Editing Boris Vian (section)

===Legacy===
During his lifetime, only the novels published under the name of Vernon Sullivan were successful. Those published under his real name, which had real literary value in his eyes, remained a commercial failure, despite the support of prominent writers of the time.<ref>Richaud p. 151</ref>

Almost immediately after his death, ''[[Froth on the Daydream|L'Écume des jours]]'', and then ''L'automne à Pékin'', ''L'Arrache-cœur'', and ''L'Herbe rouge'', began to gain recognition in [[France]] and were taken up by the young in the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>''Dictionnaire des auteurs'' p. 606</ref>

As a songwriter, Vian had mixed success. When he decided that he himself should sing the songs that were rejected by the stars, he succeeded only in reaching a limited audience (including [[Léo Ferré]] and [[Georges Brassens]]), the public remaining unconvinced of his talent for singing.<ref>Boggio p. 414, 437</ref> Nevertheless the [[May 1968 in France]] generation, even more than the previous ones, loved his songs, especially because of their impertinence.

As a songwriter, Vian inspired [[Serge Gainsbourg]], who used to attend his show at the cabaret ''Les Trois Baudets'' and who wrote, thirty years later: "I took it on the chin [...], he sang terrific things [...], it is because I heard him that I decided to try something interesting".<ref>''L'Arc'' Journal (#90) special issue devoted to Boris Vian, 1984</ref>
As a critic, Boris Vian was the first to support Gainsbourg in ''[[Le Canard enchaîné]]'', in 1957.

Over the years, Vian's works have become modern classics, often celebrated and selected as subjects for study in schools. Vian is still viewed by many as the emblematic figure of [[Saint Germain des Prés]] as it existed during the postwar decade, when this district was the centre of artistic and intellectual life in Paris.<ref>Richaud p. 78, 80</ref><ref>Boggio p. 175, 224</ref>