ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that, for André Breton, the protracted voyage from Marseilles to Martinique, and on from Martinique to New York, was both a voyage of initiation and one into exile, giving him exposure to the regenerative power of new experiences, sights, and sounds, as well as forcing him to reflect on the mirrored situation in occupied Europe. Evidence of Breton's struggle against interior exile is provided by Lévi-Strauss in his account of the first leg of this voyage, from Marseilles to Martinique. The core thread binding Breton to his immediate circle of friends during the voyage to the US and the initial period of his exile was principally that of the search for a new myth, an alternative life pattern, a new "égrégore". For Breton, the experiences to which he opened himself on the journey of initiation from Marseilles to New York confirmed the direction in which he chose to lead the movement during the years of exile.
