Custom House of Desire: A Half-Century of Surrealist Stories

Our review of Custom-House of Desire: A Half-Century of Surrealist Stories finds it essential for readers curious about postwar and late 20th-century surrealist fiction; the anthology collects varied voices and experiments in French that together show how surrealist writers rework narrative and perception. This review focuses on the book's breadth: authors from diverse national backgrounds and a span of fifty years make it a compact window into how imagination and desire reshape storytelling, useful for students, translators, and readers wanting a concentrated survey rather than a single-author deep study.

Key Features

• Fifty-year scope: The anthology traces half a century of surrealist storytelling, letting readers follow thematic and stylistic shifts across decades.
• French-language originals: Stories presented in French preserve the movement's linguistic nuances and are useful for readers practicing or studying French literature.
• Diverse authors: Inclusion of writers such as Fernando Arrabal, Joyce Mansour, and Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues highlights the movement's international reach and varied perspectives.
• Genre variety: Selections range from structured tales to experimental narratives, offering multiple entry points into surrealist technique and form.
• Thematic focus on desire: The book foregrounds imagination and desire as lenses that reconfigure ordinary perception, clarifying a central surrealist concern.

Who It's For

This anthology suits scholars, graduate students, and informed general readers who want a curated cross-section of surrealist short prose in the original French, and who appreciate seeing how different national contexts shape the movement. It is particularly valuable for translation students and comparative literature readers seeking concrete examples of surrealist strategies across time.

Readers looking for complete biographies, exhaustive critical apparatus, or an English-language introduction to surrealism should look elsewhere; the collection emphasizes primary texts and imaginative range rather than comprehensive historical commentary or translations for newcomers.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers a concentrated survey of surrealist storytelling across fifty years, making trends and shifts visible.
• Maintains linguistic authenticity by presenting stories in French, preserving stylistic and rhetorical detail.
• Features a diverse set of authors that demonstrates surrealism's global influence and thematic variety.

Cons

• Limited editorial commentary or contextual notes may leave readers needing supplemental critical guidance.
• Because the texts are in French, it is less accessible to readers who require translations.

Specifications

Title	Custom-House of Desire: A Half-Century of Surrealist Stories
Editor/Author	J. H. Matthews
Language	French (original texts)
Content focus	Surrealist short fiction and experimental narratives
Notable contributors	Fernando Arrabal, Joyce Mansour, Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues
Scope	Fifty-year span of work

Our Verdict

Custom-House of Desire is a focused and rewarding anthology for readers who want primary surrealist texts in French and an efficient overview of half a century of imaginative experiment. It is good value for students and enthusiasts who prioritize authentic voices and variety over extended critical apparatus or translations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the stories in English?
The collection presents stories in French, so readers who need translations should consult separate translated editions or parallel-text volumes.

Does the book include contemporary authors?
The anthology spans fifty years and emphasizes postwar and later 20th-century surrealist writers rather than contemporary 21st-century authors.

Is there scholarly commentary included?
The focus is on primary texts with limited editorial notes, so readers seeking extensive critical essays may need supplementary sources.