Book Summary:

Les Btisseurs d’Empire, also known as Le Schmrz, is a 1959 play by French writer Boris Vian. This darkly comedic and absurdist work portrays a bourgeois familycomprising a father, mother, their daughter Znobie, and a maidwho are driven to madness by an unexplained, ever-present noise and a silent, mistreated figure known as the “Schmrz.” Each time the noise becomes unbearable, the family relocates to a smaller apartment higher in their building, progressively losing their belongings and members. The Schmrz, a mute and battered character, silently endures abuse from the family, symbolizing the marginalized and oppressed. Znobie is the only one who attempts to communicate with him, but her efforts are in vain. The play culminates in the family’s complete disintegration, leaving the father and the Schmrz as the sole survivors, possibly perishing together in the end.

Vian’s work is a critique of bourgeois society, colonialism, and the absurdity of human existence. The recurring noise and the Schmrz’s silent suffering serve as metaphors for societal ills, including the Algerian War’s impact on France during the late 1950s.

About the Author:

Boris Vian (19201959) was a multifaceted French writer, poet, musician, and engineer, renowned for his avant-garde and satirical works. He was associated with the post-war literary movement known as the “Pataphysics,” which explored the absurd and the imaginary. Vian’s works often challenged societal norms and conventions, blending humor with critical commentary. In addition to Les Btisseurs d’Empire, his notable works include the novels L’cume des jours (Froth on the Daydream) and J’irai cracher sur vos tombes (I Shall Spit on Your Graves), as well as plays like L’quarrissage pour tous (Knackery for All). His untimely death at the age of 39 cut short a prolific and influential career.