Vian, Boris

(1920-1959)

   writer, playwright, poet

   Born in Ville-d'Avray, Boris Vian was a bohemian poet, science fiction writer, popular novelist, actor, trumpet player, singer, translator, engineer, inventor, and anarchist who, because he neglected a serious heart condition, died early. He wrote some of his popular fictions (J'irai cracher sur les tombes, 1946) under the name Vernon sullivan in the style of the American crime novel. His best writing (under his own name) includes novels (Vercoquin et le Plancton, 1946; L'Écume des jours, 1947; L'Automne à Pékin, 1947; Les Fourmis, 1949; L'Herbe rouge, 1950; L'Arrache-œur, 1953), plays (L'Équarrissage pour tous, 1950); Le Goûter des généraux, Les Bâtisseurs d'empire, 1959), and poetry collections (Cantilènes en gelée, 1950; Je voudrais pas crever, 1959). A tragic comic writer who protested against the absurdity of death, Vian was also a music critic for a number of reviews, played the trumpet and sang in Parisian clubs, acted in films, and was an artistic director for a recording studio. An influential figure of postwar literature, especially during the 1970s, he had a wide following, particularly among the young.