A tooth for a tooth : selected poems of Juan Larrea (1925-1932)

Larrea, Juan & Bary, David (trans. Introduction). A tooth for a tooth : selected poems of Juan Larrea (1925-1932), Lanham, MD : University Press of America, c1987.

Juan Larrea was a Spanish poet, art critic and philosopher greatly influenced by French surrealism. “The majority of his poetic and prose works were written in French and translated into Spanish.

Larrea's entire output, including his poetry, is part of an attempt to come into contact with, and decipher, the archetypes of the collective unconscious as they are manifested in all forms of culture, as well as in individual dreams and experiences. He came to believe in a forthcoming mutation in the cultural cycle in which the traditional religious and social institutions of the West, as well as the Western emphasis on individual consciousness, would disappear, A higher form of collective consciousness would emerge, perhaps rooted in the rediscovered primitive cultures of America.” (Crispin, John. "Larrea, Juan.") Larrea uses a densely-written descriptive language style to demonstrate complex intellectual themes.

Nightwood by Djuna Barnes

Barnes, Djuna & Winterson, Jeanette (introduction). Nightwood, London : Faber & Faber, 2015.

Barnes is an American-born author who provided valuable contributions to French surrealism. Nightwood is a character-driven work of psychological surrealism that takes place in Paris and Vienna between the World Wars. Felix Volkbein is an orphaned international banker with a fictitious noble lineage, who is drawn to a number of bizarre and extraordinary characters including medical student Dr. Matthew O'Connor, and circus publicist Nora Flood. Volkbein is eventually left with his new son by his wife, Robin, who is incapable of making lasting attachments, and goes on to form and leave relationships with a number of other women, including Nora Flood, who's lives and experiences intertwine. The story culminates in O'Connor and Nora “the pain of degradation and loss that humans are born for, which for Nora and other characters in the novel is embodied in Robin.” (Nightwood By: Murphy, Russell Elliott, Masterplots, Fourth Edition)

Using layering of emotional and intellectual storylines, Barnes' eccentric characters reactions to their life events are used as “confrontations of cultural values; breakdowns in the social order as traditional class structures decay; daring sexual-psychological interpretations of human character and motivation; and a keen, almost morbid attention to eccentric and morally outrageous behavior.” (Nightwood By: Murphy, Russell Elliott, Masterplots, Fourth Edition)

Paris Peasant by Louis Aragon

Aragon, Louis & Watson, Simon Taylor (trans.). Paris Peasant, London : Cape 1971

• 
  

Paris Peasant is widely celebrated as one of surrealist fiction's most important and influential texts.

Described by Aragon as “a mythology of the modern”, and “a novel that the critics would be obliged to approach empty-handed.” Paris Peasant uses an extremely detailed depiction of the landscape of Paris to explore metaphysical themes, and to question current trends of thought. Aragon avoids character development typical to fiction and veers towards unconventional forms of narration so as to completely undermine the assumptions of the audience and draw them into his eclectic world. The Parisian setting is reinforced by a great detail of ephemera including maps, newspaper clippings, cafe menus and inscriptions.

Surrealist Texts (Absurdist Texts & Documents #23)

Prassinos, Gisèle. Surrealist Texts

(Absurdist Texts & Documents #23), San Francisco, California : Black Scat Books, 2014.

Gisèle Prassinos was a prodigy discovered as a teen who is widely considered as one of surrealism's most gifted and influential voices. This is a collection of 20 short stories and poems, accompanied by 8 watercolour paintings, and is the sole English translated collection of Prassinos' work. Her tone is described by mentor and surrealist icon Andre Breton as “unique: all the poets are jealous of it.” She uses a writing style that veers away from traditional narrative structure and logic, often described as childlike in nature, while offering compelling critique of societal constructs and norms. An example of this is Water Drama, which examines the the familial and societal pressure upon a young girl from a “respectable family” who's fiancee has passed away. This is a fast-paced, character driven story, with leaps in logic and tone and a special focus on societal norms.