''Heartsnatcher'' () is a 1953 novel by the French writer
Boris Vian
Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of th ...
. It tells the story of a psychoanalyst who is newly arrived in a very superstitious village where absurd events occur. The heartsnatcher of the title of this book was first seen in an earlier Vian novel ''
Froth on the daydream
''Froth on the Daydream'' (, "The Froth of Days") is a 1947 surrealist novel by French author Boris Vian. Although told as a linear narrative, the novel employs surrealism and contains multiple plot lines, including the love stories of two coup ...
.'' It is a macabre invention, an implement with which that traditional seat of our emotions can be gorily extracted. One victim of it is a philosopher named
Jean-Sol Partre.
Reception
The book was reviewed in ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'' in 2003: "Vian's sharp, playful humor makes for an entertaining read, although there are extended flat stretches. While the allegorical conceits may be something of an acquired taste, Vian's prose is surprisingly accessible, and his fascinating take on the strange logic of human cruelty and inconsistency makes this a worthwhile read."
Adaptation
film
See also
*
1953 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1953.
Events
*January 5 – ''Waiting For Godot'', a play by the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, has its first public stage performance, in French as ''En attendant G ...
*
20th-century French literature
20th-century French literature is literature written in French from 1900 to 1999. For literature made after 1999, see the article Contemporary French literature. Many of the developments in French literature in this period parallel changes in ...
References
1953 French novels
Novels by Boris Vian
French novels adapted into films
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