Why Surrealism Matters - Mark Polizzotti

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Why Surrealism Matters

by
Mark Polizzotti

general information | our review | links | about the author

Title:	Why Surrealism Matters
Author:	Mark Polizzotti
Genre:	Non-fiction
Written:	2024
Length:	169 pages
Availability:	Why Surrealism Matters - US
	Why Surrealism Matters - UK
	Why Surrealism Matters - Canada

	from: Bookshop.org (US)

	directly from: Yale University Press

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Our Assessment:

B : good, wide-ranging but concise introduction and overview

See our review for fuller assessment.

The complete review's Review:

Published as part of Yale University Press' 'Why X Matters'-series, Why Surrealism Matters is a handy-sized introduction and overview of Surrealism. Author Mark Polizzotti suggests: "Surrealism's importance lies not so much in the works it produced as in the attitudes underlying them", and it is these, in particular, that he examines here, devoting different chapters to specific aspects of the movement.
The leading personality over the years remained André Breton, but as Polizzotti points out:

the members of the Surrealist cohort derived much of their energy and identity from their affiliation with the collective. And while they produced many individually signed works, these works take on their full meaning as part of the aggregate. More than any movement before it and all but a few since, Surrealism embraced the idea of association not only as a strategic advantage but as a core element of its existence.

       Polizzotti suggests that, above all, Surrealism tried to: "reinfuse modern life, and modern living, with the lost capacity for marvels", and traces that through their various efforts.
       Even as they challenged bourgeois attitudes, it's amusing to see how traditional many of the Surrealists were in their private lives and behavior. Polizzotti is particularly good at exploring areas where they sometimes fell short -- notably, in making women equal part of the program (with some amusing asides also about their earnest approach to sexuality in general). The dalliance with (Soviet) Communism is well-covered, and Polizzotti also helpfully ranges beyond merely European efforts, considering a number of artists elsewhere and their roles in the movement -- even as he acknowledges Paris as the incontrovertible Surrealist center.
       Polizzotti notes that: "Surrealist productions and actions are defined less by form or medium than by spirit and intent", and he captures and conveys that spirit and intent well here. It makes for a good, short introduction to Surrealism, and a solid case for why it still matters in the present-day -- or why it should.

- M.A.Orthofer, 5 February 2024

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Links:

Why Surrealism Matters:

Yale University Press publicity page
Excerpt

Surrealism:

Manifesto of Surrealism by André Breton
The Random Surrealism Generator

Other books of interest under review:

Gérard Durozoi's History of the Surrealist Movement

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About the Author:

American author and translator Mark Polizzotti was born in 1957.

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