Celebrating Surrealism’s Centenary

Abstract

As Michel Murat observes, Surrealism ‘est aujourd’hui une des composantes de la culture globale du 20e siècle, au-delà même des sociétés occidentales’ [is today one of the components of twentieth-century global culture, extending even beyond western society].1 In view of the movement’s persistent vitality and continued popularity, it is amazing that a hundred years have passed since it was founded. With the exception of Dada (which was later reformulated as Neo-Dada), no other avant-garde movement has lasted half as long. Surrealism has not only continued to exist, but has prospered along the way. The fact that three Surrealist poets (Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Vicente Aleixandre) have received the Nobel Prize in Literature testifies to the movement’s impressive vitality. Ironically, while Surrealism was initially conceived as a French movement, the highest official recognition has been reserved for its Spanish-speaking poets. As I write, plans are being made around the world to celebrate the centenary of the publication of the First Manifesto on October 15, 1924. This Special Issue seeks not only to contribute to this celebration, but also to acknowledge the phenomenal influence that Surrealism has exerted on modern art and literature in particular. In addition, it seeks to advance the discussion of Surrealist works along a number of important lines. These include, but are not limited to, the role of dream, the nature of automatism, and the function of paradox. Since dreaming provided the easiest access to the Freudian unconscious, it served as the logical starting point for Surrealist investigations. André Breton and his colleagues not only analyzed their own dreams but actually sought to duplicate the dream process. Allowing the unconscious to freely express itself, they also experimented with automatic dictation and automatic drawing. In an attempt to expand the rhetorical possibilities of language, finally, they investigated the potential of chance verbal encounters and contradictory juxtapositions as a means of creating marvelous new images.