Wobadwa mu February 1896, ku France, kubanja lodzichepetsa, Breton adapeza zokopa ndi mphamvu za ndakatulo kuyambira ali mwana. Izi nthawi zonse zimakhala zofunikira kwambiri pamoyo wake, ngakhale mu 1913 adayamba maphunziro azachipatala.
Nkhondo yoyamba yapadziko lonse itayamba mu 1914, a Breton amakayikira chidwi chankhondo yaku France, ngakhale adayenera kugwira ntchito muDipatimenti ya Zaumoyo.
Kukayikira kwake kopitilira muyeso ndakatulo, komwe adatcha "masewera akale amawu" zidamupangitsa kuti afalitse ndakatulo zingapo mu 1919 zotchedwa Monte de Piedad ndipo adapeza magazini ya Littérature ndi Louis Aragon ndi Philippe Soupault.
Mu 1924 Breton adafotokozera ndikutsimikizira momwe amaganizira za Manifesto of Surrealism, yomwe idatsatiridwa mwachangu ndi magazini ya La Révolution Surréaliste, yomwe idatulutsidwa koyamba mu Disembala chaka chomwecho ndi epigraph: "Tiyenera kumaliza kulengeza kwatsopano za ufulu wa munthu ".
Kufunika kwa Manifesto ndikuti imakana mwamphamvu mkhalidwe weniweni, kusiya ntchito, kutenga nawo mbali pamanda komanso kufa ndikupereka mwayi watsopano waluso. Iye akuti: “Kukhala ndi kuleka kukhala ndi moyo ndi njira zongoyerekeza. Kupatula kwina kuli kwina ". Ndi surrealism, yomwe ili ndi ngongole zambiri kwa Sigmund Freud, olemera kwambiri mwa ma avant-gardes adayamba. Kuchita zinthu mopitilira muyeso, kungatanthauzidwe ngati kufunafuna zopeka zatsopano potengera kusanthula kwadzidzidzi komanso kuthekera komwe kukumana ndi zinthu zosiyanazi kumapereka zaluso ndi ndakatulo.
Breton adabwera ku Mexico mu 1938, akukhulupirira kuti analidi "dziko la surreal". Nayi chidutswa cha Memory of Mexico:
"Mexico akutiitanira mopanda chidwi ku kusinkhasinkha uku pamalingaliro amachitidwe amunthu, ndi mapiramidi ake opangidwa ndi miyala ingapo yofananira ndi zikhalidwe zakutali kwambiri zomwe zaphimbirana ndikudutsamo. Kafukufukuyu amapereka mwayi kwa akatswiri ofukula mabwinja kuti alosere za mitundu yosiyanasiyana yomwe idapambana wina ndi mnzake m'nthaka ndikupangitsa zida zawo ndi milungu yawo kupambana pamenepo.
Koma nthawi zambirizi zimasowanso pansi paudzu ndipo zimasokonezeka kuchokera kutali komanso pafupi ndi mapiri. Uthenga wabwino wamanda, womwe umafalikira kwambiri kuposa momwe umafotokozedwera kudzera munjira zopanda kukayikira, umawombera mpweya ndi magetsi.
Mexico, yodzutsidwa moyipa m'mbiri yakale, ikupitilizabe kusintha motetezedwa ndi Xochipilli, mulungu wamaluwa ndi ndakatulo zomveka, ndi Coatlicue, mulungu wamkazi wa dziko lapansi ndi imfa yachiwawa, yemwe mafano ake, olamulira m'matenda komanso mwamphamvu ena onse amasinthana kuchokera kumapeto mpaka kumapeto kwa nyumba yosungiramo zinthu zakale, pamitu ya alimi aku India omwe ndi alendo ake ambiri komanso osonkhanitsidwa, mawu amapiko ndi kulira kosokosera. Mphamvu yakuyanjanitsanso moyo ndiimfa mosakayikira ndichokopa chachikulu chomwe Mexico ili nacho. Pankhaniyi, imatsegulira zolembetsa zosatha, kuyambira zoyipa kwambiri mpaka zachinyengo kwambiri. "
