Revolution of the Mind: The Life of Andre Breton

Essential for lovers of surrealism, but negatively biased, October 30, 2001 
Reviewer: J from NY
As far as pure information about Breton goes, this book is an absolute must have, and I immediately bought it myself.But I personally feel that Mark Polizzotti is far too prejudiced in the negative direction as regards Andre Breton, and every admirer of his should keep this in mind. He is an excellent translator and an undeniably well informed scholar with respect to Dada and Surrealism, but if he was so determined to bash Breton and take shots at him left and right, maybe he should have written another book called "I'm Pissy and Cynical:Why I Hate Andre Breton". Yes, it is true that Breton had contradictions in his character and attitudes, but all great men do. Breton's relentless campaign against all forms of coercion and institutional authority (indeed, authority of any kind) more than makes up for the flaws that  he had, the flaws which we all have in one way or another. (A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,  Mark.) And let's keep in mind, not to be mean, who is writing the biography and who is getting the biography written about them. Polizzotti makes sure to magnify Breton's admittedly dubious and perhaps even downright hypocritical  stance on homosexuality to the point where you would think that Surrealism was about gay bashing. Without Andre  Breton Surrealism would never have even gotten off it's feet. His so called 'ex communications' were botched but at the same time basically well intentioned attempts to keep the surrealist rebellion genuine and authentic, and his supposed 'dictatorial personality' was simply his passionate nature translated into action. Like all great leaders he  wanted to adhere to the principles he had set for himself and the friends who accompanied him on the great spiritual  adventure of poetry and 'the marvelous' that was Surrealism. Hate him or love him, what Breton himself said of  Rimbaud's drinking buddy Germain Noveau can be said of the arch surrealist himself:"Absolute non conformism  ruled his life from beginning to end."

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