by Vik Hovanisian

(the Proust Questionnaire)

In 1886, young M. Proust revealed his precocious and subtle spirit in a common parlour game, the “confessional” questionnaire, that was popular within Victorian society. While significant cultural and intellectual figures such as Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also left such confessions to posterity, it was Proust’s, in his refined form, that provided one of the most widely used personality questionnaires in history. Discovered and published in 1924 by psychoanalyst A. Berge, who found that Proust had “strived to reflect the most elusive nuances of thought,” the document became well-known as “Le Questionnaire de Proust.” 

Marcel Proust by Sarah Alinia Ziazi

We are thrilled to launch this interview series with the TD Toronto Jazz Festival's Artistic Director: Josh Grossman

Josh Grossman answers the Proust Questionnaire
Josh Grossman 
by Sarah Alinia Ziazi

smART Magazine Presents: Le Questionnaire
de Proust
 

1

Your chief characteristic? 

Positivity.

2

Your friends’ best virtues?

Honesty and integrity.

3

 Your main flaw?

I sometimes do things Ad hoc…

4

Your favorite pastime?

Music is my pastime. Music is my life.

5

Country you'd like to live in?

I haven’t been to enough countries to know for sure… How about in the country? Finding somewhere to get more into nature.

6

Your favourite colour? Bird?

My favourite colour is purple. I’m always amazed by hawks. I just love watching them float through the air.

7

Your favourite prose authors?

Timothy Findley, Garcia Marquez...

8

Your favourite poets?

I don’t actually read a lot of poetry… I’ll do the lame answer and I’ll say Shakespeare.

9

Your fictional heroes?

I’ve always been intrigued by the classic detective/inspector sort of figure.

10

Your favourite composers?

Bartók, Stravinsky, Thad Jones, Duke Ellington, Maria Schneider, Bob Brookmeyer 

11

A legislative reform you most admire?

Anything that values the arts in our daily lives. That’s not going to solve all the problems, but that’s going to make a difference to some presenters and venues that have a huge impact on the benefit and well-being of our city.

12

A natural talent you wish you had?

Musical talent. I am an okay trumpet player… I wish it came more naturally to me.

13

Your current state of mind and spirit?

It’s a six and a half out of ten… I’m feeling a bit beaten down by all this but trying to maintain my overall positivity.

14

The faults you most indulge?

I mean… probably dessert… and not getting enough sleep.

15

Your motto?

Living a life that I believe to be true and to hold myself up to high standards and expect others to do the same…