Nadja

Nadja is a work of surrealist fiction by the French writer Andre Breton. Published in 1928, the novel takes place over a period of ten days, telling the story of the relationship between the narrator – who is also named Andre Breton – and a woman called Nadja. Featuring a non-linear structure and making heavy use of improbable coincidences, Nadja balances a realistic core relationship with narrative aspects that highlight its artificial, fictional structure.

There are no chapter breaks or other divisions in the book except for a single blank page, which splits the narrative into two parts. The first is a philosophical treatise in which Andre discusses his view of life, including his notion that one of the only ways to understand a person is by understanding what he or she “haunts.” He talks about feeling as if he drifts through life like a ghost, making very little impact on the people around him. They are unable to fully recognize him as a person, and likewise, he is not fully able to recognize and interact with them.

Andre also discusses several French writers and artists that he admires. He says that it is not enough to merely appreciate an artist’s work. In order to fully understand a piece of art, a person has to know the artist’s philosophy of life and the world. The better one understands an artist’s mindset, the more one can fully inhabit the artist’s work.



Continuing the first section of the narrative, Andre describes several events that happen to him while living in Paris. These include stories about meeting other writers whom he envies, descriptions of signs advertising hot coals, and a tale about a trip to a theater where he watched a violent and scandalous play. At first glance, these seem like mundane, unconnected experiences, but Andre discusses how these events trigger seemingly unconnected thoughts. This illustrates Andre’s unusual mind that fixates on unusual things, making connections that others do not.

Finally, Andre discusses his relationship with the work of the French poet Rimbaud who invokes intense emotion in him and also allows him to connect with others. He describes an incident that happened while he was walking in the rain one day and fell into step beside a woman who recited one of her favorite poems by Rimbaud. He also tells about a time he was at a flea market and a discussion of Rimbaud with the bookseller led to a thoughtful conversation about philosophy and art.

This conversation reminds him of the time a third woman took him to see an engraving, which contained an optical illusion. The image in the engraving changed depending on the angle at which Andre looked at it. After recounting these coincidental and serendipitous encounters with women, Andre finally prepares to talk about the most important woman in the book: Nadja.



The second half of the narrative begins with Andre meeting Nadja by chance. He is intrigued by her eyes, and they strike up a conversation. Nadja tells him that she was in love with a student, but they drifted apart. When she met him again, the spark in their relationship was no longer there, and Nadja was angry with herself for having ever cared for him. She also talks about her family, briefly characterizing her parents as good people, but also delving into their flaws. She mentions that she is in poor health, and she has been trying to find a job since she thinks manual labor will make her feel better.

Before they part ways, Nadja agrees to meet Andre again and asks him to bring some of his books for her. Andre demurs, believing that she will understand him better without reading the things he has written.

The next time Andre and Nadja meet, they go to a restaurant and observe a drunk behaving strangely. This upsets Nadja and she begins to speak and act erratically. She feels frightened and unwell, so they leave the restaurant. Andre soothes her by reciting a poem, and when she feels better, the two of them part ways.



Andre meets with Nadja several more times, but he quickly begins to lose interest in her. He once found the stories she tells about her life interesting but comes to suspect that they are lies she made up. Eventually, Nadja’s strange behavior becomes too much, and she is committed to a sanitarium. Andre does not have much confidence that the sanitarium will cure her, and he suspects that it will, in fact, make her much worse.

The narrative ends with Andre explaining why he chose to write about his relationship with Nadja. He says that he has gone over their time together so often in his head that it no longer seems like something that really happened to him. It is only after he has distanced himself from the events in this way that he is able to write them down. This explanation connects the two halves of the novel by demonstrating how the story of Andre and Nadja is an extended example of the disconnect and distance Andre feels in his dealings with other people.