The first Surrealist Manifesto of 1924 established a movement centered on pure psychic automatism, an ideology championed by its primary theorist, André Breton. Moving beyond traditional literary constraints, he orchestrated a collective redirection of French thought and artistic expression, cementing his role as a central figure in European avant-garde literature during the twentieth century.
Early influences and military service
Born in Tinchebray in 1896, Breton attended the Lycée Chaptal before enrolling in medical school. His formal education halted due to his conscription during World War I. While working in a neurological ward in Nantes, he encountered the writings of Jacques Vaché, whose rejection of artistic conventions informed Breton's future aesthetic philosophy. Following the war, he entered Paris to pursue a literary career, eventually marrying Simone Kahn in 1921.
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In 1919, Breton launched the literary review Littérature alongside Louis Aragon and Philippe Soupault. This period of collaboration resulted in the publication of Les Champs Magnétiques, which applied the technique of automatic writing. By 1924, Breton had codified his principles in the Surrealist Manifesto, leading to the creation of the Bureau of Surrealist Research and the magazine La Révolution surréaliste. His later publications included the Second Surrealist Manifesto and the novel Nadja, the latter depicting an encounter with a woman who develops mental illness.
Political activities and international travel
Breton briefly joined the French Communist Party in 1927, seeking to merge personal transformation with Marxist politics, though he was expelled in 1933. His political engagement persisted, notably through a collaboration with Leon Trotsky in 1938 to produce the Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art, co-authored with Diego Rivera. During a 1938 trip to Mexico, he characterized the country as the most surrealist in the world, having visited a community of artists including Frida Kahlo.
Exile and final years
During World War II, Breton served in the medical corps before escaping France to avoid censorship by the Vichy government. Assisted by Varian Fry and Hiram Bingham IV, he relocated to the United States and the Caribbean in 1941. While in exile, he organized a surrealist exhibition at Yale University and collaborated on various literary projects, including the 1947 introduction for Aimé Césaire. Breton returned to Paris, where he died in 1966, and was interred at the Batignolles Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1896, Tinchebray
- Died: 1966, Paris
- Movement: Surrealism
- Notable Works: Surrealist Manifesto, Second Surrealist Manifesto
- Education: Lycée Chaptal
- Religion: Atheism
- Burial place: Batignolles Cemetery
- Primary language: French
Questions readers ask
What is surrealism according to Breton?
In his 1924 Manifesto, he defined it as pure psychic automatism.
Where is André Breton buried?
He is buried at the Batignolles Cemetery in Paris.
Achievements
- Notable work: Surrealist Manifesto
- Notable work: Manifestoes of Surrealism
- Notable work: Second Surrealist Manifesto
