Which novel by Boris Vian was published in 1947?
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Froth on the Daydream, published in 1947, is one of the most emblematic novels by the multi-talented French writer, jazz musician, engineer and critic Boris Vian. The novel, written between March and May 1946, is dedicated to his first wife, Michelle.
The story takes place in a surreal, poetic universe, where objects come to life and the characters’ emotions influence their environment. The protagonist, Colin, is a well-to-do young man who falls in love with Chloé. Their love is soon put to the test when Chloé develops a strange disease: a water lily grows in her lung, forcing her to be constantly surrounded by fresh flowers in order to survive. This situation leads Colin to spend his entire fortune on flowers, illustrating the fragility of love and the precariousness of the human condition.
At the same time, the novel presents the story of Colin’s friend Chick, who is obsessed with the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre (an anagram of Jean-Paul Sartre). This obsession leads him to neglect his companion Alise and squander his financial resources, highlighting the dangers of intellectual idolatry and unbridled consumerism.
Froth on the Daydream is rich in the wordplay, neologisms and linguistic inventions characteristic of Vian’s style. The author criticizes the society of his time, notably through his satire of existentialism in the person of Jean-Sol Partre, and depicts a world where poetry and imagination are essential to life.
On its release, the novel was not an immediate success and went unnoticed, despite the support of literary figures such as Raymond Queneau and Jean-Paul Sartre, who published excerpts in the magazine Les Temps modernes. It wasn’t until the late 1960s, when it was republished, that Froth on the Daydream gained in popularity and became a classic of French literature.
The work has been adapted many times, including for film, theater and opera, testifying to its enduring impact on culture. Its universal themes of love, illness, death and social criticism continue to resonate with contemporary readers.
Froth on the Daydream is a major work by Boris Vian, whose surreal, poetic universe offers profound reflections on the human condition, love and society. Its inventive writing and ability to blend the real and the imaginary make it a timeless novel, still studied and appreciated today.
literature
Which novel by Boris Vian was published in 1947?
Answer
In 1947, Boris Vian published Froth on the Daydream, a novel combining love, poetry and surrealism, where the absurd rubs shoulders with tenderness in a dreamlike universe.