SURREALIST ROUTES IN PARIS : ANDRE BRETON AND PHILIPPE SOUPAULT

Abstract

The founders of the surrealist movement, particularly André Breton, Philippe Soupault and Louis Aragon, wrote several essays where the city of Paris is more than the material substrate of the story, but a very significant agent of the same. In this essay, two works are analyzed, Nadja de Breton and The latest Paris nights of Soupault. Both relate the meeting of the author/narrator and character in history with a woman (Nadja and Georgette respectively). Emblematic works of the first production of the founders of Surrealism, both stories are of particular relevance in the context of an analysis of urban space that moves away from strict materialism in search of other perspectives and readings, where dominates a sensitive approach and the understanding of the imaginary dimensions of the city. The analysis presented below highlights the importance of women as a key to access a different reading from the city, her identification with the city, the importance of serendipityand the association of the mysterious city with the night’s regime. Both books offer not only a reflection on the relevance of Paris for surrealists, but also possible applications for the
reading of urban spaces at present.