The DADA Reader: A Critical Anthology

by Dawn Ades (Editor), Theodore Ziolkowski (Editor), Joel Agee (Translator)

The revolutionary Dada movement, though short-lived, produced a vast amount of creative work in both art and literature during the years that followed World War I. Rejecting all social and artistic conventions, Dadaists went to the extremes of provocative behavior, creating “anti-art” pieces that ridiculed and questioned the very nature of creative endeavor. To understand their movement’s heady mix of anarchy and nihilism—combined with a lethal dash of humor—it’s essential to engage with the artists’ most important writings and manifestos. And that is is precisely where this reader comes in. 

Bringing together key Dada texts, many of them translated into English for the first time, this volume immerses readers in some of the most famous (and infamous) periodicals of the time, from Hugo Ball’s Cabaret Voltaire and Francis Picabia’s 391 to Marcel Duchamp’s The Blind Man and Kurt Schwitters’s Merz . Published in Europe and the United States between 1916 and 1932, these journals constituted the movement’s lifeblood, communicating the desires and aspirations of the artists involved. In addition to providing the first representative selection of these texts, The Dada Reader also includes excerpts from many lesser-known American and Eastern European journals. 

Compiled with both students and general readers in mind, this volume is necessary reading for anyone interested in one of the most dynamic and influential movements of the twentieth century.

Genres: Art

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mixed bag of a book. First, this is a pretty significant collection for people interested in the history of international avant-garde art. The selection is international in scope (not just focused on Tristan Tzara and those who followed him, but also on Francis Picabia, Louis Aragon, and others, including Dada in the United States). It does a very impressive job of demonstrating that Surrealism had its roots in Dada, and also in exploring the intersections between other movements and Dad (De Stijl, Bauhaus, Constructivism, Abstract Expressionism). Having said that however...: a little Dada goes a long way. Some of the work here is amusing, some interesting for the political constellations it illustrates. But taken as one big chunk it's a little difficult to get through. But I assume that anyone picking up this book would know that already. One major problem with the book is the issue of copy-editing. It is apparent (several times over) that University of Chicago Press (like every other publisher out there, especially around the time this book came out) did not assign a dedicated copy editor to the book. Usually this is merely annoying; however, in the case of an artistic movement that played around with typography, spelling, punctuation, etc. it's a disaster. This MIGHT have been a definitive sourcebook for Dada if there was an assurance of meticulous copy editing. However, without that assurance there is no guarantee that the texts presented here are actual fair copies of the originals, and that poses a problem for researchers.

[Nirvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are remotely interested in Dada, but aren't able to read Dada publications in their original language, you should acquire this book. It is the quintessential compilation of primary Dada texts in the English language.

Listen to jazz while reading this shit. You'll thank me later.

[Diogenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Paperback edition] This work contains excerpts from Dadaist journals from the early 20th century, with short prefaces by Ades before each journal selection. The selections appear to have been chosen for their significance and relevance to the movement. To achieve some of the same effects which the Dadaists desired for their audience(surprise, curiosity, and shock to name a few), Ades uses photographs, scaled fascimiles, various typographical techniques, and other genuinely artistic methods. In terms of genre, there are various forms of verse, prose, correspondence, and manifesto. The citation, and therefore the bibliography, meets the high standards I expected from Chicago, and is very helpful for further interested readers. It's being a 'Reader and critical anthology' doesn't mean there isn't a number of supplementary photographs, but perusing an accompanying volume of Dada artwork is obligatory for deeper Dada immersion.

[C. Quabela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! For anyone who is interested in the Dada movement, this is a must read. Of course it will not cover their pivotal writings nor works in other areas of the arts, but it is still a panoramic of the evolution of the movement. These periodicals were a very important aspect of Dada creation and deserve just as much attention when looking into the group as any of their other works. Far too often Dada is swept aside, considered as nothing more than a precursor to surrealism, but through these writings one sees the conflicts arise and just how much Dada has contributed to some of the most influential and appreciated art movements since then (pop art, surrealism, punk, nowave, actionism, etc....the list goes on) Do yourself a favor and read this anthology!

[Ian]

this is my next theatre project! to make this into a theatrical event- im just starting but its a collection of poems, rants, stream of conciousness writing, manifestos, and poems from the dada movement which sprung from the first world war in europe and lead to the surrealist movement. its pretty cool

[David Williamson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A tad repetitive. Dada is nonsensical, which is a bit difficult to explain, discuss, define, without resorting to nonsense, contradiction and general silliness. This can make reading a little difficult as there are gems in here, but a lot of over the top dross.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Dada seems just as relevant today - under our current political climate - as it was at the beginning of the 20th Century.