Gourt Home::Gourt :: Froth on the daydream
Froth on the daydream (in French "L'Écume des Jours") is a novel written by French author Boris Vian, and published in 1947. Under this title the tranlation was by Stanley Chapman.
It has been translated several times into English, under this title (by Stanley Chapman), Mood Indigo, Foam of the Daze by Brian Harper (TamTam Books).
Plot summary
The protagonist, Colin, is a wealthy young man with a resourceful and stylish man-servant, Nicholas, and a healthy supply of doublezoons in his chest. With dizzying speed, Colin meets and weds Chloe in a grand ceremony. Generously, Colin bequeaths a third of his fortune to his friends Chick and Lisa so they too may marry. Happiness should await both couples but Chloe falls ill upon her honeymoon witha lily in the lung, a painful and rare condition that can only be treated by surrounding her with flowers. The expense is prohibitive and Colin soon exhausts his funds. Meanwhile, Chick's obsession with the philosopher, Jean-Pulse Heatre, causes him to spend all his money, effort and attention upon collecting Heartrian literature. Lisa hopes to save Chick financially and renew his interest in her by persuading Heartre to stop publishing books. She kills him when he refuses and seeks revenge upon the booksellers. Colin struggles to provide flowers for Chloe to no avail and his grief as her death is so strong his pet mouse commits suicide to escape the gloom.
Characters in "Froth on the Daydream"
- Colin – a wealthy young man
- Nicholas – Colin's man-servant
- Chloe &ndahs; who Colin marries
- Chick and Lisa – Colin's friends
- Jean-Pulse Heatre – a philosopher who Chick idolises
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
L'Écume des Jours was made into a movie, released in 1968. English title: Spray of the Days. Directed by Charles Belmont, it stars Jacques Perrin, Marie-France Pisier, Sami Frey, Alexandra Stewart, Annie Buron, Bernard Fresson.
It was also made into an opera under the same title by the Russian composer Edison Denisov in (1981).
"Froth on the daydream"