Surrealism in Cinema, 100 Years On
A century after the publication of the first Surrealist manifesto, the role played by film in the movement is still unfolding.
Lost Literacies Strips Down the Dawn of Comics
In his new book, literary historian Alex Beringer demonstrates how the birth of the genre of printed comic long preceded the Sunday Funny Pages.
Surrealism at 100: A Reading List
On the centennial of the founding of Surrealism, this reading list examines its radical beginnings, its mass popularity, and its continued evolution.
The “Refus Global”
Published in 1948 by the artist group Les Automatistes, the Refus Global manifesto challenged Québécois political, religious, and social traditions.
The Existentialism of Style vs. Substance
Camus, Sartre, and Beauvoir were misread, misunderstood, and misperceived by English-speaking readers due to interventions of publishers and editors.
Isabelle Eberhardt: Travel’s Rebel with a Cause
A hash-smoking, cross-dressing woman traveling the Sahara in the early 1900s, Eberhardt unpicked the fabric of society just by being herself.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s Personal #Brand
Napoleon didn't like sitting for portraits, and yet artists and mass market prints helped cement his legendary status.
Judith Butler: The Early Years
Before Judith Butler’s 1990 book Gender Trouble, the influential gender theorist wrote a series of essays that offer easier access to their ideas.
Waterloo at 200
John Houston takes a less melodic look at the transformation of the Battle of Waterloo from "fact to myth," from history to literature.