Je voudrais pas crever is an illustrated book of poems by Boris Vian, dedicated to a French illustrator and close friend, Martin Matje, who died in 2004. Under the leadership of Les Allusifs editor Brigitte Bouchard, everyone who participated in the book’s creation—all friends of Martin Matje—made the project meaningful for us.

As 2009 is the anniversary year of Vian’s death, this book was dedicated to Vian’s lovers and to every book collector.

The constructivist design treatment pays tribute to 1950s Paris.

Playful; almost a children’s book. The design works nicely with the illustrations and accompanying poems.

The framing of the text, page numbers and author treatment are a nice touch.