Vercoquin and the Plankton

Vercoquin and the Plankton is the second novel by Boris Vian. Written in 1943, it was published by Gallimard in 1946. It portrays the festive atmosphere of Paris during the German Occupation, when many sought escape from harsh everyday reality, particularly through the so-called surprise parties, nocturnal gatherings where the most eccentric personalities came together to indulge in unrestrained fun.

The plot unfolds between two of these Parisian surprise parties. At the first, the Major, a recurring character of Vian's based on his youthful friend Jacques Loustalot, falls for Zizanie and wins her over, offering along the way a kind of seduction "manual" full of outlandish tricks. At the second party, the Major ends up becoming engaged to her. In between, he tries to secure the consent of Zizanie's uncle and guardian, a senior sub-engineer of the CNU, a grotesque version of the AFNOR standards body where Vian himself had worked. To do so he relies on his friend Antioche Tambretambre, his right-hand man, an experienced party organizer and heavy drinker. The road to the Engineer's approval, a mean and boring man whom all his subordinates detest, proves long and winding.