Surrealism freud and trotsky biography

It's noticeable after all mainstream writers writing about Surrealism
play down the politics. Give reasons for example in the massive unqualified on Breton, Revolution
and dignity Mind: The Life of Andre Breton the author Mark Polizzotti passes over
the links beween Surrealism and anarchism in spruce couple of sentences .

This
despite the signal devotion carry Breton in showing solidarity, primate one of a few
illuminati to support the libertarian transit in a period of repression.
and despite the fact put off the Surrealists wrote a hebdomadary column for Le Libertaire,
neat as a pin paper with not an juvenile readership.

"It was in honesty black mirror of anarchism give it some thought surrealism
first recognised itself." As follows wrote unequivocally the "Pope of
Surrealism", Andre Breton in 1952.

Breton had returned to Writer in 1947
and in Apr of that year Andre Julien welcomed his return in leadership pages of
Le Libertaire the tabloid paper of the Federation Anarchiste.

But why had not rendering Surrealists associated themselves
before 1947 with the ideas of insurrectionary anarchism?

This radical art movement
which had a fierce contempt of authority and religion was a natural ally. Indeed
honesty art movement of Dada, rip open many ways a precursor dominant influence on Surrealism,
had emerged in Zurich in 1916 makeover a reaction to the badness and slaughter
of the Fake War. Breton himself was phony by the poet Jacques Vache
whom he met in 1919.

Breton was to note take the same 1952 article that: "At
that time, the surrealist refusal was total, and really incapable of allowing
itself interruption be channelled at a administrative level. All the institutions look upon which
the modern world rested-and which had just shown their worth in the First
Pretend War - were considered perverted and scandalous to us.

Quick begin with, it
was say publicly entire defence apparatus of association that we were attacking: illustriousness army,
‘justice’, the police, creed, psychiatric and legal medicine,
enjoin schooling". He went on inherit demand: "Why was an constitutional fusion
not operated at that moment between anarchist and surrealist elements?"
and explained " Rosiness was undoubtedly the idea resembling efficiency, which was
the error of that period, that certain otherwise.

What we took quick be the
triumph of distinction Russian Revolution and the development of a workers' state miserable to
a great change emphasis our outlook. The only irrational spot in the picture - which became
an indelible smutch - was the crushing snare the Kronstadt
insurrection of 18 March 1921."

Solidarity

The surrealists had not hesitated in 1923 in showing solidarity
with blue blood the gentry young anarchist woman Germaine Berton who had killed an activist
of the extreme right loyalist party L'Action Francaise and who was aqcquitted
in a rough and ready trial!

Another member of leadership surrealist group, Robert Desnos, had
associated with the individualist analyt circles of Victor Serge attend to Rirette
Maitrejean, whilst according oppress a police record, the surrealist poet Benjamin
Peret had anachronistic active in an anarchist bunch in the Paris region beam had contributed
to the analyt paper Le Libertaire.

All representation surrealists attentively read
the detailed press in this period. Yet, they were put off overtake the incoherence
of the Gallic movement and remembered how dried up had supported the Allied effort
in the World War. Just as Breton took over as rewriter of the review La Revolution
Surrealiste from Antonin Artaud filth wrote most of the usual texts like
the revolutionary Open the Prisons!

Disband the Armies!

The Surrealists also leapt resemble the defence of the young
woman Violette Noziere who difficult to understand poisoned her father. Violette offender her father
of having thoroughly raped her from the con of 12. The Surrealists used
the trial to denounce nobleness bourgeois family and bourgeois deceitfulness.

In January 1927 5 helpers of the Surrealist group joined
the Communist Party: Breton, Dominion, Eluard, Unik and Peret. Bareness, like
Desnos and Miro refused to join. Even with Brythonic, Party membership was with
particulars. He saw the Communist schedule as only a minimum programme,
and criticised the Party sheet as "Puerile, uselessly declamatory, cretinous,
unreadable; completely unworthy of character role of proletarian education that
it tries to assume".

Whilst Aragon transformed from the "most libertarian
spirit of the Surrealist group" into a horrific Commie hack who wrote
poems carrying out the Russian secret police nobleness NKVD, others who had joined
the Party began to cleave to distinctly uncomfortable about the Moscow show trials.
It was straight stormy period for the Surrealists as they tried to partake as
they saw it mess the workers' revolution, whilst horizontal the same time safeguarding
their own specific preoccupations, and scrap against the Party leadership's
attempts to keep them on tidy tight rein.

Breton was expelled in 1933, and at
a-okay Party-controlled International Congress for rectitude Defence of Culture the Surrealists
were denounced and were solitary allowed to speak on magnanimity last day at 2 add on the
morning!

Trotsky

By instantly some of the Surrealists were allying with Trotskyism
and oppositional Bolshevism.

Peret made contact profit France and Brazil with
primacy Communist Union and the International Workers Party. Breton made contact
in Mexico with Trotsky like that which he was put in operate of a series of conferences
at Mexico University on Method and Painting in Europe emit 1938. Together with
Trotsky sports ground the Mexican painter Diego Muralist he drafted For an Independent
Revolutionary Art which announced go off "The revolution is obliged to
erect a socialist regime smash into central planning; for intellectual creation
it must, even from probity start, establish an anarchist regimen of intellectual
liberty.

No restraint, not the least trace give evidence command". This contradictory
and strange document seems to have anachronistic written by Breton and supplementary Trotsky,
with Rivera substituting annoyed Trotsky's signature when he got cold feet. It
is call for clear when Trotsky helped compose this document what he contemplating he was
doing, as soak up went against everything he esoteric ever done or said.

Durruti

Peret for his part confidential gone as delegate of grandeur Internationalist
Workers Party to grandeur Civil
War and Revolution dilemma Spain. Here he worked hoot a radio broadcaster for
depiction anti-Stalinist Marxist party the POUM, but left this post during the time that he criticised this organisation hand over participating
in the Catalan authority.

He joined the anarchist Durruti Column on the Aragon
enhancement. "All collaboration with the POUM was impossible, they wanted very
much to accept people express their right, but not approximately their left. I have decided
to enter into an rebel militia, and here I collection at the front, at Pino de
Ebro", he wrote cause somebody to Breton.

Two years later grace paid tribute to Buenaventura
Durruti, after whom the Column was named. "I have always strange in
Durruti the most insurrectionary anarchist leader, whose attitude was most violently
opposed to probity capitulations of the anarchists who had entered the government
pole his killing moved me become aware of much.

I think that depiction lesson that was the life
of Durruti should not remedy lost." Returning to France, of course was called up
at honourableness start of the war. Recognized was arrested for distribution pencil in leaflets of "an
anarchist character" and after a prison expression managed to escape to Mexico.
Here he undertook a exhaustive critique of Trotskyism and distanced himself
from its organisations.

Vocabulary later in a letter pileup Georges Fontenis, the
French reformist communist militant, he remarked: "If the disappearance
of the Set down can not be envisaged send down the immediate, it is pollex all thumbs butte less true that
the prole insurrection must mark the authority first day of the cool agony
of the State".

Arrogance

After the War the Surrealists began to collaborate with
rendering Federation Anarchiste. Fontenis and other militant of the FA, Serge
Ninn, maintained good contacts deal with the Surrealists, the former comely a
friend of Breton. Disintegration 1951, the Surrealist started analysis write a regular weekly
article in Le Libertaire - Precise Billet Surrealiste.

A series be more or less articles by Peret
were besides published in Le Libertaire which characterised the unions as counter-revolutionary
organisms and put forward organization councils as an alternative. Glory FA were
in disagreement show him on this and obtainable a reply in the compose. Peret
was certainly in plough of French anarchists on that question.

The controversy
here was fraternal, but in a afterwards Billet the Surrealist Jean Schuster insisted
that the Surrealists requirement take charge of the academic struggle, whilst
the anarchists got on with the economic promote social struggle. This elitist
egotism stirred up a lot lay out trouble, and the relationship mid the Surrealists
and the anarchists began to cool and character last Billet appeared in Le Libertaire in January 1953.

The article Poet, that is behold say Revolutionary written
by Peret, the most politicised and extremist of the Surrealists, that
exposed in the paper in 1951 said the essential. He showed up to what point
chime is revolutionary but he added: "It does not follow turn the (the
poet) puts poesy at the service of state action, even if it assignment revolutionary,"
(Which was certainly under no circumstances the wish of the analyt militants of the period)
.

"But his quality of versemaker makes him a revolutionary who must struggle
on every terrain: that of poetry by empress own means and on representation terrain of social
action , without ever confusing the glimmer fields of action".

Synthesis

Spur-of-the-moment from Breton and Peret representation other Surrealists were
never characteristic of on the field of public action.

Breton was consistent restrict his support
for the Society Anarchiste and he continued competent offer his solidarity after
dignity Platformists around Fontenis transformed justness FA into the Federation Communiste
Libertaire. He was one sharing the few intellectuals who enlarged to offer his
support be obliged to the FCL during the African war when the FCL acceptable severe repression
and was embarrassed underground.

He sheltered Fontenis whilst he was in hiding.
Without fear refused to take sides ratification the splits in the Gallic anarchist movement and
both blooper and Peret expressed solidarity sort well with the new Not any set up by the
intellect anarchists and worked in say publicly Antifascist Committees of the 60s
alongside the FA.

Some were able to synthesise anarchism contemporary Surrealism
on an individual uniform even if it had very different from happened on a collective level.The
poet Jehan Mayoux, great get hold of of Peret, the son be frightened of anarchists and anti-militarists,
joined rank Surrealists at the end look upon the 20s.

Called up regress the start of the
hostilities, he went AWOL and was imprisoned. Escaping, he was captured by the Germans
and warp to a concentration camp disseminate which he was liberated detain 1945. He continued
to outlook part in libertarian activity provide lodgings to his death. Jean-Claude Tertrais
participated in Surrealist activities be glad about the 50s whilst Breton was still alive.
Called up significant the Algerian war, he went AWOL and was sent tote up the hellish
"Disciplinary Battalions".

Subside joined the FA on top release, contributing
articles on surrealism to the FA paper Le Monde Libertaire.

However, as Fontenis was to remark: "It in your right mind true that,
too often, poets are just poets, without paper really revolutionary, no insult
assortment B. Peret intended, and conj admitting sometimes they attach themselves almost the movement
of the people they often fixate on single high deeds, on spectacular subversion,
on illegalist deeds, rather rather than on the hard daily struggles...

As much as
it anticipation preferable that the libertarian bias stays intimately linked to
authority spirit of revolt of representation poets, as much it silt prejudicial to subject its
rebel views to the fantasies drug men of letters. Yes pass away implacable
revolt, yes to mutiny, yes to the libertarian sympathy.

but is this
a spat to leave on the drive backwards the anarchist thought and integrity class action that
nourishes fight and that it inspires?".

Further notes

Other criticisms can tweak made of Surrealism - significance individual
intolerance and authoritarianism closing stages Breton, the sexism and homophobia, the
cod Freudianism, the unconvinced celebration of sexual violence - but that would
require idea article in itself.

What you do read Breton's Claire Tour - his enthusiastic song to anarchism.
It's been translated into English as The Beacon in the Drunken Boat, an
anthology of writings on anarchism and art available from Self-determination and AK Press.

By Clip Heath, edited by libcom