Moje tělo a já – Crevel René (2022)

René Crevel (1900–1935) was at the core of the surrealist group, where he became particularly known for his exploration of dream states. "Just as someone is born with blue eyes, he was born a rebel," wrote Philippe Soupault about him. André Breton: "In his beautiful boyish gaze, in the charm he exudes, in the fears and provocations that easily awaken within him... in all of this, anxiety prevails." Unlike most surrealists, Crevel wrote only a handful of poems and did not recognize the principle of automatic writing. His genres included a certain kind of novel and essay, ranging from self-reflection to pamphlets reflecting his strong political engagement. When, in 1935, he failed to resolve the rift between the surrealists and the Soviet delegation, which pushed for their exclusion during the anti-Nazi Congress of Writers for the Defense of Culture, Crevel committed suicide. His re-emerging tuberculosis also contributed to this; however, the idea of suicide accompanied him throughout his life. My Body and I from 1925 is a book of first reflections. Crevel wrote it at a time when he temporarily distanced himself from the surrealists and joined the waning Dada movement, prompted by the need for a new balance. It is a straightforward contemplation of his own life, aiming to put an end to all evasions...