Book cover of Surrealism and Magic: Enchanted Modernity

Book description

Like no other 20th-century movement, Surrealism was keenly inspired by tropes of magic, myth and the occult. In their engagement with the irrational and the unconscious, numerous of its members looked to magic as a poetic and deeply philosophical discourse, related to both arcane knowledge and individual self-empowerment. In their…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Surrealism and Magic as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is a wonderful, comprehensive, and lavishly illustrated exhibition catalogue which surveys how magic as a metaphor and creative paradigm was used to liberate the imagination in the Surrealist movement.

The essays covering a number of different themes and topics are written by leading scholars and academics of Surrealism and serve to illuminate the processes and ideas underlying magic and how these manifest in the art of some of the most important artists of this international art movement.

Supported by numerous appendices with glossary, notes, bibliography, and lists of works, this book will appeal to the scholar as well as…

If you love Surrealism and Magic...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like Surrealism and Magic?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Surrealism and Magic.

Browse books like Surrealism and Magic

Book cover of The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism: Origins, Magic, and Secret Societies
Book cover of The Garden of Hermetic Dreams
Book cover of The Dedalus Book of Surrealism: The Identity of Things

Share your top 3 reads of 2026!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

170

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Surrealism and Magic, you might also like...

Book cover of Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture

Sexy Selfie Nation by Leora Tanenbaum,

The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.

Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…

Book cover of In This Together: Connecting with Your Community to Combat the Climate Crisis

In This Together by Marianne E. Krasny,

In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"—the idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those close…

5 book lists we think you will like!