proust's interview selections
Photo by Mauro Benedetti.
Peony.
Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas. Dancers in Pink (detail). c.1876. Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, U.S.
Proust's Questionnaire with Claudia's responses
The main aspects of my character
Grace, creativity, strength of purpose.
The quality I desire in a man
Emotional intelligence.
The quality I desire in a woman
Clarity.
What I appreciate most among my friends
Their presence, commitment and humor.
My principal defect
Overthinking
My favourite occupation
Creating something beautiful from diverse elements.
My dream of felicity
Living in peace and prosperity surrounded by beauty.
What would for me be the biggest misfortune
Global self-destruction.
Whom I would like to be
The most realized version of who I am.
Where I would like to live
In a penthouse in Prati for most of the year. A pied-a-tier on the Upper East Side. A summer house in Santa Severa.
The color I prefer
Depends on the context entirely, I love color.
The flower I love
Peony in full bloom
The bird I prefer
Starlings flying in wild configurations.
Favourite authors
Edith Wharton, John Steinbeck, David Sedaris, Candace Bushnell.
Favourite poets
Virgil, Rumi, Mary Oliver, Kenneth Koch.
Heroes in fiction
Odysseus. Batman.
Heroines in fiction
Tracy Lord. Madame Olenska. Auntie Mame.
Favourite composers
R.E.M., William Orbit, Debussy and most of the Romantics, Modern Jazz Quartet.
My favourite artists
Caravaggio, Cy Twombly, Robert Rauschenberg, Beatriz Milhazes, Edgar Degas, and too many others.
Heroes and heroines in real life
My husband. Dr. Tian Dayton. Mama Gena. Tina Brown. Mothers + girlfriends.
Heroines in history
Queen Zenobia. Diana Vreeland. Coco Chanel.
Favorite names
Luc. Sergio. Romeo. Grazia. Valentina. Odette.
What I hate most
I donšt subscribe to hate
The reformation I appreciate the most
The pleasure revolution.
Naturešs gift I would like to have
I already have nature's best gift.
How I would like to die
Peaceful, cogent, loved.
My soul's present condition
Solemnly and graciously content, full with hope.
The faults I can bear
Possessiveness. Intensity of will.
Motto
Live imagination.
