Boris Vian Invents Boris Vian

Long for Paris? Here's your chance to romp with the Prince of Saint-Germain and friends (Édith Piaf, Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir) in jazz caves and Left Bank hot spots- Title stories from four key collections introduce readers to American GIs, a bike-riding werewolf, a priest in swim trunks, and a man "Falling in Love from the Empire State Building." Vian's essays assume diverse forms and audiences-from a letter to a friend worried about robo-poets and a numerical equation (published by the College of Pataphysic) to a Dr. Mock journal article on "The Dangers of Jazz" and a futuristic plan for Paris in 2000. This Vian Reader comes with a send-off (Foreword) by Vian's son Patrick, major poems, a censored protest ballad, an introduction to the three stages of Vian's life and work, and prefatory details and anecdotal information about each selection. Vian adored America and here he is alive and ready to jive. Yeah! Rap-slam and keep your eye on Uncle Sam.