Description

Handwritten manuscript by André Breton, undated, in a folder titled ‘Dream Manuscripts’.

Dreams... the oldest dates from 1931, the most recent from the post-war period; in them we see the appearance of figures Breton knew well from various periods, such as his parents, René Char in the first one, or Robert Denoël in the third... Les Vases communicants repeats part of the text from April 1931 and ‘Trajectoire du rêve’ quotes two from 1938, but unlike the dream accounts published sporadically by Breton or collected in the unpublished material in his Complete Works, these are texts written for his own use, with no concern for literary matters. Moreover, they are clearly very intimate in nature and some include drawings, both these aspects giving them an ‘extraliterary’ character, even if one should take care in use this term in the context of the surrealists. Whatever the case, we can note that they really don’t suit being put into literary form, other than through extensive reworking that would thus change their nature. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Handwritten manuscript, in a folder titled by André Breton ‘Dream Manuscripts’. 
- 1 large in-4° page, in green ink, first draft of the text with original drawings: ‘Dominguez is in front of me in the process of painting. I am particularly pleased with the beginning of the painting the I am watching as it forms in front of my eyes. It shows a succession of trees, each one identical and going into the others. There are about 6 of them. Each of these knots is in reality the rear end of a lion and each lion is licking the female genitals of the neighbouring lion, with the buttocks and genitals brightly coloured like those of mandrils.’ [Auction catalogue, 2003; Translated by Krzysztof Fijalkowski]

 

Bibliography

- André Breton, Trajectoire du rêve, Paris, Guy Lévis-Mano, 1938.

Creation date	7-fév-1937
Bibliographical material	1 large in-4° page.
Date of publication	1937
Languages	French
Physical description	Ms, Ds - encre verte, ratures et corrections
Library	Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, Paris : BRT 60
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2164
Keywords	Work notes, Dream
Categories	Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Unpublished Manuscripts of Dreams
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100504810

See also

Description

Autograph manuscript by André Breton dated 7 February 1937 and decorated with a drawing.

The oldest of these dream accounts dates from 1931, the most recent from the post-war period; figures familiar to Breton from different eras appear, such as his parents, René Char (in the first), Robert Denoël (in the third)... The Communicating Vessels includes part of the first text and Trajectory of the Dream (1938) quotes two of them, but unlike the dream narratives published here and there by Breton or included in the unpublished works of the Pléiade collected works, these are texts written for his own use, without any literary concern. They also have a very intimate character and some of them include drawings, both of which give them an ‘extra-literary’ character - even if the word must be used with caution when referring to the surrealists. Let us just say that, in any case, they didn't lend themselves well to literary form, unless they were extensively reworked and thus distorted. [Atelier André Breton website, 2005]

Autograph manuscripts, in a folder titled ‘Dream Manuscripts’ by André Breton.

Autograph manuscript, 7 February 1937.

- 1 page large in-4, in green ink, first draft text with original sketches:

“Dominguez is standing in front of me painting. I am very pleased by how the painting is shaping up before my eyes. It depicts a succession of trees, around six of them, all the same but fitting into one another. Each of the knots is in fact a lion's hindquarters and each lion licks the female sex of the neighbouring lion; the lions' buttocks and sexual parts are vividly coloured, similar to mandrils.” [Auction Catalogue, 2003]

 

Bibliography

- André Breton, Trajectoire du rêve, Paris, Guy Lévis-Mano, 1938.

Creation date	7-fév-1937
Bibliographical material	1 page in-4° - MS - DS - green ink with erasures, corrections and marginal notes.
Languages	French
Reference	1849000
Breton Auction, 2003	Lot 2214
Keywords	Work notes, Dream
Categories	Andre Breton's Manuscripts
Set	[AB's Manuscripts] Unpublished Manuscripts of Dreams
Permanent link	https://cms.andrebreton.fr/en/work/56600100866930

See also

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