To Lise Deharme's lighthouse : le phare de Neuilly, a forgotten surrealist review

Abstract

Lise Deharme (1898–1980) has almost been forgotten, except for being a Surrealist muse and impossible mad love of André Breton. While she may also be remembered (or derided) for her literary salon in the 1950s, her prolific and diverse literary production has been neglected. This article focuses on one particular aspect of her work and investigates the fate of Deharme's forgotten Surrealist review, the ephemeral Phare de Neuilly of 1933. Firstly, this analysis introduces the participants and contributions to the review and retraces the links with the earlier, dissident Surrealist reviews, Documents (1929–30) and Bifur (1929–31). The second section discusses aesthetics and politics, underlining how the technique of collage is applied to mix and (mis)match varied pictures with a wide range of articles. What is highlighted is the subversive and courageous way this ‘phare’ blends ethical and aesthetic issues to address the socio-political troubles of the early 1930s, in particular the threat of Fascism. Bearing in mind the ambivalence and selective nature of memory and anthologies, the conclusion examines attacks on Le Phare de Neuilly to reassess the reputation and the relevance of this original review and its editor.