Surrealist Experiences: 1001 Dawns, 221 Midnights

by Penelope Rosemont

Penelope Rosemont's first book of articles & essays includes nearly two dozen texts originally published in surrealist journals from 1970 thru the '90s, plus eleven appearing here for the first time. An ardent defender of all that is most liberating in the revolutionary tradition--from Robin Hood to the L.A. Rebellion--Rosemont is also a passionate defender of love, wilderness & the poetic life. In these writings, critical theory embraces the 'language of birds'; poetic humor reveals the open secrets of revolutionary thought at its wildest & brightest; work & its ideological pillars--white supremacy, sexism & miserabilism is exposed; 'lost voices' (Geoge Francis Train, Mary MacLane & others) are retrieved; & the impact on surrealism of such writers as Nancy Cunard & Ten Joans is discussed. Also: the revolutionary significance of a fairy tale, the importance of play, the affinities of alchemy & anarchy, poetry in the comics & the future of surrealism. Includes a foreword by Rikki Ducornet.

Genres: Poetry, Art, History

194 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of various works by Penelope Rosemont, primarily from the 1970s and 80s. Suffers the same highs and lows as a similar collection by her husband that I read not too long ago. Generally speaking, her prose tends to have more flights of surrealistic fantasy. This can be wonderful on occasion, but seem out of place in a few of the non-fiction pieces about other artists or people. There is a lot of overlap here with the autobiography by her I read about a month ago and so some of it felt unnecessary. I wish the works about certain artists covered more about them and less about artworks not reproduced in any way in the book, but this is a common problem I have with similar collection.