Hegel's laughing

[Paul Mackin]

On Wed, 2 Aug 2000, Thomas Eckhardt wrote:

> >You may be right, but I've always been thinking that the humour mr.
> >Pynchon's uses is related to the way the French Fifties author Boris
> >Vian uses humour: absurdly funny and.  Could it be mr. Pynchon is
> >familiar with his work (I haven't got the faintest idea wether he is
> >known in the States)?
> 
> Wouldn't know about Mr. Pynchon, but I have read a German translation of
> "L'Ècume des Jours" and I think it is a wonderful, wonderful book. As Vian
> at that time was a prominent member of the French jazz crowd and TRP quite
> obviously a huge jazz fan I think it is quite possible that P has read some
> Vian. Perhaps the question is whether English translations of Vian's novels
> were available in the US during the 50s/60s. Paul? Neil? 


I would say No. In the 50s Sartre was widely read in the U.S. in
translation.  Also Camus's The Plague, The Stranger, The Fall.
deBeauvoir also. I know I didn't know about Vian.

			P.