Boris Vian

Boris Vian (www.recollectionbooks.com)

Boris Vian was born in 1920 in a small town not too far from Paris. In his childhood he received a good education which allowed him to study in a prestigious French school in Paris. At the same time he was an engineer, a writer, musician, jazz critic, lyric writer and singer. He wrote eleven novels, four poem collections, several plays, film scripts and hundreds of songs. This genious lived while remaining unknown by the general public. It was only in 1962, three years after his death, that his work was first discovered on a larger scale. Jazz was his passion. He played the trumpet in a club called Tabou in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. But in 1959, he died of a heart attack. He was only 39.

Such a short life for such a great man. Boris Vian was interested in many things and succeeded in all domains. His work goes from song to theatre, from novels to poetry, from opera to jazz... What a "Renaissance man"! Moreover, his peaceful and comitted song called "the Deserteur" shows his independant personality. Indeed it starts with : "Mister President, [...] I don't want to go to war. I'm not on the earth to kill poor people. [...] My decision is taken : I will desert." Several times he was censured because he dared defy public opinion. He was considered a troublemaker. But to my mind he was honest, trying to say what was disturbing him. I admire him for having been courageous, fighting for his ideas and for freedom. He also had an extraordinary imagination and astonishing facility with language : his novels are full of puns and crazy inventions.

Boris Vian is thus a model for me. I very much admire his way of thinking, his talent and his love for freedom. He was passionately fond of Jazz and words. His richness of talents formed an extraordinary man. To me, he is an example to follow.

He was ahead of his time : in the sixties (in 1968), young people would discover this genious poet shouting "Make Love, not war!". He would become one of the heroes of this generation.