Sarane Alexandrian

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Sarane Alexandrian (15 June 1927, Baghdad � 11 September 2009, Ivry-sur-Seine) was
a French philosopher, essayist, and art critic.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Literary career
3 Works
4 Further reading
5 Texts and Prefaces
6 References
7 External links
Early life
Alexandrian was born to a French mother and Armenian father, Vartan Alexandrian, a
stomatologist under the service of Faisal I. At the age of six, he was sent to
Paris to stay with his maternal grandmother.[1]

Literary career
Alexandrian's initiation to Dada and surrealism came in the summer of 1943 when,
aged 16, he met Raoul Hausmann who was staying in Peyrat-le-Ch�teau near Limoges as
a refugee. From 1947, he served as the last secretary of Andr� Breton and became an
essential figure of the surrealist current.

Alexandrian was an advocate of the philosophy Nietzsche advanced in The Gay Science
(Die fr�hliche Wissenschaft). He headed the journal Sup�rieur Inconnu (a title
provided by Breton), which exalts four values shared by the surrealists and
Alexandrian: dreams, love, knowledge, and revolution. Catherine Millet is one
notable contributor to the magazine.

Alexandrian was a friend of Victor Brauner, and remained an admirer of Charles

Fourier, and an ardent defender of Mata Hari.

Works
Alexandrian has more than 40 books to his credit. His best known works are:

Andr� Breton par lui-m�me, 1971 (Andr� Breton in His Own Words);
Hans Bellmer, 1971;
Les Lib�rateurs de l'amour, 1977 (The Liberators of Love);
Surrealist Art, 1985 (Thames & Hudson World of Art);
Max Ernst, 1986;
Histoire de la litt�rature �rotique, 1989 (The History of Erotic Literature);
LJUBA, Paris, Cercle d'Art, 2003.
Further reading
Gallimard (1974). Dans le Surr�alisme et le r�ve, p. 246-9. Paris. The author first
discusses the dream of Breton and then proposes an analysis.
Texts and Prefaces
Pr�faces in Musculatures of Nathalie Gassel

References
Sarane Alexandrian: French art historian, poet and right-hand man to Andr� Breton,
The Independent obituary
External links
Official Website
Obituary in The Independent by Marcus Williamson
Obituary in Le Monde by Claire Paulhan
r�ve 1
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