Max Morise (5 April 1900 – 29 October 1973) was a French artist, writer and actor, associated with the

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to ...

movement in Paris from 1924 to 1929. He was friends with

Robert Desnos Robert Desnos (; 4 July 1900 – 8 June 1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day. Biography Robert Desnos was born in Paris on 4 July 1900, the son of a licensed dealer in game and poultry at the '' H ...

and

Roger Vitrac Roger Vitrac (; 17 November 1899 – 22 January 1952) was a French surrealist playwright and poet. Early life Roger Vitrac was born in Pinsac on 17 November 1899, before his family moved to Paris in 1910.:527 As a young man, he was influenced b ...

before they joined the Surrealist movement. He contributed articles to ''La Revolution Surrealiste'' and took part in a series of round table discussions held by the group, regarding the nature of sex. He also participated in several Surrealist games, most famously the "

exquisite corpse Exquisite corpse (from the original French term ', literally exquisite cadaver), is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule (e.g. ...

André Breton André Robert Breton (; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer and poet, the co-founder, leader, and principal theorist of surrealism. His writings include the first ''Surrealist Manifesto'' (''Manifeste du surréalisme'') o ...

quotes Morise twice in the first '' Surrealist Manifesto''; after saying "We do not have any talent", Breton provides a quote by Vitrac and

Paul Éluard Paul Éluard (), born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel (; 14 December 1895 – 18 November 1952), was a French poet and one of the founders of the Surrealist movement. In 1916, he chose the name Paul Éluard, a matronymic borrowed from his materna ...

, then says "Ask Max Morise" and provides this quote: Later, Breton includes this quote: "The color of a woman's stockings is not necessarily in the likeness of her eyes, which led a philosopher who it is pointless to mention, to say: 'Cephalopods have more reasons to hate progress than do quadrupeds.'" ''Investigating Sex - Surrealist Discussions 1928-1932''. Edited by Jose Pierre. Translated by Malcolm Imire. Verso, 1992. Morise also acted in several films including ''Ciboulette'' (1933), '' Le Crime de Monsieur Lange'' (1936), and '' Drôle de drame'' (1937).

References

1900 births 1973 deaths French surrealist writers French male writers 20th-century French male writers {{France-writer-stub