Légitime Défense
Breton, André
Paris. Editions Surréalistes. 1926
Andre Breton's own copy of his pamphlet, with a leaf of manuscript and other related ephemera.
Pierre Naville, originally a member of Breton's coterie, left Surrealism for the Communist party in 1926 after experiencing one of Breton's notorious personal attacks. That year he published the pamphlet 'La Revolution et les Intellectuels: Que Peuvent Faire les Surréalistes?' in which he argued that Surrrealism and Marxism were incompatible, as the Surrealists were too individualist and bourgeois to contribute to the collective 'disciplined action of class struggle' necessary to overthrow capitalism.
Breton responded in September 1926 with his own 'Légitime Défense', published in 'La Révolution Surréalste' no. 8 and, as here, a separate pamphlet. In it Breton not only rebuts Naville's attack but also those of others (Henri Barbusse - see below - is mentioned frequently) and the refusal of the entire Communist Party to take Surrealism seriously. Breton also attempts to define the social implications of Surrealism: 'This pamphlet set out to demonstrate that there is no fundamental antinomy in the basis of surrealist thought.' (from What is Surrealism? by Breton).
The additional material is as follows:
- A leaf of manuscript by Breton, recto only in black on a folded sheet of white wove paper (192 x 108 mm), is titled 'Décision du B. P. [Bureau Politique] du jeudi 4 Novembre (1926) concernant L'Humanité'; Breton has also dated the sheet '1926' in pencil.
- A folded sheet (212 x 146 mm) with proofs of an article - also titled 'Légitime Défense' - by Henri Barbusse (?) with his manuscript corrections in blue ink; several passages of the proof are printed inverted, however, the text, like those by Barbusse detailed below, attack Breton and Surrealism: 'Ce subtil révolutionnaire [i.e. Breton] est surtout un dadaïste dont le rôle social consiste à casser les assiettes.' (from Barbusse's text).
- Two duplicate newspaper clippings of an article by Henri Barbusse entitled 'Les Livres / A propos des mots, matière première du style', dated '1 Septembre 1926'.
- A further newspaper clipping is included from 'Art et Littérature' dated (in manuscript) '1 Décembre 1926', with two articles 'Les Surrealistes et la Révolution' (by A. H.) detailing some of the context of Barbusse versus Breton and 'Le Paysen de Paris' (by Louis Aragon); Aragon's article also includes a statement by Trotsky.
Pierre Naville, originally a member of Breton's coterie, left Surrealism for the Communist party in 1926 after experiencing one of Breton's notorious personal attacks. That year he published the pamphlet 'La Revolution et les Intellectuels: Que Peuvent Faire les Surréalistes?' in which he argued that Surrrealism and Marxism were incompatible, as the Surrealists were too individualist and bourgeois to contribute to the collective 'disciplined action of class struggle' necessary to overthrow capitalism.
Breton responded in September 1926 with his own 'Légitime Défense', published in 'La Révolution Surréalste' no. 8 and, as here, a separate pamphlet. In it Breton not only rebuts Naville's attack but also those of others (Henri Barbusse - see below - is mentioned frequently) and the refusal of the entire Communist Party to take Surrealism seriously. Breton also attempts to define the social implications of Surrealism: 'This pamphlet set out to demonstrate that there is no fundamental antinomy in the basis of surrealist thought.' (from What is Surrealism? by Breton).
The additional material is as follows:
- A leaf of manuscript by Breton, recto only in black on a folded sheet of white wove paper (192 x 108 mm), is titled 'Décision du B. P. [Bureau Politique] du jeudi 4 Novembre (1926) concernant L'Humanité'; Breton has also dated the sheet '1926' in pencil.
- A folded sheet (212 x 146 mm) with proofs of an article - also titled 'Légitime Défense' - by Henri Barbusse (?) with his manuscript corrections in blue ink; several passages of the proof are printed inverted, however, the text, like those by Barbusse detailed below, attack Breton and Surrealism: 'Ce subtil révolutionnaire [i.e. Breton] est surtout un dadaïste dont le rôle social consiste à casser les assiettes.' (from Barbusse's text).
- Two duplicate newspaper clippings of an article by Henri Barbusse entitled 'Les Livres / A propos des mots, matière première du style', dated '1 Septembre 1926'.
- A further newspaper clipping is included from 'Art et Littérature' dated (in manuscript) '1 Décembre 1926', with two articles 'Les Surrealistes et la Révolution' (by A. H.) detailing some of the context of Barbusse versus Breton and 'Le Paysen de Paris' (by Louis Aragon); Aragon's article also includes a statement by Trotsky.
[14 leaves; pp. 26]. 12mo. (177 x 113 mm). Half-title with 'Du Même Auteur' verso, title and Breton's text, final leaf with achevé d'imprimer. Original publisher's brown printed patterned-paper wrappers, stapled as issued, titles in black to front cover.
#48564
