(1924; reed. 1929) is the first of three programmatic texts written by André Breton. Together with
Second manifeste du surréalisme(1930; Reed. 1946) and
Prolégomènes à un troisième manifeste du surréalisme ou non(1942), it is often collected under the title
Manifestes du surréalisme.
Manifestedeserves consideration in its own right, however. Its value lies at the intersection of the collective and the personal (“son sort dépen[d] étroitement du mien propre” (9) [“its fate is closely linked to my own”], Breton reminds us in his second preface). It is at once serious and playful, prosaic and lyrical, and of historical importance:
Manifesteprovided the fledgling “mouvement flou” [“vague and blurry movement”] with its first set of…
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Citation: Andréo, Benjamin. "Manifeste du surréalisme". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 September 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=33204, accessed 31 October 2024.]