Historical dictionary of surrealism /

Despite surrealism's celebration of the subconscious and eschewal of reason, the movement was nevertheless concerned with definitions. Andre Breton included a dictionary-style entry for surrealisme in his 1924 Manifeste du surrealisme and later explored juxtapositions of the absurd and the mundane in the 1938 Dictionnaire abrege du surrealisme. To the mountain of literature that seeks to organize the far-reaching intellectual movement, Aspley (honorary fellow, Univ. of Edinburgh) adds this handy volume that organizes the breadth of surrealism into concise entries on artists, writers, artworks, and themes. A chronology highlights events that sparked the surrealist imagination, activities of formal surrealist groups, and exhibitions. An introductory essay and extensive bibliography are included. One of the few English-language reference sources about surrealism published in the last decade, Aspley's dictionary is useful for quick access to key terms and biographies. For a book devoted to a movement characterized by arresting visual imagery, the lack of illustrations is annoying. Even Rene Passeron's 1978 Phaidon Encyclopedia of Surrealism (CH, May'79) reprints artworks in color. For a richly illustrated and comprehensive history, see Gerard Durozi's History of the Surrealist Movement (CH, Nov'02, 40-1316). Summing Up; Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through graduate students. A. H. Simmons National Gallery of Art

This introduction to an intriguing artistic worldview is number 43 in the Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts series. The front matter includes a list of acronyms and abbreviations and a detailed chronology, beginning with those artists considered precursors of surrealism. The introduction gives a detailed, engrossing, comprehensive overview of the surrealist movement and sets the reader or researcher up soundly for the informative entries in the body of the dictionary. Entries include information on artists, writers, organizations, publications, and countries in which significant surrealists lived and worked. Non-English texts referenced within the dictionary are cited in the original language, followed with the English title in parentheses (in italics if a translation exists; in roman if the translation is the author's own rendering of the title). Cross-referencing is indicated by boldface within entries. See and see also references also add alternate points of entry, in some cases voluminously so. For example, the entry for Image gives about 40 see also references. A detailed, 37-page bibliography concludes an informative and interesting work, suitable for academic and large public libraries with strong art programs.--Welton, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist

Aspley (French, Univ. of Edinburgh) has written an excellent go-to reference volume that encourages dipping in, browsing, and making connections among writers, painters, poets, filmmakers, and others involved in various artistic arenas relating to surrealism. The introductory essay provides an excellent overview of the movement, as does the separate chronology. Likewise, Aspley has also supplied an excellent bibliography. The volume contains over 600 cross-referenced entries that allow readers to explore the surrealist movement from its beginnings through its heyday in Europe, the United State, and Asia. Boldface type indicates that a word has a separate entry. Thus, looking up Japan encourages users to follow up by reading on Shuzo Takiguchi and Ichiro Fukurawa. Entries also contain See Also notes for further cross-referencing. Though there are limitations inherent to the dictionary format-no illustrations and generally shorter entries-this text is likely to be the first stop for someone wishing to learn about the surrealist movement and its participants, useful in supplying basic information while encouraging further exploration. BOTTOM LINE For readers interested in art, performance, and literary movements, this is an excellent reference, although the book's price may be prohibitive for private individuals or libraries on a tight budget.-Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.