Earthlight (Green Integer) [Paperback]

Andre Breton (Author), Bill Zavatsky (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Green Integer | Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Best known in the United States as the mastermind of the Surrealist movement and as the author of the dream-logic fiction Nadja, André Breton has always enjoyed in Europe the additional reputation of being a brilliant poet. Bill Zavatsky’s and Zack Rogow’s excellent translation of Breton’s Earthlight (Clair de terre) introduces the English-language audience to the delights—and complexities—of Breton’s amazing poetry. Written to friends and fellow Surrealists such as Pablo Picasso, André Derain, Robert Desnos, Francis Picabia, Pierre Reverdy, and Max Ernst, the poems in the collection date from 1919 to 1936, spanning Breton’s involvement with Dadaism and his founding and development of Surrealism.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Breton (1896-1966), frequently dubbed the "pope" of surrealism, has had surprisingly few poems translated into English. Spanning 1919-1936, this volume covers his early work, his associations with Dada and the formative years of surrealism. Readers can at last become familiar with the artworks spawned from a great theoretical mind (Breton authored most of the surrealist manifestos). Poetry lovers familiar with the work of Apollinaire, Reverdy and others, might not find these poems particularly original on first reading. But viewed closely, Breton's ability to personify objects reveals an ironic chain of affinities not as farfetched as that of his contemporaries: "Open and closed the beautiful windows / Hung from the day's lips / The beautiful windows with only their nighties on." As in his classic novel, Nadja , there is a mysterious, omnipresent sense of the erotic female that can be construed from disjointed images. Determined that Breton "should sound like an American poet," the translators have more than met their goal, even managing to successfully carry over the poet's wordplay: "Emeral dawn / Reflections' ephemeral dawn." Copious notes at the end of the volume explain references in poems, and comment upon the numerous dedications, providing almost a who's who of Dada and surrealism.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Green Integer (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931243409
• ISBN-13: 978-1931243407
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,777,273 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transports the reader into a brilliant world of the surreal, July 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Earthlight (Sun and Moon Classics, No. 26) (Paperback)

Toiled over by Zavatsky and Rogow, this book provides the reader a peek into the window of the surreal. The images that Breton creates are brilliant and pulsating, and completely accessible. At times I laughed out loud, other times I wanted to cry, Breton was speaking so close to my heart and mind. I highly recommend it especially on trains and planes.

5.0 out of 5 stars Jeeze, just about my favorite book on the planet., January 13, 2009

By 

Thomas Crapaud (Youngtown, Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Earthlight (Green Integer) (Paperback)

I bought the Sun and Moon edition back in 1995 and I read it to bits. It went everywhere with me. As I write this, the Green Integer edition is in my backpack. I love these poems. I don't care if they make sense or not. They are an example of how the overflowing abundance of things will pour through us if we allow it; just pure poetic freedom. I love lines like, "Tomorrow you'll lie to the days when you were young// To the great firefly days when you were young" or "Against evil spells, what good is this little bluish dog with its body trapped in a solenoid of black glass?" If you want pithy philosophizing, these poems are not for you, but if you want to ride the flux of real life, give em a spin.