Martinique
Snake Charmer

In 1941, as the Vichy regime consolidated its control of France, Andre Breton left the country for the island of Martinique. This book is about the island. It also includes nine drawings by the surrealist Andre Masson, a companion of Breton's during his stay on the island.

His guide through this schizophrenic place was Aime Cesaire, a Martinican surrealist and writer who Breton later championed in the book's most important essay, "A Great Black Poet."Breton recognized how Cesaire and others had adapted surrealism to the specific conditions of the West Indies, enriching the movement in ways he could not have imagined. As a result, Breton never succumbed to the gloom that afflicted post-war Europe. He and Cesaire and others continued the surrealists' quest undaunted, propelled in large part by the spirit they captured in this dynamic book.

Translator's Acknowledgments
Introduction by Franklin Rosemont
Preface by Andre Breton
Antille by Andre Masson
The Creole Dialogue between Andre Breton and Andre Masson
Some Trembling Pins The Breakwater
The Double-Winged Inscription
The Black Queen's Buttons
Fortune Turns
For Madame Suzanne Cesaire
The Dark Lantern
Bearer with No Burden
The Map of the Island
Troubled Waters
A Great Black Poet
Formerly Known as Liberty Street
Notes