Following Proust: Norman Churches, Cathedrals, and Paris Paintings - Softcover

Provincetown artist Susan Baker dramatically shifts her venue to follow and visually reproduce the trail of Marcel Proust through the areas of France that he lived in, loved, and made the site of the major segments of Remembrance of Things Past. In areas well known to generations of readers through that great novel -- for example, Combray, Balbec, and Guermantes, as well as the home of Monsieur Swann -- and also the areas in which Proust lived and vacationed such as Trouville, Deauville, Rouen, Amiens, and Illiers, not to mention Paris, Baker brilliantly captures the ambiance, buildings, and cathedrals that mark the beauty and the uniqueness of these locations. "Drawn in initially by the humor, then dazzled by the description, and finally obsessed by the genius, I decided to follow Proust -- just to stand where he stood," writes Baker. The colorful outcome of her quest is this rare gift to the world's legions of Francophiles, Proustians, art lovers, and travelers.

SUSAN BAKER, author of Provincetown Dogs (UPNE, 2000), has lived and worked as a visual artist in Provincetown since 1969, where she is now perhaps the area's most popular and beloved artist. She has, over the years, worked in sculpture, painting, and artists' books. Her portrayal of unknown locals as well as the instantly recognizable combines wit and pathos in unique balance. Baker's work touches the boundaries of several styles but remains identifiably her own. Her satire of public figures is outrageously funny while maintaining its bite. The recent landscapes, whether close to home on Cape Cod, or from her travel in Italy and France, reflect an always exploring and innovative talent.