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"New vistas open on every page. One wonders how so much provocative,
wonderful writing was neglected for so long! In unraveling the heretofore
untold story of surrealism's many women, Penelope Rosemont combines
state-of-the-art scholarship with deep insight and high humor."
—Rachel Blackwell, Heartland Journal.
. . "A monumental work of translation, research, commitment and
homage . . . Scores of writings illustrating the 'against-the-current
tenacity' of surrealist women... Clearly the definitive work on
its subject. . . the perfect introduction to the surrealist project."—David
R. Roediger, New Politics. . . "An important and
beautiful contribution to the comprehension of surrealism...and
the rediscovery of the lost voices of surrealist women...The book
is richly illustrated, but the accent is on the texts. La
Quinzaine littéraire (Paris). . . "An inside
view of surrealism. Instead of merely writing about women and their
place in the movement, Rosemont decided to let the women surrealists
speak for themselves. This delightfully large compilation includes
almost 300 essays, stories and poems by 97 women participants in
the international surrealist movement. . . Nearly 30 countries are
represented. . . Rosemont's discussion of surrealism's links to
ecofeminism, Pan-Africanism, and anarchism are lucid and engaging.
. . A book to make us dream and realize our dreams. . . an invaluable
resource."—Bloomsbury Review. . . "Though surrealism
has often been viewed as a male-dominated movement, women have been
integral to its development. In this first anthology of writings
by women surrealists, drawn from an impressively global group, Rosemont
dives deeper than the extant writing on the movement to unearth
the women involved since its inception. . . These writings offer
a history of women's formative participation in surrealism's past
and create a context for its future. Rosemont's insightful introduction,
short essays prefacing each major period of the movement, and brief
biobibliographies illuminate a vibrant revolution in process. An
important research tool as well as a fascinating read, this major
contribution to art history and literary scholarship is highly recommended."—Library
Journal. . . "Essential, inspired...meticulously and passionately
researched. . . an invitation to look at surrealism in a new way."—Infosurr
(Paris). . . Exhaustively researched, all-inclusive. . . celebrates
these women's emotional and intellectual brilliance as well as their
concrete social commentary." —Kari Lydersen, Streetwise.
. . "In the vast democracy of women's surrealist art, poets paint,
painters write, dancers and film-makers theorize, lending this compilation
the mad gaiety of carnival or a May Day parade. Feminist scholars
in search of new fields will find here a gold mine of possible inquiries."
—Chris Tysh, Detroit Metro-Times. . . "Truly global
in scope...includes surrealist poets and theorists from Africa,
the African diaspora, the Middle East, the Americas, Eastern and
Western Europe, Australia, etc. The great majority have been completely
ignored by U.S. critics." —Slingshot. . . "Combining
scrupulous scholarship and passionate generosity, Rosemont's remarkable
introductions tell the hidden story of surrealist women's impact,
and explode the androcentric and Eurocentric image of surrealism.
. . Thanks to Rosemont's pathbreaking initiative, it will be much
harder to continue to ignore women's active part in surrealism."
—Michael Löwy, New Left Review (London). . . "Authoritative,
definitive, and comprehensive." —Choice. . . "Surrealist
Women fills a big gap in 20th century cultural history as well
as women's history. Penelope Rosemont has accomplished a major feat
in collecting these pieces, and her introductions are themselves
a brilliant tour de force." —Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. .
. "Recovering lost revolutionary voices is always valuable, but
what makes this anthology truly exciting and important is that these
voices have so much to say to us today...White supremacy, misogyny,
capitalism, imperialism, ecological devastation, and the struggles
against all these abominations, are recurring themes. . . The liberating
influence of Black culture—and the surrealists' support for
Black liberation—also run all through this book. Vitally important
are the many texts by Black surrealists, from the brilliant, pathbreaking
theoretical essays by Suzanne Césaire to the firespitting
poetry of Jayne Cortez." —Race Traitor. . . "Impeccably
written and researched. . . These overlooked women played important
roles in the shaping and endurance of surrealism." —Kelly
Everding, Rain Taxi. . . "The scope of the anthology is surprising
indeed, when we consider that surrealism has always been analyzed
as a male-centered movement, and that surrealist women's (written)
voices have been disregarded or simply unheard. Readers will no
doubt make remarkable discoveries among the writers whose work is
represented." —Susan Petit, Women in French Newsletter.
. . "For those who live their lives at the point where art and revolution
intersect, this book is indispensable." —Bertha Husband,
Against the Current
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