Vian was an engineer, inventor, jazz trumpeter, actor, recording artist, and prolific writer. Stanley Chapman was a British architect, designer, writer, and translator, most notably of Vian ("Mood Indigo") and Raymond Queneau. He was the founder of Outrapo and a member of Oulipo, the College de 'Pataphysique (of which Vian was also a member), and the Lewis Carroll Society. He died in 2009. Raymond Queneau (1903-1976) is acknowledged as one of the most influential of modern French writers, having helped determine the shape of twentieth-century French literature, especially in his role with the Oulipo, a group of authors that includes Italo Calvino, Georges Perec, and Harry Mathews, among others. John Sturrock is a literary journalist, sometime deputy editor of the "Times Literary Supplement," and consulting editor on the "London Review of Books," He has written widely on French literature, and is an accomplished translator.

"Vian's prose is surprisingly accessible, and his fascinating take on the strange logic of human cruelty and inconsistency makes this a worthwhile read." —Publishers Weekly"This, Vian's last novel before his 1959 death, is a work to be reckoned with." —Booklist

Vian was an engineer, inventor, jazz trumpeter, actor, recording artist, and prolific writer. Stanley Chapman was a British architect, designer, writer, and translator, most notably of Vian ("Mood Indigo") and Raymond Queneau. He was the founder of Outrapo and a member of Oulipo, the College de 'Pataphysique (of which Vian was also a member), and the Lewis Carroll Society. He died in 2009. Raymond Queneau (1903-1976) is acknowledged as one of the most influential of modern French writers, having helped determine the shape of twentieth-century French literature, especially in his role with the Oulipo, a group of authors that includes Italo Calvino, Georges Perec, and Harry Mathews, among others. John Sturrock is a literary journalist, sometime deputy editor of the "Times Literary Supplement," and consulting editor on the "London Review of Books," He has written widely on French literature, and is an accomplished translator.

"Vian's prose is surprisingly accessible, and his fascinating take on the strange logic of human cruelty and inconsistency makes this a worthwhile read." —Publishers Weekly"This, Vian's last novel before his 1959 death, is a work to be reckoned with." —Booklist

Vian was an engineer, inventor, jazz trumpeter, actor, recording artist, and prolific writer. Stanley Chapman was a British architect, designer, writer, and translator, most notably of Vian ("Mood Indigo") and Raymond Queneau. He was the founder of Outrapo and a member of Oulipo, the College de 'Pataphysique (of which Vian was also a member), and the Lewis Carroll Society. He died in 2009. Raymond Queneau (1903-1976) is acknowledged as one of the most influential of modern French writers, having helped determine the shape of twentieth-century French literature, especially in his role with the Oulipo, a group of authors that includes Italo Calvino, Georges Perec, and Harry Mathews, among others. John Sturrock is a literary journalist, sometime deputy editor of the "Times Literary Supplement," and consulting editor on the "London Review of Books," He has written widely on French literature, and is an accomplished translator.

"Vian's prose is surprisingly accessible, and his fascinating take on the strange logic of human cruelty and inconsistency makes this a worthwhile read." —Publishers Weekly"This, Vian's last novel before his 1959 death, is a work to be reckoned with." —Booklist