The Magnetic Fields

An indispensible classic of French poetry, this is a new translation of Breton and Soupault's experiment with automatic writing, and also the first known work of literary surrealism.

In the spring of 1919, two young men, Andr? Breton and Philippe Soupault, both in a state of shock after World War I, embarked on an experiment. Sick of the literary cultivation of "voice," sick of the "well-written," they wanted to unleash the power of the word and to create "a new morality" to replace "the prevailing morality, the source of all our trials and tribulations." They had a plan. They would write for a week on every day of the week and they would write fast, as fast as possible, in complete secrecy. When the week was over, the writing would be done. No touching up.

This was how The Magnetic Fields, the first sustained exercise in automatic writing, came to be. Charlotte Mandell's brilliant new translation reveals a key work of twentieth-century literature.

This English-only edition does not include the poems in their original language.

Author: Andre Breton, Philippe Soupault
Publisher: New York Review of Books
Published: 10/13/2020
Pages: 112
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.25lbs
Size: 6.90h x 4.40w x 0.20d
ISBN13: 9781681374604
ISBN10: 1681374609
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | European | French
- Poetry | Subjects & Themes | General

About the Author
Andr? Breton (1896-1966) was a writer, poet, and co-founder of the surrealist movement. A student of psychiatry and a devout Marxist, Breton saw surrealism as the ultimate means to liberation both personal and political.

Philippe Soupault (1897-1990) was a co-founder of the surrealist movement alongside Andr? Breton. Soupault left surrealism behind following political disagreements with Breton, remaining a lifelong writer.

Charlotte Mandell is a translator of French literature. She has published numerous translations of writers including Jean Genet, Guy de Maupassant, and Gustave Flaubert. She has been awarded a translation prize from the Modern Language Association and the National Translation Award in Prose. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York.