I think Anglo-Americans dislike Kant because the first bunch of interpretations in the English language were in a different tack to the continental interpretations (and with Kant, you need the help of interpretations). There’s been a fair bit of catching up with the continental interpretations in the English speaking world lately, and these lectures are a fantastic look at the first Critique from an American: http://www.bernsteintapes.com/kantlist.html

Unfortunately, I fear I’ll never be able to read Proust profitably in the original French. I can read Spanish, Portuguese and Greek (with some dictionary help), but French I know only well enough to understand the gist of a French newspaper. Reading those intricate phrases of Proust’s with any semblance of understanding is beyond me and will probably remain that way forever.

And Australia is sometimes referred to as the arse end of the world, perhaps al otro lado de Avila por la tierra.

Hmmmm. Vaya cosas. “También los hay extraterrestres” said the portero of the edificio where I used to live when a friend of mine tried to explain to him that he was from the US and “más allá de Avila”.

As to the Proust quote (about collecting old names would be almost like collecting old musical instruments): you said it was a classic, but you did not say anything else. Have you read him in French? It makes a lot of difference, you know.