Caples, Garrett: André Breton in Cavalier Perspective

Written to introduce the first English-language edition of his final book of essays, André Breton in Cavalier Perspective reconsiders the postwar activities of the poet and founder of the Surrealist Movement, disclosing the Breton of living memory rather than the antique legend of high modernism. Caples provides crucial context for this final period of Breton’s writing, situating his speeches and broadsides against the backdrop of the Algerian War for Independence (1954–1962) and the tide of colonial repression that recalls his experiences on the anti-Stalinist left in the 1930s. The essay also discusses Breton’s 1946 sojourn to Haiti, where he inadvertently sparked a revolution. As always, Breton’s political concerns are intertwined with his relentless pursuit of anti-rational phenomena, seen here in his explorations of games, magic, astrology, and objective chance. Throughout, Caples challenges the received critical account of Breton, reevaluating the poet and Surrealist for a new audience in a new era.