Robert Desnos was an important member of the Surrealist group in Paris until the late 1920s, when he was kicked out by André Breton. Desnos was critical of Breton's ideas, especially his political ideas, and Breton didn't take it well. Okay, maybe he was a genius, but Breton doesn't sound like a chill guy.

Desnos was especially good at producing poems using the automatic writing technique. And he wasn't just an awesome writer; he was also a hero. When Germany invaded France during World War II, he joined the French resistance, was caught, and deported to concentration camps in Germany and Czechoslovakia, where he eventually died.

"The Voice of Robert Desnos" (1953)

Among the Surrealists, Desnos was famous for his mastery of automatic writing. "The Voice of Robert Desnos" is a great example of Desnos' use of automatic writing technique.

The unpunctuated lines and sentences that flow into each other in this poem are characteristic of his style. "The Voice" of the poet flows without pause. The poem is both a testament to the power of the poetic voice and emblematic of Surrealist writing techniques.

"Tour of the Tomb" (in The Selected Poems of Robert Desnos) (1991)

Desnos' poem touches on one of the big preoccupations of the Surrealists: revolution. In the poem the speaker considers the world and comes to the conclusion that "France is a wasps' nest, Europe a rotted field."

But there's still hope. Because there is always the possibility of revolution, which will come about only through death: "Revolution! You'll only shine after my death on the immense/ white marble block that will cover my immense corpse."

Chew On This

The unconscious—one of the favorite themes of Surrealist poets—is at the heart of Robert Desnos' poem "Under Cover of Night." Check it out here.

Robert Desnos' "The Voice of Robert Desnos" reflects automatic writing: there's no punctuation! Have a look at the poem here.