First English Surrealist Manifesto

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July 20, 2026

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The "First English Surrealist Manifesto" was penned by David Gascoyne in 1935. Although Gascoyne was a key figure in bringing Surrealism to Britain, he wrote this manifesto in French while in Paris. Gascoyne's early poetry was heavily influenced by Surrealism, and his critical work, A Short Survey of Surrealism (1935), helped introduce the movement to England. British Surrealism, as an organized movement, primarily existed in London and Birmingham during the 1930s and 1940s, aiming to merge the conscious and unconscious in art.12

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British Surrealism
…Lewis Carroll—he penned the “First English Surrealist Manifesto” (1935) in French in Paris, and it was published in the French review Cahiers d’art. Gascoyne had been drawn to Paris after having read Decadent, Symbolist, and Surrealist French poetry. In the early 1930s he aimed to liaise between London-centred artists…
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…Lewis Carroll—he penned the “First English Surrealist Manifesto” (1935) in French in Paris, and it was published in the French review Cahiers d’art. Gascoyne had been drawn to Paris after having read Decadent, Symbolist, and Surrealist French poetry. In the early 1930s he aimed to liaise between London-centred artists…
Read More