Essay Questions

What does it mean that Nadja is a surrealist narration and what components build the story?

The first sentence in the book is a typical surrealist question; “Who am I?”. André then proceeds to explore and discuss other surrealists’ art, going as far as including them in his book, as it had 44 photographs made by other artists as well as poems included in his book. Even though the book is a semi-biographical narration, it is not chronological. It jumps from part to part, referencing different eras and time zones, such as the surrealist movement was with its illogical and abstract expressionism.

Who was Nadja and what does her character represent?

Nadja is first and foremost a character, and a real person that André met early in his life. She was a young beautiful female that was very good with men. As her art was portrayed in the book, it has later been revealed that her real name was Léona Camile Ghislaine Delacourt. She didn’t only represent femininity, but reality, and the power a person has over others, which became evident in her relationship with André.

Why did André wish to meet Nadja one last time?

It is not explicitly explained why André wished to talk to her, yet his demeanor and attitude towards the situation can be used as a point of reference. In the start, when he first learnt of how Nadja had deceived his common sense, André was turmoiled. As he reflected upon the events, he realizes that even though her stories weren’t truthful, they might not be lies. He found out that he had learnt a lot from their experiences together, and probably wished to see if the feelings they had for each other, at the very least, were real.