Translated from French by Bachana Chabradze
French songs were given a new life in the post-war Paris: it was an era of authors, composers and singers. People used to stream into the cabarets on the left embankment where the Chansonniers sang provocative and ‘unacceptable’ songs. Those singers were primarily poets, who gave preference to lyrics, erasing the borders between poetry and singing. Ultimately, it was the time when one could see the full manifestation of Georges Brassens’s talent, the peak of Léo Ferré’s expression, the crescendo of Jacques Brel’s art, the birth of Serge Gainsbourg’s extravagant phenomenon and the apogee of Boris Vian’s creative work. They created a new era of French lyrics and still inspire generations.
The book is a collection of translated chansons by these authors.