Vernon Sullivan
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Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French
polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...
who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their release owing to their unconventional outlook. Vian's other fiction, published under his real name, featured a highly individual writing style with numerous made-up words, subtle wordplay and surrealistic plots. His novel ''
Froth on the Daydream ''Froth on the Daydream'' (, "The Froth of Days") is a 1947 surrealist novel by French author Boris Vian. Although told as a linear narrative, the novel employs surrealism and contains multiple plot lines, including the love stories of two coup ...
'' (''L'Écume des jours'') is the best known of these works and one of the few translated into English. Vian was an important influence on the
French jazz Jazz music has been popular in France since the 1920s. Its international popularity peaked in the 1930s, and it has been continually enjoyed since. History Following World War I, a number of American expatriates settled in Paris and began to bu ...
scene. He served as liaison for
Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...
,
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
and
Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...
in Paris, wrote for several French jazz-reviews ('' Le Jazz Hot'', ''Paris Jazz'') and published numerous articles dealing with jazz both in the United States and in France. His own music and songs enjoyed popularity during his lifetime, particularly the anti-war song " Le Déserteur" (The Deserter).


Biography


Early life

Vian was born in 1920 into an
upper middle-class In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term ''lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class strat ...
family in the wealthy Parisian suburb of
Ville d'Avray Ville-d'Avray () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune is part of the arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt in the Hauts-de-Seine department. Demographics Transport Ville ...
. His parents were Paul Vian, a young rentier, and Yvonne Ravenez, amateur pianist and harpist. From his father, Vian inherited a distrust of the church and the military, as well as a love of the bohemian life. Vian was the second of four children: the others were Lélio (1918–1984), Alain (1921–1995) and Ninon (1924–2003). The family occupied the ''Les Fauvettes'' villa. The name "Boris" was chosen by Yvonne, an avid classical music lover, after seeing a performance of
Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...
's opera ''
Boris Godunov Boris Feodorovich Godunov (; ; ) was the ''de facto'' regent of Russia from 1585 to 1598 and then tsar from 1598 to 1605 following the death of Feodor I, the last of the Rurik dynasty. After the end of Feodor's reign, Russia descended into t ...
''. Boris' later childhood was also marked with sickness as he suffered from
Rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...
when he was 12. From then on Boris' parents became overprotective toward him, and he would later judge them harshly for this in ''
L'Herbe rouge ''The Red Grass'' () is a 1950 novel by the French writer Boris Vian, published by Éditions Toutain. See also * 1950 in literature * 20th-century French literature References 1950 French novels Novels by Boris Vian Red Red is the ...
'' and ''
L'Arrache-coeur ''Heartsnatcher'' () is a 1953 novel by the French writer Boris Vian. It tells the story of a psychoanalyst who is newly arrived in a very superstitious village where absurd events occur. The heartsnatcher of the title of this book was first seen ...
''.


Formal education and teenage years

From 1932 to 1937, Vian studied at
Lycée Hoche The Lycée Hoche is a public secondary school located in Versailles (city), Versailles, France. Formerly, it had been a nunnery founded by French queen Marie Leszczyńska. However, after the French Revolution, it became a school in 1803. In 1888, ...
in
Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of ÃŽle-de-France, ÃŽle-de-France region in Franc ...
. In 1936, Vian and his two brothers began to organize what they called "surprise-parties" ( surprise parties). They partook of
mescaline Mescaline, also known as mescalin or mezcalin, and in chemical terms 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine, is a natural product, naturally occurring psychedelic drug, psychedelic alkaloid, protoalkaloid of the substituted phenethylamine class, found ...
in the form of a Mexican cactus called
peyote The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar cocoon", from a root , "to glisten". p. ...
. These gatherings became the basis of his early novels: ''Trouble dans les andains'' (Turmoil in the Swaths) (1943) and particularly ''Vercoquin et le plancton'' (Vercoquin and the Plankton) (1943–44). It was also in 1936 that Vian became interested in jazz; the next year he started playing the trumpet and joined the
Hot Club de France The Hot Club de France (or HCF) is a French organization of jazz fans dedicated to the promotion of "traditional" jazz, swing, and blues. It was founded in 1931 in Paris, France, by five students of the Lycée Carnot. In 1928, Jacques Bureaux, Hu ...
. In 1937, Vian graduated from Lycée Hoche, passing baccalauréats in
mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
,
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
,
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
,
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and German. He subsequently enrolled at
Lycée Condorcet The Lycée Condorcet () is a secondary school in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. Founded in 1803, it is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inc ...
, Paris, where he studied special mathematics until 1939. Vian became fully immersed in the French jazz scene: for example, in 1939 he helped organize
Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...
's second concert in France. When WWII started, Vian was not accepted into the army due to poor health. He entered
École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...
in Paris and subsequently moved to
Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; ) is a small city in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Charente, of which it is the Prefectures of France, prefecture. Located on a plateau overlooking a meander of ...
when the school moved there because of the war. In 1940, Vian met
Michelle Léglise Michelle Marie Léglise (June 12, 1920 – December 13, 2017), also known as Michelle Vian, was a French translator and poet. Born in Bordeaux, she married Boris Vian in 1941, with whom she had two children, Patrick (born in 1942) and Carole (born ...
, who became his wife in 1941. She taught Vian English and introduced him to translations of American literature. Also in 1940, Vian met Jacques Loustalot, who became a recurring character in several early novels and short stories as "The Colonel". Loustalot died accidentally in 1949 falling from a building he was trying to climb on in order to enter into a flat by the window, after a bet. In 1942, Vian and his brothers joined a jazz orchestra under the direction of Claude Abadie, who became a minor character in Vian's ''Vercoquin et le plancton''. The same year, Vian graduated from École Centrale with a diploma in metallurgy, and his son
Patrick Patrick may refer to: *Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People *Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint * Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
was born.


Career

After Vian's graduation, he and Michelle moved to the
10th arrondissement of Paris The 10th arrondissement of Paris (''Xe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is referred to as ''le dixième'' (; "the tenth", formally ''l ...
and, on 24 August 1942 he became an engineer at the French Association for Standardisation (AFNOR). By this time he was an accomplished jazz trumpeter, and in 1943 he wrote his first novel, ''Trouble dans les andains'' (Turmoil in the Swaths). His literary career started in 1943 with his first publication, a poem, in the Hot Club de France bulletin. The poem was signed Bison Ravi ("Delighted Bison"), an anagram of Vian's real name. The same year Vian's father died, murdered at home by burglars. In 1944, Vian completed ''Vercoquin et le plancton'' (Vercoquin and the Plankton), a novel inspired partly by surprise-parties of his youth and partly by his job at the AFNOR (which is heavily satirized in the novel).
Raymond Queneau Raymond Auguste Queneau (; ; 21 February 1903 – 25 October 1976) was a French novelist, poet, critic, editor and co-founder and president of Oulipo (), notable for his wit and cynical humour. Biography Queneau, the only child of Auguste Que ...
and
Jean Rostand Jean Edmond Cyrus Rostand (30 October 1894 – 4 September 1977) was a French biologist, historian of science, and philosopher. Active as an experimental biologist, Rostand became famous for his work as a science writer, as well as a philosopher ...
helped Vian to publish this work at
Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003, it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by G ...
in 1947, along with several works Vian completed in 1946. These included his first major novels, '' L'Écume des jours'' and '' L'automne à Pékin'' (Autumn in Peking). The former, a tragic love story in which real world objects respond to the characters' emotions, is now regarded as Vian's masterpiece, but at the time of its publication it failed to attract any considerable attention. ''L'automne à Pékin'', which also had a love story at its heart but was somewhat more complex, also failed to sell well. Frustrated by the commercial failure of his works, Vian vowed he could write a best-seller and wrote the hard-boiled novel '' I Spit on Your Graves'' (''J'irai cracher sur vos tombes'') in only 15 days. The book was ascribed to a fictitious American writer, Vernon Sullivan, with Vian credited as translator. Vian persuaded his publisher friend Jean d'Halluin to publish the novel in 1947. Eventually the hoax became known and the book became one of the best-selling titles of that year. Vian wrote three more Vernon Sullivan novels from 1947 to 1949. The year 1946 marked a turning point in Vian's life: At one of the popular parties that he and Michelle hosted he made the acquaintance of
Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
,
Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...
and
Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 â€“ 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...
, became a regular in their literary circles and started regularly publishing various materials in ''
Les Temps modernes ''Les Temps Modernes'' () was a French journal, founded by Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Its first issue was published in October 1945. It was named after the 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin. ''Les Temps Moderne ...
''. Vian admired Sartre in particular and gave him a prominent role—as "Jean-Sol Partre"—in ''L'Écume des jours'' (litt. "The foam of the days") published in English under the title: ''Froth on the Daydream''. Ironically, Sartre and Michelle Vian commenced a relationship that would eventually destroy Vian's marriage. Despite his literary work becoming more important, Vian never left the jazz scene. He became a regular contributor to jazz-related magazines, and played trumpet at
Le Tabou Le Tabou was a cellar club located at 33 Rue Dauphine in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. The club opened shortly after Club des Lorientais on 11 April 1947. The Club first went unnoticed, frequented by the local press distribution service, but beca ...
. As a result, his financial situation improved, and he abandoned the job at the AFNOR. Vian also formed his own choir, ''La petite chorale de Saint-Germain-des-Pieds'' .


Later years

The year 1948 saw the birth of Vian's daughter, Carole. He continued his literary career by writing Vernon Sullivan novels, and also published poetry collections: ''Barnum's Digest'' (1948) and ''Cantilènes en gelée'' (Cantelinas in Jelly, 1949). Vian also started writing plays, the first of which, ''L'Équarrissage pour tous'' (Slaughter for Everyone), was staged the year it was written, 1950. The same year saw the publication of Vian's third major novel, ''L'Herbe rouge'' (The Red Grass). This was a much darker story than its predecessors, centering on a man who built a giant machine that could help him psychoanalyze his soul. Like the previous two books, it did not sell well; Vian's financial situation had been steadily worsening since late 1948, and he was forced to take up translation of English-language literature and articles in order to get by. Vian separated from his wife, and in 1950 he met
Ursula Kübler Ursula Vian-Kübler (6 September 1928 – 18 January 2010) was a Swiss ballerina and actress. Biography Ursula Kübler was born on 6 September 1928 in Zürich, Switzerland, to Alva Giertz and Arnold Kübler. She joined the Zurich Opera, Oper Z ...
(1928–2010), a Swiss dancer; the two started an affair, and in 1951 Vian divorced Michelle. Ursula and Boris married in 1954. Vian's last novel, ''L'Arrache-cœur'' (The Heartsnatcher), was published in 1953, yet again to poor sales and Vian effectively stopped writing fiction. The only work that appeared after 1953 was a revised version of ''L'automne à Pékin'', published 1956. He concentrated on a new field, song-writing and performing, and continued writing poetry. Vian's songs were successful; in 1954 he embarked on his first tour as singer-songwriter. By 1955, when he was working as
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
for
Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
, Vian was active in a wide variety of fields: song-writing, opera, screenplays and several more plays. His first album, ''Chansons possibles et impossibles'' (Possible and Impossible Songs), was also recorded in 1955. He wrote the first French
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
songs with his friend
Henri Salvador Henri Salvador (18 July 1917 – 13 February 2008) was a French Caribbean singer, comedian and cabaret artist. Biography Salvador was born in Cayenne, French Guiana. His father, Clovis, and his mother, Antonine Paterne, daughter of an Indigen ...
, who sang them under the nickname Henry Cording. He also wrote "Java Pour Petula" (a song about an English girl arriving in France, written in Parisian argot) for
Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...
's first concert performances in France. Still in 1955, Vian decided to perform some of his songs on stage himself. He had been unhappy about the fact that French singer
Marcel Mouloudji Marcel André Mouloudji (16 September 1922 – 14 June 1994) was a French singer and actor who was born in Paris and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He sang songs written by Boris Vian and Jacques Prévert. Personal life Mouloudji was born to Algeria ...
(1922–1994), who had interpreted " Le Deserteur" (The Deserter) on stage the year before, had not accepted the original lyrics because he thought that they would lead to the song being banned. Although Vian accepted a change to one verse, the song was banned from TV and radio channels until 1967. The record of Vian's songs performed by himself was not successful in France until ten years after his death. Vian's life was endangered in 1956 by a
pulmonary edema Pulmonary edema (British English: oedema), also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive fluid accumulation in the tissue or air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. This leads to impaired gas exchange, most often leading to shortness ...
, but he survived and continued working with the same intensity as before. In 1957, Vian completed another play: ''Les Bâtisseurs d'empire'' (The Empire Builders), which was only published and staged in 1959. In 1958, Vian worked on the opera ''Fiesta'' with
Darius Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His composition ...
, and a collection of his essays, ''En avant la zizique... Et par ici les gros sous'' (On with the Muzak... And Bring in the Big Bucks), was published the same year.


Death

On the morning of 23 June 1959, Vian was at the Cinéma Marbeuf for the screening of the film version of ''I will Spit on Your Graves''. He had already fought with the producers over their interpretation of his work, and he publicly denounced the film, stating that he wished to have his name removed from the credits. A few minutes after the film began, he reportedly blurted out: "These guys are supposed to be American? My ass!" He then collapsed onto his seat and died of a sudden cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital.


Legacy

During his lifetime, only the novels published under the name of Vernon Sullivan were successful. Those published under his real name, which had real literary value in his eyes, remained a commercial failure, despite the support of prominent writers of the time. Almost immediately after his death, '' L'Écume des jours'', and then ''L'automne à Pékin'', ''L'Arrache-cœur'', and ''L'Herbe rouge'', began to gain recognition in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and were taken up by the young in the 1960s and 1970s. As a songwriter, Vian had mixed success. When he decided that he himself should sing the songs that were rejected by the stars, he succeeded only in reaching a limited audience (including
Léo Ferré Léo Ferré (; 24 August 1916 – 14 July 1993) was a Monégasque poet and composer, and a dynamic and controversial live performer. He released some forty albums over this period, composing the music and the majority of the lyrics. He released ...
and
Georges Brassens Georges Charles Brassens (; ; 22 October 1921 – 29 October 1981) was a French singer-songwriter and poet. As an iconic figure in France, he achieved fame through his elegant songs with their harmonically complex music for voice and guitar and ...
), the public remaining unconvinced of his talent for singing. Nevertheless the
May 1968 in France May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...
generation, even more than the previous ones, loved his songs, especially because of their impertinence. As a songwriter, Vian inspired
Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 â€“ 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...
, who used to attend his show at the cabaret ''Les Trois Baudets'' and who wrote, thirty years later: "I took it on the chin .. he sang terrific things .. it is because I heard him that I decided to try something interesting". As a critic, Boris Vian was the first to support Gainsbourg in ''
Le Canard enchaîné (; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris. Founded in 1915 during World War I, it features investigative journalism ...
'', in 1957. Over the years, Vian's works have become modern classics, often celebrated and selected as subjects for study in schools. Vian is still viewed by many as the emblematic figure of
Saint Germain des Prés In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
as it existed during the postwar decade, when this district was the centre of artistic and intellectual life in Paris.


Selected bibliography


Prose


Novels

* ''Trouble dans les andains'' (Turmoil in the Swaths) (1942–43, published posthumously in 1966 by La Jeune Parque) * ''Vercoquin et le plancton'' (
Vercoquin and the Plankton ''Vercoquin and the Plankton'' () is a 1946 novel by the French writer Boris Vian, published by Éditions Gallimard. The first English-language translation of the novel was published in 2022. ''Vercoquin et le plancton'' was the sequel to ''Troub ...
) (1943–45, published 1947 by
Éditions Gallimard Éditions Gallimard (), formerly Éditions de la Nouvelle Revue Française (1911–1919) and Librairie Gallimard (1919–1961), is one of the leading French book publishers. In 2003, it and its subsidiaries published 1,418 titles. Founded by G ...
) * '' L'Écume des jours'' (Foam of the Days) (1946, published 1947 by Éditions Gallimard; translated variously as ''Froth on the Daydream'', ''Mood Indigo'' and ''Foam of the Daze'') * '' L'Automne à Pékin'' (Autumn in Peking) (1946, published 1947 by Éditions du Scorpion, revised version published in 1956; ''Autumn in Peking'') * ''
L'Herbe rouge ''The Red Grass'' () is a 1950 novel by the French writer Boris Vian, published by Éditions Toutain. See also * 1950 in literature * 20th-century French literature References 1950 French novels Novels by Boris Vian Red Red is the ...
'' (The Red Grass) (1948–49, published 1950 by Éditions Toutain) * '' L'Arrache-cœur'' (Heartsnatcher) (1947–1951, published 1953 by Éditions Vrille; ''Heartsnatcher'') * ''On n’y échappe pas'' (published posthumously)


Vernon Sullivan novels

* '' J'irai cracher sur vos tombes'' (''I Shall Spit on Your Graves''full title in the BNF exposition
/ref>) (Éditions du Scorpion, 1946) * '' Les morts ont tous la même peau'' (The Dead All Have the Same Skin) (Éditions du Scorpion, 1947) * ''Et on tuera tous les affreux'' (To Hell With the Ugly) (Éditions du Scorpion, 1948) * ''Elles se rendent pas compte'' (They Do Not Realize) (1948–50, published 1950 by Éditions du Scorpion)


Short story collections

* ''Les Fourmis'' (The Ants) (1944–47, published 1949 by Éditions du Scorpion) * ''Les Lurettes fourrées'' (Ages Fulfilled) (1948–49, published 1950 by Le Livre de Poche as an addendum to their edition of ''L'Herbe rouge'') * ''Le Ratichon baigneur'' (Toothy Bather) (1946–52, published posthumously in 1981 by Éditions Bourgois) * ''Le Loup-garou'' (The Werewolf) (1945–53?, published posthumously in 1970 by Éditions Bourgois)


Dramatic works

* ''
L'Équarrissage pour tous ''L'Équarrissage pour tous'' (English language, English: ''Dog Culling for Everyone'') is a Play (theatre), play by Boris Vian, originally written in 1947 as a three-act anarchic farce and revised in 1948 into a single act. Set during the Allies ...
'' (Knackery for All), play (1947, published 1950 by Éditions Toutain), published in English as The Knacker's ABC. * ''Le Dernier des métiers'' (The Last of the Trades), play (1950, published 1965 by Éditions Pauvert) * ''Tête de Méduse'' (Medusa's Head), comedy in one act (1951, published 1971 by U.G.E.) * ''Série Blême'' (Pallid Series), tragedy in three acts (1952?, published 1971 by U.G.E.) * ''Le Chasseur français'' (The French Hunter), vaudeville (1955, published 1971 by U.G.E.) * ''Les Bâtisseurs d'Empire'' (The Empire Builders), (1957, published 1959 by Collège de 'Pataphysique) *
Le Goûter des généraux
' (The Snack of Generals), (1951, published 1962 by Collège de 'Pataphysique)


Poetry

* ''Barnum's Digest'' (1948, a collection of 10 poems) * ''Cantilènes en gelée'' (Cantelinas in Jelly) (1949) * ''
Je voudrais pas crever is a collection of poetry by French author Boris Vian, published posthumously in 1962. Background The set of 23 poems was first published by the famed publisher Jean-Jacques Pauvert, three years after the death of Vian in 1959 and at a time wh ...
'' (I'd prefer not to die) (posthumously published in 1962)


Translations

* ''
The Big Sleep ''The Big Sleep'' (1939) is a hardboiled crime novel by American-British writer Raymond Chandler, the first to feature the detective Philip Marlowe. It has been adapted for film twice, in 1946 and again in 1978. The story is set in Los A ...
'' by
Raymond Chandler Raymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at the age of forty-four, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive durin ...
as ''Le grand sommeil'' (1948) * ''
The Lady in the Lake ''The Lady in the Lake'' is a 1943 detective novel by Raymond Chandler featuring the Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe. Notable for its removal of Marlowe from his usual Los Angeles environs for much of the book, the novel's comp ...
'' by Raymond Chandler as ''La dame du lac'' (1948) * ''
The World of Null-A ''The World of Null-A'', sometimes written ''The World of Ā'', is a 1948 science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was originally published as a three-part serial in 1945 in '' Astounding Stories''. It incorporates c ...
'' by
A. E. van Vogt Alfred Elton van Vogt ( ; April 26, 1912 â€“ January 26, 2000) was a Canadian-born American science fiction writer. His fragmented, bizarre narrative style influenced later science fiction writers, notably Philip K. Dick. He was one of th ...
, as ''Le Monde des Ã'' (1958)


Other works

* ''Manuel de St-Germain-des-Prés'', originally commissioned to be a tourist guide to the St-Germain-des-Prés district (published 1950 by Éditions Toutain)


Selected discography

* ''Nouveau code de la route 1955'' (1955) * ''Chansons possibles et impossibles'' (1956)


See also

*
Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of th ...
*
Existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
*
Pataphysics 'Pataphysics () is a sardonic "philosophy of science" invented by French writer Alfred Jarry (1873–1907) intended to be a parody of science. Difficult to be simply defined or pinned down, it has been described as the "science of imaginary solu ...
*
Zazou The zazous were a subculture in France during World War II. They were young people expressing their individuality by wearing big or garish clothing (similar to the zoot suit fashion in America a few years before) and dancing wildly to swing jaz ...
* ''
Amour de poche ''Amour de poche'' (''Girl in His Pocket'') is a French comedy fantasy film from 1957, directed by Pierre Kast, written by France Roche, starring Jean Marais. The scenario was based on a novel ''Diminishing Draft'' of Waldemar Kaempffert.
'' (1957)


Notes


References

* ''Biographie'', in ''L'Arrache-cœur'', LGF – Livre de Poche, 2006. * Geoffrey Dearson. ''Lexical Transfer in the novels of Boris Vian'' (Diss. University of Wales, UK)

* Martin Weiss, ''Boris Vian. La langue qui trébuche. Jeux de mots dans l'oeuvre d'un génie.'' Grazer Linguistische Studien 20, University of Graz 1983, new edition (eBook) 2014 * Frédéric Richaud, ''Boris Vian, c'est joli de vivre'', éditions du Chêne,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, 1999, 174 p.  * ''Dictionnaire des auteurs'', vol. 4, t. IV, by Antoine Berman, Laffont-Bompiani edition, Paris, 1990, 756 p *


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