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Our Assessment:
B+ : neatly playful and twisted See our review for fuller assessment.
From the Reviews: - Return to top of the page - The complete review's Review: Note: This review refers to Stanley Chapman's translation of L'écume des jours, originally published as Froth on the Daydream (1967, rev. 1970) and recently re-issued as Mood Indigo (UK: Serpent's Tail, 2013; US: FSG, 2014) -- but not to be confused with John Sturrock's translation, originally published as Mood Indigo (Grove Press, 1968). Froth on the Daydream is a vivid mix of bright and dark, a light romance with some very dark edges. Where even to begin ? Perhaps with the end, a closing paragraph that gives about as clear an idea of Vian's writing, tenor, and imagination as any single passage: The voices of eleven little girls, coming in a crocodile from the Orphanage of Pope John the Twenty-third, could be heard getting nearer. They were singing. And they were blind.The world of the novel is semi-fantastical -- the local unit of currency is 'doublezoons', the laws of nature seem rather more flexible -- and much that happens is slightly surreal. This is a world of which Vian can write, with a straight face: "The square was perfectly round", and where there are enormous underground aviaries, where, for example: "the Civic Controllers stored their spare pigeons for Public Squares and Monuments" -- and: There were also resting places for weary sparrows, nesting places for rearing sparrows, and testing places for cheering sparrows.Yes, it's also a novel full of wordplay. 'Mood Indigo' may capture the feel of the novel, but Chapman's original title-in-translation, 'Froth on the Daydream' , come slightly closer to the actual meaning; Brian Harper's more recent translation opts for 'Foam of the Daze', which manages a decent pun on jours ('days'). Oulipo-member Chapman gamely tries his best in his 'anglicized' (as he calls it) version, though he errs in making some of the allusions more contemporary -- mention of film-maker Jacques Goon Luddard (i.e. Jean-Luc Godard) further unbalances a book that is already a tightrope act (and, despite floating in a freely imagined world, is otherwise subtly anchored in contemporary (anno 1946) culture). The central recognizable figure is Jean Pulse Heartre (author of, among others, Breathing and Stuffiness), a thinly-disguised Jean-Paul Sartre (meaning, of course, that 'the Marchioness de Mauvoir' lurks nearby). Colin is the young central figure of the novel, and his good friend Chick has lost himself entirely to the cult of Heartre, as he spends every doublezoon he gets his hand on on the master's work. As to what Vian thinks of Heartre's fanatical followers, a scene where the philosopher speaks publicly gives a good idea; as to what Vian thinks of Heartre's ideas ... well: Heartre had stood up and was showing the audience some samples of petrified vomit. The prettiest, containing sweetbreads, sauerkraut and cider, was an outstanding success.Petrified vomit ... not a ringing endorsement of the master's philosophy. Froth on the Daydream is, on one of its many levels, a love story, with Colin swept away by Chloe, the two madly in love and then, briefly, happily married -- but Chloe is a tragic heroine, felled by a devastating (and very odd) affliction. Froth on the Daydream isn't mere satire, though one can find enough of that throughout it. However, Vian layers on a great deal more: reveling in the possibilities of the fantasy-world he invents the story shifts easily from the realistically grounded to the absurd. Similarly, Vian (and Chapman) revel in word-play -- to the extent that some of the ideas and episodes seem driven merely by the verbal contortions they enable. Logical coherence remains a secondary concern, so most anything goes -- but Vian follows through sufficiently with his main characters to sustain an actual novel (rather than just collecting fantastical bits): there is certainly more than enough story here. This is the sort of fiction one has to be 'open' to, accepting that the author plays by a different (and not readily recognizable) set of rules and enjoying the ride. It has charm, poignancy, a lot of clever bits, and a great deal that is a lot of (strange) fun -- worth giving yourself into. - M.A.Orthofer, 29 June 2014 - Return to top of the page - Froth on the Daydream:
- Return to top of the page - French author Boris Vian lived 1920 to 1959. - Return to top of the page -
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