Eye of the Poet

Elza Adamowicz is Emerita Professor of French Literature and Visual Culture at Queen Mary University of London. She has published numerous studies on the European avant-garde, including Dada Bodies: Between Battlefield and Fairground (2019).

"An engaging, informed, often shrewd introduction to a central figure of twentieth-century thought. Though Adamowicz focuses mainly on Breton’s multifaceted relationship with the visual arts, her discussion embraces many of the dimensions – political, literary, social, philosophical – that make Surrealism, still today, among the most vibrant and relevant approaches to life in all its complexity." - Mark Polizzotti, author of Revolution of the Mind: The Life of André Breton"An excellent overview of André Breton as the leader of the surrealist movement as a collective experiment with writing and visual art in equal measure that dominated the avant-garde in the twentieth century. This book should become an essential reference for anyone interested in surrealism." - Kate Conley, Professor of French and Francophone Studies, William & Mary"Perceptive and highly engaging, The Eye of the Poet reveals André Breton in his many guises: as a brilliant writer, theorist and polemicist, as the Surrealists’ charismatic and pugnacious leader, as an astute art collector and ethnographer, and as an artist in his own right. Elza Adamowicz’s compelling narrative confirms the enduring fascination that Breton commands as Surrealism approaches its first century." - Eric Robertson, Professor of Modern French Literary and Visual Culture, Royal Holloway, University of London"This book manages to be both concise and comprehensive, giving the reader an excellent sense of the scope, variety and contradictions of Breton’s interactions with artists, art practices and artworks. Though informed by a deep and detailed scholarly background in the field, it is a lively and engaging read, offering a new perspective on both Breton himself and the vagaries of the visual arts as a category of surrealist activity." - Johanna Malt, Professor of French Literature & Visual Culture, King's College London