Boris Vian. A novelist? A songwriter? A playwright? A poet? A trumpet player? A music publishing company producer? A singer? A visual artist? An engineer? Well, this man was all of that, without being a Jack of all trades as he was often accused of being. For what united all those various activities was a way of being, what could be called his "jazz attitude". Vian's passion for this style of music indeed inspired his style in all the categories he covered. It even dictated his relation to life and death.—Guy Bellinger