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.   

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murikami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Trans. Jay Rubin, South Africa : Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1997.

In a tale that begins with young man Toru Okada searching for his wife's cat, he finds himself swept into Tokyo's underbelly searching for her as well. He encounters a bizarre cast of allies and adversaries, including a psychic sex worker, a distressed war veteran, a cheerfully pessimistic teen, and a conniving politician. This is a fast-paced, character driven, dark and surreal comedy.  

Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka

Kafka, Franz, 1883-1924. The Metamorphosis. Trans. and Ed. Stanley Corngold. New York: Bantam, 1972.

Gregor, a travelling salesman wakes to find he has transformed into a gigantic cockroach. The family breadwinner, Gregor now finds his new existence is a burden to his horrified family, who become increasingly estranged the longer he is unable to communicate with them.

Metamorphosis is a psychologically based slow burner, that builds to a poignant climax. It is  character-driven, and told from a first-person perspective.