In Montparnasse

Praise

“Roe proves a sure-handed guide on the quest for ‘something more real than reality’ and excels in documenting clashes both serious and silly.”—New Yorker

“Untangl[es] Surrealism’s evolutionary history. In this undertaking [Roe] succeeds admirably, making sense of the by-turns anguished and playful chaos… In fixing on the emergence of Surrealism rather than its popular apotheosis in, say, the mature paintings of Dalí, René Magritte and Joan Miró, Ms. Roe leaves readers to draw their own visual conclusions. The expectation is reasonable and just as the artists themselves would have wanted. For the Surrealists’ chief revolutionary legacy lies in the credit—and role—they gave to viewers.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Roe is an elegant writer . . . [T]his entertaining, fast-paced history will thrill Francophones and art historians alike.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Roe] renders with deftness and precision the strange and disturbing works surrealists produced by tapping into their emotions of ‘terror, horror, disgust, or fear.’ A thorough, well-informed survey of an art revolution.”—Kirkus Reviews

“She vividly charts the birth of surrealism . . . a tale rich in absurdity and outlandish characters, from Cocteau and Max Ernst to Dalí and Picasso”—Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times (U.K.)
 
“Highly colourful . . . they’re all here, the big names of the time – behaving badly, and, at times, quite madly too.”—Observer (U.K.)
 
“Brings together some of the chief protagonists in one of the 20th century’s most inventive art movements. A vivid read”—Radio Times (U.K.)

“Roe is a talented writer, fascinated by la vie Boheme . . . She can find phrases that perfectly capture the feeling of a neighborhood”—John Carey, Sunday Times (U.K.)

“I loved Roe’s In Montmartre and [In Montparnasse]—a colorful, gossipy account of the birth of Surrealism . . . is equally beguiling.” —The Bookseller, Editor’s Choice (U.K.)

“Sue Roe describes with plenty of colour how surrealism was born and developed in Montparnasse . . . Roe marshals [the figures behind dada and surrealism] with great finesse”—The Times (U.K.)