Swann

From Free net encyclopedia

Swann is a 1987 novel by the late Carol Shields which details the impact of an obscure Canadian poet, Mary Swann, upon four individuals: a feminist literary critic, the poet's biographer, a small-town librarian, and a crusty, brilliant newspaper editor. The book is divided into five sections, the first four each centering on one of the characters, and the last detailing (in screenplay format) what happens when all congregate for a conference on Swann.

The novel was inspired by the 1975 murder of Canadian poet Pat Lowther.

Swann is also the surname of several central characters in Marcel Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu.