Surrealism: The Road to the Absolute

TLDR

The book, first published in 1959, offers a readable introduction to French surrealist poets such as Apollinaire, Breton, Aragon, Eluard, and Reverdy. Balakian uses the introduction to examine surrealism’s influence on contemporary poetry. She contextualizes the movement within early twentieth‑century Paris, linking it to symbolist poetry, WWI, scientific and industrial advances, psychology, philosophy, and painting, and enriches the history with firsthand knowledge and interviews with Reverdy and Breton. The volume contains photographs of the poets and reproductions of works by Ernst, Dali, Tanguy, and others.

Abstract

First published in 1959, Surrealism remains the most readable introduction to the French surrealist poets Apollinaire, Breton, Aragon, Eluard, and Reverdy. Providing a much-needed overview of the movement, Balakian places the surrealists in the context of early twentieth-century Paris and describes their reactions to symbolist poetry, World War I, and developments in science and industry, psychology, philosophy, and painting. Her coherent history of the movement is enhanced by her firsthand knowledge of the intellectual climate in which some of these poets worked and her interviews with Reverdy and Breton. In a new introduction, Balakian discusses the influence of surrealism on contemporary poetry. This volume includes photographs of the poets and reproductions of paintings by Ernst, Dali, Tanguy, and others.