Wazalwa ngoFebhuwari 1896, eFrance, emndenini onesizotha, uBreton wathola izintelezi namandla ezinkondlo kusukela eminyakeni yakhe yokufunda. Lokhu bekuhlala kunendawo ebalulekile empilweni yakhe, yize ngo-1913 waqala izifundo zobudokotela.
Lapho kugqashuka iMpi Yezwe Yokuqala ngo-1914, uBreton wayengabaza umdlandla onjengempi waseFrance, yize kwakumele asebenze eMnyangweni Wezempilo noma kunjalo.
Ukungazethembi kwakhe okwandayo kwezinkondlo, akubiza ngokuthi "umdlalo wakudala wamavesi" kwamholela ekubeni ashicilele uchungechunge lwezinkondlo ngo-1919 olubizwa ngeMonte de Piedad futhi wathola umagazini iLittérature enoLouis Aragon noPhilippe Soupault.
Ngo-1924 uBreton wachaza futhi waqinisekisa indlela yakhe yokucabanga ngeManifesto of Surrealism, eyalandelwa ngokushesha umagazini i-La Révolution Surréaliste, umagazini wokuqala owaphuma ngoDisemba walowo nyaka nge-epigraph: “Kumele siphethe ngesimemezelo esisha samalungelo amalungelo umuntu ".
Ukubaluleka kweManifesto ukuthi iyasenqaba ngokuqinile isimo seqiniso, ukusula emsebenzini, ukubamba iqhaza kanye nokufa futhi inikezela ngamathuba amasha obuciko. Uthi: “Ukuphila nokuyeka ukuphila kuyizisombululo zokucabanga. Ukukhishwa kwenye indawo kwenye indawo ". Ngokuzibophezela, okukweleta kakhulu uSigmund Freud, kwaqala kakhulu abacebe kakhulu be-avant-gardes. I-surrealism-ke ingachazwa njengokufuna izinganekwane ezintsha ezisuselwa ekuhloleni okungazi lutho namathuba okuthi ukuhlangana kwalezi zinto ezingafani kunikeze ubuciko nezinkondlo.
UBreton weza eMexico ngo-1938, ekholelwa ukuthi lokhu ngempela "kwakuyizwe elingaziwa." Nasi isiqeshana sememori yakhe iMexico:
“IMexico isimema ngokungananazi kulokhu kuzindla emaphethelweni omsebenzi womuntu, nemipiramidi yawo eyenziwe ngezingqimba zamatshe eziningana ezihambelana namasiko akude kakhulu ambozwe futhi angena ngobumnyama. Lezi zivivinyo zinikeza abavubukuli abahlakaniphile ithuba lokubikezela ngezinhlanga ezahlukahlukene ezaziphumelela kulowo mhlabathi futhi zenza izikhali zazo kanye nonkulunkulu bazo banqoba lapho.
Kepha eziningi zalezo zikhathi zisanyamalala ngaphansi kotshani obufushane futhi zididekile kusuka kude naseduze nezintaba. Umlayezo omkhulu wamathuna, osabalala kakhulu kunalokho okuchazwa ngezindlela ezingasolakali, ukhokhisa umoya ngogesi.
IMexico, ivuswe kabi emlandweni wayo wezinganekwane, iyaqhubeka nokuvela ngaphansi kokuvikelwa kukaXochipilli, unkulunkulu wezimbali nezinkondlo ezihaywayo, noCoatlicue, unkulunkulukazi womhlaba nokufa okunodlame, onobuciko, obubusa emikhubeni nasekuqiniseni bonke abanye bayashintshana kusukela ekugcineni kuze kube sekugcineni komnyuziyamu kazwelonke, ngaphezulu kwamakhanda abalimi baseNdiya okuyizivakashi zawo eziningi kakhulu futhi eziqoqwe kakhulu, amagama anamaphiko kanye nokukhala okuhoshozelayo. La mandla okubuyisa impilo nokufa ngaphandle kokungabaza ukukhanga okuyinhloko iMexico enakho. Mayelana nalokhu, kugcina kuvulwa irejista engapheli yomuzwa, kusukela kokuhle kakhulu kuya kokukhohlisa kakhulu. "
