As Vian was a model of ecclectism, it could be that
he recognized some authors of value to be recommended
for the series; he was anyway doing occasional
translations for it. But he was better known for his
very good translations of American science fiction.
He was himself a real author, publishing more
mainstream novels(if we may call mainstream the very
original style of Vian in his novels!) in French.
'Spit...' is really a pastiche of tough American
mystery novels and was fuelled by Vian's humor for
its promotion in France!
Vian was one of the central characters of the
Saint-Germain-des-Pres night life in Paris (
lifestyle supported by many intellectuals of the time
and linked to the Existentialist literary and
philosophical movement in Paris during and after WW2).
He played jazz in the 'caves' (cellars) of SGDP, was
also a jazz critic, was a song writer, a singer
(famous for some antiautoritarian songs and also for
some very funny blues parodies in French), a
translator; he acted in a few films... and was an
engineer by profession.
Not that many like him!
I take the opportunity to wish all the followers of
this list a very good Season holiday.
E.Borgers
Hard-boiled Mysteries
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
---Tosh <tosh@loop.com> wrote:
>
> Interesting commentary from Jay Gertzman.
>
> What I know of Boris Vian is that he was
friends
with jazz players Charlie
> Parker, Ellington, and Miles Davis. What he
knew
of America (I believe he
> never been to America before and during the
writing
of I SPIT ON YOUR
> GRAVES) was through his Jazz friends - and
perhaps
U.S. soldiers. He was
> also responsible for translating hardboiled
American crime novels into
> French. So he was partly ( or IS) responsible
for
introducing American
> noir novels into France.
>
> Where can one get Geoffrey Gorer's essay?
Many
thanks for Jay in bringing
> up the subject.
>
> -----------------
> Tosh Berman
> TamTam Books
> ----------------
>
>
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