Years of life: from 03/10/1920 to 06/23/1959

French novelist, poet, jazz musician and singer. The author of a number of modernist shocking works, who nevertheless became a classic of French literature after his death, predicting the rebellion of nonconformist works of the 60s of the 20th century. He wrote not only under his own name, but also under 24 pseudonyms, the most famous of which is Vernon Sullivan.

Boris Vian was born on March 10, 1920 in the town of Ville d'Avray near Paris. He studied at the Paris Central School - one of the largest French technical universities. After receiving an engineering diploma, he worked at the French Standardization Association, while simultaneously pursuing music and literary writing.

He wrote 10 novels, including the famous “Foam of Days” (1946). Translated the works of Raymond Chandler into French.

Under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan, Vian published the following works, stylized as noir: the novels “I will come to spit on your graves”, “All the Dead are the Same Color”, “Women Can’t Understand”, “Let’s Destroy All the Freaks” and the story “Dogs, Desire, Death” .

This pseudonym was made up of the surnames of the writer’s friends in the jazz orchestra (where Vian himself was a trumpeter): Sullivan and Vernon. According to legend, Vernon Sullivan was an African-American who was not allowed to be published in the United States for his very open views, but he was translated by Vian and published well in France.

The first novel, “I will come to spit on your graves,” caused a real sensation; it immediately became a bestseller. Until now, the total circulation of this novel exceeds the circulation of Vian’s other works. The novel was written at the request of the publisher, a friend of Vian, whose business was suffering losses. However, the novel was soon considered too daring, vulgar and even pornographic. Circulations were burned, societies for the struggle for morality organized a movement against the novel. Tired of fighting with the “upholders of morality,” Vian stopped writing under this pseudonym.

On June 23, 1959, Vian came to the premiere of the film based on his thriller “I’ll Come to Spit on Your Graves.” The viewing began at about ten in the morning in the Petit Marbeuf hall. Ten minutes later, Vian dropped his head onto the back of his chair and lost consciousness. He died without regaining consciousness on the way to the hospital. Viana was buried on June 27 at the Ville d'Avray cemetery.

Vian's number is ten. He was born on March 10, wrote 10 novels, was destined for 10 years of literary creativity, and his heart broke after 10 minutes of watching a film based on his own masterpiece, which began at 10 o'clock in the morning...

But be silent: incomparable right -
Choose your own death.
N.S. Gumilev. Choice

Boris Vian did not die somehow. He died symbolically on June 23, 1959, at the premiere of the film based on his trash thriller “I Will Come to Spit on Your Graves.” Vian only lasted ten minutes of viewing, then rolled his eyes, leaned back in his chair and died without regaining consciousness in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. That is, the last thing he saw in his life was that low-grade pulp fiction, that horror that he himself created...
Vian's number is ten. He was born on March 10, wrote 10 novels, was destined for 10 years of literary creativity, and his heart broke after 10 minutes of watching a film based on his own masterpiece, which began at 10 o'clock in the morning... Stop. Let's, as happens in films based on trash thrillers, let's go back to where it all began and try to figure out why it all ended the way it did.
The history of Boris Vian's work is practically the history of his illness. Vian was not a healthy person. As one researcher of the writer’s work wittily noted, “cardiac arrhythmia also determined Vian’s characteristic arrhythmia with the mentality of his time.” When all of France was experiencing a total craze for American pop culture against the backdrop of general euphoria from the liberation of Paris by the Allies, Vian spat on everyone from a high bell tower. He played jazz in spite of everything, playing, as contemporaries noted, out of the corner of his mouth, standing firmly on his legs wide apart. Sweet, romantic, flowery and desperate; played jazz blacker than black. He dared to be himself - a terminally ill pessimist passionately in love with life.

Bibliography

Novels
Scolopendra and plankton / Vercoquin et le plancton (1946, Russian translation 1998)
Foam of days / L’Écume des Jours (1946, Russian translation 1983)
Autumn in Beijing / L’Automne à Pékin (1947, Russian translation 1995)
Red grass / L’Herbe rouge (1950, Russian translation 1998)
Heartbreaker / L’Arrache-coeur (1953, Russian translation 1994)
Catavasia in the Andennas / Trouble dans les Andains (1966, Russian translation 1998)

I will come to spit on your graves / J’irai cracher sur vos tombes (1946, Russian translation 1993)
All the dead have the same skin / Les morts ont tous la même peau (1947, Russian translation 1992)
Let's destroy all the freaks / Et on tuera tous les affreux (1948, Russian translation 1991)
Women cannot understand / Elles se rendent pas compte (1950, Russian translation 1993)
Stories
Goosebumps / Les Fourmis (1949, Russian translation 1994)
The Werewolf / Le loup-garou (1970, Russian translation 1998)
Under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan:
Dogs, desire, death / Les chiens, le désir et la mort (1970, Russian translation 1992)
Plumber / (Russian translation by T. Vorsanova)
Plays
To the beginning flayer / L’Equarrissage pour tous (1950, Russian translation 1998)
Empire Builders / Les bâtisseurs d’empire (1959, Russian translation 1998)
Afternoon tea of ​​the generals / Le goûter des généraux (1962, Russian translation 1998)
/ Le dernier des métiers (1965)
My head is spinning / Tête de méduse (1971, Russian translation 1998)
/ Serie blême (1971)
/ Le Chasseur français (1971)
Poetry
/ Barnum's Digest (1948)
Frozen Cantilenes / Cantilenes en gelee (1949)
I would not like to die / Je voudrais pas crever (1962)
One Hundred Sonnets / Cent sonnets (1984)
Translations
The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler under the title: Le grand sommeil (1948)
The Lady in the Lake, by Raymond Chandler under the title: La dame du lac (1948)
The World of Null-A, by Alfred Van Vogt under the title: Le Monde des Å (1958)

- (Vian) (1920 1959), French writer, playwright. Built on a mixture of pathos and parody, lyricism and “black humor,” Vian’s work was one of the early manifestations of the nonconformist “youth rebellion” in Western culture of the 50s and 70s... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Vian Boris

Vian, Boris- VIAN (Vian) Boris (1920 59), French writer. A mixture of parody and pathos, authenticity and fantasy, lyricism and “black humor” in the novel “Foam of Days” (1947; phantasmagoric opera of the same name by E.V. Denisov, 1963), “Autumn in Beijing” (1947), ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

VIAN Boris- VIAN (Vian) Boris (19201959), French writer, playwright, author and performer of songs. Rum. “I Will Spit on Your Graves” (1946), “Foam of Days”, “Autumn in Beijing” (both 1947), “Red Grass” (1950), “Broken Heart” (1953). Plays... ... Literary encyclopedic dictionary

Vian- surname. Notable speakers: Vian, Boris Vian, Philip See also a complete list of existing articles about individuals with the surname Vian, as well as surnames beginning with "Vian". See also Viana ... Wikipedia

Boris Vian- Boris Vian Aliases: Vernon Sullivan Date of birth: March 10, 1920 Place of birth: Ville d'Avray, France Date of death: June 23, 1959 ... Wikipedia

Vian B.- Boris Vian Boris Vian Alias: Vernon Sullivan Date of birth: March 10, 1920 Place of birth: Ville d'Avray, France Date of death: June 23, 1959 ... Wikipedia

VIAN (Vian) Boris- (1920 59) French writer, playwright. Built on a mixture of pathos and parody, Vian’s work was one of the early manifestations of nonconformist youth rebellion in Western culture of the 50s and 70s. 20th century: Foam days (1947), Autumn in Beijing ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

VIAN- (Vian) Boris (1920 59), French writer. A mixture of parody and pathos, authenticity and fantasy, lyricism and black humor in the novel Foam of Days (1947; phantasmagoric opera of the same name by E.V. Denisov, 1963), Autumn in Beijing (1947), Heartbreaker... ... Modern encyclopedia

Boris Gedalievich Stern- Stern, Boris Gedalievich Date of birth: February 14, 1947 Place of birth: Odessa Date of death: November 6, 1998 Place of death: Kyiv ... Wikipedia

Books

• Boris Vian. Collected works in four volumes. Volume 4. Scolopendra and plankton, Boris Vian. Boris Vian is one of the most interesting writers of the post-war French avant-garde. This volume of Collected Works includes two early novels of the writer “Scolopendra and Plankton” (1947), ... Buy for 1100 rubles
• Foam of days, Vian B.. Boris Vian wrote prose and poetry, worked as a journalist, wrote scripts and acted in films (a dozen and a half films, by the way), sang and composed songs (about four hundred in total). Rare…

Boris Vian (French Boris Vian, March 10, 1920, Ville d'Avray, France - June 23, 1959) - French novelist, poet, jazz musician and singer. The author of a number of modernist shocking works, who nevertheless became a classic of French literature after his death, predicting the rebellion of nonconformist works of the 60s of the 20th century. He wrote not only under his own name, but also under 24 pseudonyms, the most famous of which is Vernon Sullivan.

Boris Vian was born on March 10, 1920 in the town of Ville d'Avray near Paris. He studied at the Paris Central School - one of the largest French technical universities. After receiving an engineering diploma, he worked at the French Standardization Association, while simultaneously pursuing music and literary writing.

I wouldn't want to die
Ladies gentlemen
Without tasting it
What always hurts
Whose smell is sharper than others
Whose taste beckons us
Believe it or not
Without trying at least once
The taste of spicy death...

Vian Boris

He wrote 10 novels, including the famous “Foam of Days” (1946). Translated the works of Raymond Chandler into French.

Under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan, Vian published the following works, stylized as noir: the novels “I’ll Come to Spit on Your Graves”, “All the Dead Are the Same Color”, “Women Can’t Understand”, “And Then Remove All the Freaks” and the story “Dogs, Desire, death".

This pseudonym was made up of the surnames of the writer’s friends in the jazz orchestra (where Vian himself was a trombonist): Sullivan and Vernon. According to legend, Vernon Sullivan was an African-American who was not allowed to be published in the United States for his very open views, but he was translated by Vian and published well in France.

Yes, a homosexual, a lesbian, and all people of this kind are terribly narrow-minded. Maybe it's not their fault. But for some reason they are terribly proud of it. Meanwhile, their peculiarity is just a ridiculous defect.
(Autumn in Beijing)

Vian Boris

The first novel, “I will come to spit on your graves,” caused a real sensation; it immediately became a bestseller. Until now, the total circulation of this novel exceeds the circulation of Vian’s other works. The novel was written at the request of the publisher, a friend of Vian, whose business was suffering losses. However, the novel was soon considered too daring, vulgar and even pornographic. Circulations were burned, societies for the struggle for morality organized a movement against the novel. Tired of fighting with the “upholders of morality,” Vian stopped writing under this pseudonym.

On June 23, 1959, Vian came to the premiere of the film based on his thriller “I’ll Come to Spit on Your Graves.” The viewing began at about ten in the morning in the Petit Marbeuf hall. Ten minutes later, Vian dropped his head onto the back of his chair and lost consciousness.

He died without regaining consciousness on the way to the hospital. Viana was buried on June 27 at the Ville d'Avray cemetery.

Boris Vian - photo

Boris Vian - quotes

I have already told you that I really like you both in general and in particular. - Well then, go ahead and get to the specifics.

It is necessary that no one pays taxes for much longer, then officials will die of malnutrition and peace will come throughout the world.

Boris Vian (03/10/1920 06/23/1959) one of the most prominent representatives of the French avant-garde. His rebellious prose anticipated the slogans of the Parisian student revolution of 1968. In addition to ten novels (six under his own name and four under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan), he is the author of about 500 songs, plays, operas, musical comedies, short stories, poems, plays, scripts and commentaries on films, ballet librettos, articles and chronicles for various magazines. He worked as an engineer and artistic director for recording companies, played the trumpet, starred in several films, painted several paintings, sculpted several figurines, was a DJ in jazz clubs, sang songs on stage and recorded them on records. These activities would have been enough for several lifetimes, and not for the 39 years allotted to him.

One day he said: “A person is always in disguise, so the more you dress up, the less disguised you become.”. The general public knew him under several guises, but since his novels began to be republished in 1962, the figure of the novelist, the author of “Foam of Days,” came to the fore.

Boris Vian was born on March 10, 1920 in the small French town of Ville d'Avray. His father, Paul Vian, was an educated and gifted man; knew several languages, translated, wrote poetry. He was a jack of all trades: cast bronze; He loved sports, drove a car from the age of fifteen and even had his own plane. From his father, Boris inherited refined taste, a thirst for knowledge and a passion for making things with his hands.

Boris's mother, Yvonne Woldemar-Ravenet, nicknamed "Mother Push" by her children, came from a wealthy Alsatian family that owned oil wells in Baku and several industrial enterprises in France. An excellent pianist and harpist, a passionate lover of classical music and opera, Yvonne passed on her passion to her children: three of them became musicians.

At the request of the mother, the children were given musical and poetic names. Boris was named after "Boris Godunov" - Mother Push's favorite opera.

Boris studied easily. At the age of fifteen he received a bachelor's degree in Latin and Greek, and at seventeen in philosophy and mathematics.

Boris and his brothers had a great many friends. They formed a separate, closed world that had its own traditions, laws, code of honor and nicknames. Boris got the nickname Bison, “Bison Ravi” (enthusiastic bison) an anagram of Boris Vian will become one of the writer’s pseudonyms.

In November 1939 he began his first academic year at the Ecole Centrale, one of the largest French technical universities.

On June 12, 1941, Boris became engaged and then married to the charming Michelle Leglise. A month later, the young couple was already expecting offspring.

Times were difficult, but young people did not want to put up with the gloomy reality. Traditional parties, where Boris and Michelle came with their little son under their arms, were not the only entertainment. They read a lot, loved American literature very much, and went to the movies in noisy groups. In July 1942, after receiving an engineering diploma, Boris Vian worked at the French Standardization Association, while simultaneously pursuing music and literary writing.

Boris's main passion has long been jazz. In March '42, Boris met Claude Abadie, also an avid jazz player, and joined the orchestra. The orchestra was called Abadi-Vian for some time, and it was very popular. In November 1945, at an international tournament in Brussels, the Abadi orchestra won four cups, a prize and the title of winner. And in March 1946, at the IX tournament in Paris, he received the Grand Prix. Now it has the glory of the oldest amateur orchestra; for this occasion, all eight musicians perform with long white beards.

Vian began writing after he was twenty. On trains between Paris and Ville d'Avray, at work, in bars, he composed poetry. The collection “One Hundred Sonnets” contains 112 poems, including ten masterly ballad sonnets.

In 1946, Boris Vian met the founder of the new post-war philosophy, J.-P. Sartre. Boris charmed Sartre: a pale and mysterious trumpeter with a wry smile on his lips, a clever and know-it-all, a tireless interlocutor who knows how to dilute a serious and boring existentialist conversation with an exquisitely mocking wit. The magazine "Tan Modern", the harbinger of existentialist thought, opened its doors to Boris. Sartre opened a new section especially for Vian; This is how Vian’s “Chronicles of a Liar” were born. The main task of the chronicler was to entertain the reader and, without saying a word of the truth, transparently hint at real events. On the pages of the magazine, individual chapters from “Foam of Days” and the short story “Goosebumps” were published, which Sartre liked for its dark, bloody humor and anti-war orientation. The theme of war is unusual for Vian. It was a late reaction to the stories of friends and a kind of revenge for the death of his father.

The year forty-six was rich in events, friendships, and work for Boris. The days were spent in the Office of the Paper Industry, where he served, the evenings were entirely occupied with performances in bars and cafes in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where the artistic and intellectual life of the capital was in full swing. At home, Boris worked as a carpenter and was always making something. At night he could not sleep, he met the dawn at his desk; like many heart patients, he was tormented by insomnia. Heart failure became more and more painful, the body quickly wore out. Boris was in a hurry to live. “A convict is not one who works under compulsion, but who does not do what he is obliged to do,” will be read later in his diary.

Under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan, Vian published the following works: the novels “I’ll Come to Spit on Your Graves”, “The Dead Are All the Same Color”, “Women Can’t Understand”, “And Then Remove All the Freaks” and the story “Dogs, Passion and Death”.

This pseudonym was made up of the surnames of the writer’s friends in the jazz orchestra (where Vian himself was a trombonist): Sullivan and Vernon. According to legend, Vernon Sullivan was an African-American who was not allowed to be published in the United States for his very open views, he was supposedly translated by Vian and he was well published in France.

The first novel, “I will come to spit on your graves,” caused a real sensation; it immediately became a bestseller. Until now, the total circulation of this novel exceeds the circulation of Vian’s other works. In 1947, the chairman of the French Society of Moral and Social Action sued the author (more precisely, the translator, who was Boris Vian) for insulting public morals. The trial, which touched upon the topic of racism, which was painful not only for America, but also for France, aroused great public interest and, without causing moral harm to Vian, indirectly brought him great material benefit: the novel “I will come to spit on your graves” was sold in the amount of 120 000 copies.

Unfortunately, Sullivan and Viana began to be confused and are still confused. It’s best to remember that Vian and Sullivan are not the same thing. Sullivan is, first of all, a skillful imitation of the American “black” novel, deliberately vulgar, devoid of Vian’s slightly strange and sad seriousness, his sparkling humor and refined taste.

Vian paid for his mischievous joke with years of persecution and nervous tension.

In all this fuss with Sullivan, no one noticed Vian’s new novel, his fourth, “Autumn in Beijing.” Boris wrote it in just three months. This is Vian’s most complex and profound novel, unsolved by his contemporaries. This is also Vian's most "Vian" novel.

The comparative prosperity of the late forties turned into an unexpected crisis for Boris: complications in family life, difficulties with the publication of his new novel “Red Grass”. In 1950, the novel was published by the unknown Tuten publishing house, but the publishing house could not pay the printing house, and the book almost never reached stores. Criticism did not react to her in any way. Boris did everything to forget about another failure and took on a new job.

In 1950, he wrote a lot for the Dan le Tren newspaper, which published his stories “The Pensioner”, “The Test”, “Screen Star”, “The Thinker”, “The Killer”... Boris is not able to refuse a single request , texts are born at lightning speed, within a few hours of the night; my head is always full of incredible, sparkling ideas.

In 1951, Vian wrote a play in an anti-militaristic spirit (“Afternoon Tea of ​​the Generals”), a one-act comedy “Head Around” (literally “Head of Medusa”) and a novel “Heartbreaker”, in which the truth is about his own childhood, or rather, about the perception of his own childhood. "It's funny, will note Vian in the letter, when I write all sorts of stupid nonsense, it looks sincere, but when I write the truth, everyone thinks that I’m joking.”

Vian will give one of the copies of the novel to her mother, who, in essence, is only guilty of being too tender and caring for her sick, beloved child. An excess of love is sometimes as painful as its absence.

In 1952, Boris was offered to participate in writing the script for a grandiose performance at Rose Rouge: “Cinémassacre”; it was a collection of sketches on the theme of cinema. The performance was a resounding success. “People screamed with delight, and I stood all blue and green, I was so scared, Boris wrote in a letter. ¶ Can you imagine, there wasn’t even a dress rehearsal! It was the first time I saw them all on stage and soon I started laughing myself.” The play lasted about four hundred performances at Rose Rouge, and then moved to the Trois Baudet cabaret.

In the early fifties, Boris became seriously interested in science fiction. Science fiction lovers established a closed club “Savanturier” from “savants” (scientists) and “aventuriers” (adventurers), which included Boris Vian. During these years, Vian enthusiastically translated science fiction and wrote science fiction film scripts.

“Vianovsky humor” this is what everyone is used to and what they expected from Boris. This was what he gave to others. But there was also a sadly serious side to his talent, something that he was in no hurry to flaunt: the poems of those years. Later, almost all of them were combined into the collection “Reluctance to Die” and published in 1962 by Jean-Jacques Pover. The title of the collection is based on the first line of the first poem. The collection of these poems is the pinnacle of Vian’s poetic creativity. For the first time, the author speaks seriously, in the first person, abandoning saving puns, irony and ridicule. The poems are sometimes tragic, with death being one of the key themes. They are devoid of poetic beauty, deliberately simple, “colloquial.” And very sincere, like a quiet conversation with yourself.

Vian also turns to various musical types of stage art: song, opera, and writes librettos for ballets. In August 1953, the premiere of the opera “The Snow Knight” took place with great success; the author of the libretto for the opera was Boris Vian. The performance took place in the open air, against the backdrop of the ruins of the Caen castle, and was distinguished by the richness of the scenery, costumes and funds spent: hundreds of extras, sound amplifiers, live horses on stage... After the success of The Snow Knight, Vian became passionate about opera and set about writing new librettos.

Vian also tries himself in the song genre. He offers his songs to various singers and tries to perform them himself. One of Boris’s songs was called “Victim of Progress” about how household appliances changed human and love relationships.

In the cinema, he managed to play the role of a cardinal in the film adaptation of “Notre Dame de Paris” with Lollobrigida in the role of Esmeralda, in the summer of 1957 he starred in Henri Gruel’s film “La Gioconda”, and also starred with Pierre Cast in the films “Pocket Love” and “The Beautiful Age”,

But singing was out of the question. Unrest had a detrimental effect on health. But Vian continued to write songs. And even created French rock.

On June 23, 1959, Vian came to the premiere of the film based on his thriller “I’ll Come to Spit on Your Graves.” The screening started around ten in the morning. Ten minutes later, Vian dropped his head onto the back of his chair and lost consciousness. He died without regaining consciousness on the way to the hospital.

After the death of the writer, the Society of Friends of Boris Vian was formed in France. Vian’s books have been translated into dozens of languages, and the most popular of them remains the novel “Foam of Days.”

It was truly a one-man orchestra, reaching out to everything unknown. This is the creator of novels, poems, and an actor who plays the trumpet. A man of complex fate became a classic of French literature only after his death.

Fatal hoax

There were rumors about the writer’s Russian roots, but few knew that this legend was started by Boris Vian himself. And his Russian name was given to him by his mother, who adored the opera “Boris Godunov.” He had 24 pseudonyms in his piggy bank, among which Vernon Sullivan was the most famous and scandalous.

His alter ego, according to legend, is an African-American whose free views became an obstacle to publication in his homeland, and Vian helped translate novels in the noir style. At that time, adventurous works with bloody and sexual details were popular. From his pen came 4 novels, one of which, “I will come to spit on your graves,” remained among the top sellers for a long time. The fatal bestseller was even burned by moral fighters. After the discovery of the real author, the scandal gained such momentum that Vian was put on trial. Then he was acquitted, but his writing career was put to rest. The works that came from his pen were not accepted by society, which caused suffering to his talent. And until his last day he was remembered as a hoaxer who had long led the respectable public by the nose. The fatal work ruined not only his reputation, but also himself. Boris Vian died at the premiere of the film adaptation, for which he did not give permission, of a heart attack at 39 years old.

The tragedy of talent

Only after his death did the writer become famous: his books are read with pleasure by the youth of Europe, and in France they are studied in school curricula. This was the tragedy of the talented master. In the novel “Foam of Days,” Boris Vian described his life philosophy. Reviews of his main work were contradictory, and his intellectual prose did not enjoy the resounding success of pulp fiction. It's a pity that Vian and Sullivan are often confused. The gifted author only adjusted to the general mood of the public, releasing deliberately vulgar novels and drowning out the pain inside.

“Foam of Days” balances on the line between absurdity and reality thanks to the author’s special worldview. In the writer’s fantasies, life defeats death, and love confronts gray everyday life. He was interested in the happiness of the individual, not the crowd. Contemporaries called the book “the most poignant novel about love.” The reader encounters amazing sincerity, pain and suffering.

Boris Vian: biography

The future classic was born in 1920 in a small town near Paris. The sore throat that Boris suffered at the age of two caused heart complications. Doctors predicted the boy would have a short life. At the age of 15, he fell ill with typhoid fever, which further undermined his health.

His father did not work, but received income from invested capital. He was a very educated man, read a lot and knew several languages. The mother played the piano and harp beautifully, loved music and instilled this love in her little son. When the boy was 9 years old, a crisis overtook the country, and the measured, comfortable existence came to an end. In order to somehow save their financial situation, the family rents out their villa and dismisses the servants. My father translates texts and sells homeopathic remedies, but this does not bring in much money. After his murder by robbers in 1944, the estate goes under the hammer, and the family moves into a rented apartment. Before leaving, Boris Vian plays a farewell trumpet solo.

Three years before the sad event, the young man marries Michelle Leglise, but his mother does not approve of his choice of bride and even dissuades him from the honeymoon. In the family, according to a long-standing tradition, women did not work, but there was not enough money, and Michelle gets a job at a magazine. In 1942, the couple's son Patrick was born.

Boris Vian spends the last years of his life with his new wife, ballerina Ursula Kübler. The photos where they are captured together are surprisingly tender and touching.

Life in jazz style

Vian's main passion in life is jazz, which he taught himself. Boris and his two brothers organize a family orchestra, and then become a member of the popular ensemble of Claude Abadie. The musicians enjoyed improvising and did not play to order. Despite the doctors' ban, Vian does not give up his passion for music and plays the trumpet with great skill. The ensemble received recognition in 1946 at a tournament in Paris, where it won the Grand Prix.

In the 50s, Vian performed as a chansonnier and left a rich legacy: 400 songs and several records.

The many-faced master

Boris Vian, as an enthusiastic person, tried himself in various fields. He painted paintings that he signed with an anagram of his own name - Bison Ravi (enthusiastic bison). Having learned English, he translated detective stories and science fiction. A column was created especially for Boris in the popular magazine Tan Modern, in which he shared fictional events with a clear hint of modern realities. He hosted radio programs, acted in films, and enjoyed playing himself in the film “A Wonderful Age.”

The writer's funeral took place on June 27, 1959. Relatives, Ursula with a bouquet of bloody roses, crowds of admirers and not a single gravedigger. Then it turned out that they were on strike that day.