chroniques littéraires et aristiques parues dans Medium

Autograph manuscript by André Breton initialed three times by his hand, written in black ink on two leaves. Multiple crossed-out and rewritten passages, annotations by his hand in pencil.
Pagination in blue pen on each of the leaves. Published in the review Medium, Paris, 1st series (sheet) no. 8, June 1953.
Breton delivers spirited literary and artistic chronicles for the Surrealist review Médium - and lashes out with great virulence against the "false witnesses" and "dubious witnesses" who criticize Surrealism.
The praise of Premier bilan de l'art actuel by his friend Robert Lebel becomes the occasion for a violent attack against Michel Tapié:

"Déplorons seulement qu'on ait fait appel [...] à un faux-témoin avéré comme M. Tapié, de qui nous avions déjà pu apprendre, au mépris de toute évidence, que ceux qu'il appelle dans son affreux jargon "les informels" (Mathieu, Riopelle, et autres) œuvraient à rebours de tout automatisme et qui a aujourd'hui le front de prétendre que Brauner, Maria, Matte et Dali ont pris l'initiative de rompre avec le surréalisme "où ils ne trouvaient plus leur compte" ce qui se passe tout autre commentaire" ("Let us only deplore that they have called upon [...] a proven false witness like M. Tapié, from whom we had already learned, in defiance of all evidence, that those he calls in his dreadful jargon 'the informals' (Mathieu, Riopelle, and others) worked against all automatism and who today has the audacity to claim that Brauner, Maria, Matte and Dali took the initiative to break with surrealism 'where they no longer found their advantage' which defies all other commentary").

In three other chronicles, he receives with interest the new work by Pierre Geyraud L'Occultisme à Paris:

"Le récent procès dit "des J. 3" a appelé l'attention sur la personnalité du père de la victime, qui, sous l'anagramme de Pierre Geyraud, a mené une série d'enquêtes 'parmi les sectes et les rites" [...] M. Geyraud continue à y braver les menaces de graves représailles que lui ont valu ses divulgations. L'accent reste ici sur l'activité luciférienne [...]" ("The recent trial known as 'the J. 3' has drawn attention to the personality of the victim's father, who, under the anagram of Pierre Geyraud, has conducted a series of investigations 'among the sects and rites' [...] M. Geyraud continues to brave the threats of serious reprisals that his disclosures have earned him. The emphasis here remains on Luciferian activity [...]")

salutes the "multiple originals" by painter Jean Fautrier:

"Par un procédé à lui, de la reproduction si fidèle d'une toile jusqu'à travers ses plus menus accidents de la pâte qu'il est impossible à l'œil nu de distinguer les copies de l'original, Jean Fautrier est passé à la création d'originaux multiples [...] Le silence gardé par la critique sur cette entreprise attesterait à lui seul de sa valeur révolutionnaire. Brisant avec un mode d'agiotage particulièrement impudent, il ne s'agit rien de moins que de mettre la peinture vivante à la portée de ceux qui l'apprécient pour elle-même" ("Through his own process, of such faithful reproduction of a canvas down to its smallest accidents of paint that it is impossible for the naked eye to distinguish copies from the original, Jean Fautrier has moved to creating multiple originals [...] The silence kept by critics about this enterprise would alone attest to its revolutionary value. Breaking with a particularly shameless mode of speculation, it is nothing less than making living painting accessible to those who appreciate it for itself").

and becomes enthusiastic about the masterpiece La Chouette aveugle by Iranian poet Sadegh Hedayat:

"Jamais plus dramatique appréhension de la condition humaine n'a suscité pareille vue en coupe de notre coquille, ni pareille conscience de nous débattre hors du temps, avec les immuables attributs qui sont notre lot [...] Un chef d'œuvre s'il en fût ! Un livre qui doit trouver place auprès de l'Aurélia de Nerval, de la Gradiva de Jensen, des Mystères d'Hamsun, qui participe des phosphorescences de Berkeley Square et des frissons de Nosferatu [...]" ("Never has a more dramatic apprehension of the human condition inspired such a cross-section view of our shell, nor such awareness of struggling outside of time, with the immutable attributes that are our lot [...] A masterpiece if ever there was one! A book that must find its place alongside Nerval's Aurélia, Jensen's Gradiva, Hamsun's Mysteries, which partakes of the phosphorescences of Berkeley Square and the shivers of Nosferatu [...]").

Superb manuscript by the father of Surrealism filled with annotations and revisions.