The National Library of Spain collaborates once again with the Jazz Madrid International Festival by holding a lecture that will examine the relationship between jazz and the figure of the polymath Boris Vian.
Some discovered Vian through jazz; others came across his devastating literature and the cruel concept of journalism shown in his chronicles. All of this will be examined in the lecture given by Luis Martín, artistic director of Jazz Madrid.
The leading exponent of post-war Parisian counterculture, Boris Vian was a key personality, both for his literary innovation and for introducing American jazz to France. In short, he anticipated the figure of the absolute modern artist by demonstrating that one could simultaneously pursue the facets of engineer, jazz musician, novelist, pop song composer, actor and translator, which blurred the boundaries between high culture and popular culture.