Marcel Proust is one of the most influential writers of modern literature. The Société des Amis de Marcel Proust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing his life, work, and legacy.
The organization manages and develops the Marcel Proust Museum – Maison de Tante Léonie in Illiers-Combray (France), a historic house that belonged to Proust’s uncle and aunt and where he spent his childhood holidays. These formative experiences later inspired some of the most celebrated pages in world literature—including the famous “madeleine moment” at the opening of Du côté de chez Swann, the first volume of In Search of Lost Time.
Located in a small rural town 25 km from Chartres and about 120 km southwest of Paris, the museum has been open to the public for more than fifty years. Between 2022 and 2024, the house underwent a major renovation aimed at improving the preservation of the historic interiors and enhancing the visitor experience.
Today, the museum welcomes approximately 12,000 visitors each year – many of whom travel from abroad to discover the place where the memories that became Combray first took shape.
This house is the only authentic historic site directly connected to Proust’s childhood and to the literary genesis of his masterpiece. By preserving it, we safeguard the very place where lived experience was transformed into literature.
Our vision is to establish the Marcel Proust Museum as an international center for literary heritage, scholarship, and cultural dialogue.
By protecting this historic family home—where the memories that became Combray were first formed—we aim to preserve not only a building, but the living source of one of the most influential works of twentieth-century literature.
The Société des Amis de Marcel Proust actively preserves and animates the Marcel Proust Museum – Maison de Tante Léonie through a combination of conservation, cultural programming, and scholarly engagement.
Historic Preservation and Conservation
The organization oversees the restoration and long-term maintenance of the museum’s historic structure and interiors, ensuring that this unique literary landmark remains accessible to the public. Ongoing conservation work protects the house, its period furnishings, and its collections.
Strategic Acquisitions
To strengthen the museum’s authenticity and scholarly value, the Society acquires artworks, manuscripts, rare editions, and archival materials connected to Marcel Proust and his intellectual milieu. These acquisitions deepen visitors’ understanding of the historical and artistic context in which In Search of Lost Time was created.
Cultural Programming and Public Events
The museum hosts lectures, concerts, and cultural events that bring together scholars, artists, and the public. These programs position the Maison de Tante Léonie as a living space for literary dialogue and cultural exchange.
Research and Scholarship
Through publications and research initiatives, the Society advances knowledge of Proust’s work and its broader literary, artistic, and historical significance, fostering continued scholarly engagement with his legacy.
Through restoration, strategic acquisitions, publications and educational initiatives, we seek to make Proust’s reflections on memory, identity, time, and artistic creation – symbolized by the madeleine episode – accessible and meaningful to all, including new generations around the world.
U.S. donors can make tax-deductible donations in support of the preservation and conservation of the museum’s historic site and collections; acquisitions of artworks, manuscripts, and archival materials; public lectures, concerts, and cultural events; and research initiatives dedicated to advancing knowledge of Proust’s work and its historical and artistic context.
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