MAGRITTE A Life

Narrator Simon Vance is the right choice for this biography of the enigmatic Belgian surrealist. His measured and cooly British delivery gives this audiobook style. He narrates evenly without judgment. As a child, Rene Magritte was a practical joker with a scatological bent, who eschewed formal education and found his unique niche in the rebellious world of the surrealists. He had a stormy relationship with André Breton, the major figure in surrealist theory. He loved film, especially slapstick comedies, and had a long (if not always faithful) marriage. When times were tough, he dabbled in forgery--did knockoffs of Klee, Picasso, even Titian--and briefly forged banknotes. His mysterious but legible style influenced a host of modern painters and was picked up by the advertising world. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2022]