Robert Desnos Books

Perhaps the most underrated, overlooked poet ever, Desnos' work is not only superior to the Frost/Coleridge/etc. you read in high school, but is also infinitely greater than that of Breton and the other surrealists, establishing the modern paradigm of poetic imagination. No other poet really comes close, except for the great Jeremy Reed (try Red-Haired Android to see what I mean). Warm, humane, and oh-so-brilliant, Desnos' poetry is absolutely, endlessly, mind-alteringly fascinating. Kudos to Carolyn Forche and William Kulik for bringing his work in such a fully-realized form to this side of the Atlantic.

A great collection of translations from one of the best surrealist poets. A well presented book with a intriguing introduction.

Mary Ann Caws, with her unique gift for drawing the reader willingly into her discoveries, is an invaluable scholar of Surrealism. In clear language, she unfolds and expands for us the imaginative realm of this man, who must be the most hilarious, poignant, and plain-spoken of the Surrealist poets. In Caws's hands, Desnos's unique brand of black humor--dare we say gallows optimism--is rendered all the more poignant by his use of it as a form of resistance against the Nazis, and ultimately in the face of his own death. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Desnos, and for all readers who, whether or not they like "poetry" (this is not the poetry that they pushed on you in school), are looking for a romantic vision that is not sappy, and who want to find a heroic figure that is credible in our modern era.

this is the only critical work on desnos in english to date. highly recommended for anyone interested in studying this amazing poet. caws goes into detail about desnos' symbols and language, and provides a good collection of the various periods of desnos' work both in poetry and prose.

This is a beautiful introduction to the poetry of Robert Desnos. His work displays the stunning imagery & dazzling wordplay of his fellow Surrealists, as might be expected ... but his is a distinctly passionate voice, one that holds nothing back in its declarations of yearning & love. Yet his work never descends even remotely into vague mushiness or greeting card blandness. Within a single line, he can be swooning & agonizing over love, without ever losing his considerable intellect, literary knowledge, and wicked wit -- no small feat!

To my mind, Desnos is one of the most humanly engaging of the Surrealists. His poetry will touch you -- a touch that can be a sensual caress, a sizzling jolt of electricity, a bold communion of two people through words. Most highly recommended!

it's sad how many people/writers don't know the work of robert desnos. one of the greatest poetical voices of the 1900's. not only is his poetry great, his life (and how he sacrificed) is a beautiful story.

THE AUTOMATIC MUSE is a wonderful collection of surrealist writing from the 1920s. Desnos, Peret, Limbour & Leiris were all members of the Paris Surrealist group. For those interested in experimental literature and the avant garde, this is a highly recommended book. It's disturbing, dream-like, blasphemous & hilarious. THE ELEGANT EWE by Peret is especially funny, while MOURNING FOR MOURNING by Desnos is a good example of early surrealist automatic writing. Hopefully, Atlas Press will bring this one back in print.

liberty or love! smells like boiling tunafish and sounds like drowning puppy dogs and its eyes look like theyve spent the night striking matches on themselves and its gaze dunks everything it sees in mollasses. how could one of the greatest surrealist texts go almost 70 years before being translated into english? this book is better than bretons two novels and better than soupalts last night of paris. so there. the one problem i had with this book, a book that throws out the constricting conventions of typical literature, was that the glue that sticks all the bizarre scenes together is the worst stalest convention of them all, the pursuit of the muse in the form of an ellusive woman. blahhh. easy to look past though. especially when there are such unforgetably shocking passages as The Sperm Drinkers Club.

Okay book for beginners. Arrived quickly and in good condition.

the type used in this intriguing, much awaited book is so small that reading it is truly discouraging. why, why why???? ruin such an effort!

Conley's beautifully written and carefully researched intellectual biography of Desnos provides a radically new approach not just to this singular poet but also the the French surrealist movement which he helped to found. The most moving chapter in this emotionally rich book reviews Desnos's last poem, thought to have been written while the poet was incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp. Conley provides a startlingly new history of this poem's composition. Other chapters introduce Desnos's extravagant loves in relation to his poetry, describe his spontaneous lapses into automatic poetry, and chronicle his subversive contributions to the French Resistance both as a poet and as a fighter. This book provides great insight into the beginning of the twentieth century in Europe even as it details the works of one of this period's singular figures.