Bringing together many Surrealist texts that have never previously been available in English, this collection is an essential guide for anyone who wishes to understand the Surrealist movement. It traces its development in the words of the Surrealists themselves, offering a definitive expression of Surrealism as a collective movement. It shows the extent of Surrealist positions and interests and shows how, having become a major cultural phenomenon of the twentieth century, the issues it has raised remain central to current debates. Covering the period 1922-91, these texts illuminate its philosophical, political and ethical positions and locate Surrealism in a broader social and cultural context. Comprising statements from Surrealist groups in Paris, Belgium, Romania, Sweden and Czechoslovakia, and signed by the major participants, it reveals the international dimension of Surrealism.

John Hutnyk is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at Goldsmiths College, London. He is the author of The Rumour of Calcutta: Tourism, Charity and the Poverty of Representations (1996) and co-editor of Dis-Orienting Rhythms (1996).