Other People's Letters

<p>Born in 1896, Mina Curtiss is an exemplary modern-day heroine. Blessed with brains, money and an acute sense of humor, she was also intrepid, savvy, sensitive and the star of her very own thriller.</p><p>When Edmund Wilson suggests that she translate Proust&rsquo;s letters, she sets off for Paris with &ldquo;<em>Ma&rsquo;s sables</em>,&rdquo; her typewriter, charcoal briquettes to keep herself warm (in postwar 1947), a case of bourbon and letters of introduction from people like May Sarton and Harold Nicolson to people like George Balanchine and Julian Huxley.</p><p>We are with her every step of the way as she makes the Proustian world come to life again, from the aristocratic salons of the Faubourg Saint-Germain to her poignant meetings with Celeste Albaret, Proust&rsquo;s legendary housekeeper and companion.</p>