor and focus, as Proust prepared his manuscript to be published posthumously, ensuring that his vision would be as complete as possible. His efforts during these final years left a lasting impact on the conclusion of In Search of Lost Time, infusing the work with a profound sense of closure and contemplation on the nature of existence.
