A man of imagination, French writer Louis Aragon (1897–1982) was born on this day. Along with fellow poet André Breton, he helped steer Dada and the Paris surrealism movement.

“Love is made by two people, in different kinds of solitude,” he said. “It can be in a crowd, but in an oblivious crowd.”

Aragon’s acclaimed 1924 novel, Le Paysan de Paris (Paris Peasant), captured the surrealist idea of “the daily marvelous,” a sense of wonder born from the unexpected and the improbable.

“Name the greatest of all inventors?” asked humorist Mark Twain. “Accident.”

For Aragon and Breton, the word “surrealism” meant **super realism**—a revolt against the ordinary that created new worlds of dreams and imagination. Forms and images rose from unthinkable impulses and blind feelings… by accident. Aragon spoke of “the passionate use of the narcotic image” that “forces you to revise the entire universe.”

With brainstorming, imagery, and word association, surrealists embraced Sigmund Freud’s exploration of the unconscious mind. Realities forged in art and literature were beautiful precisely because of their complete freedom and unexpectedness.

There is no end to the magic of creativity. “In a moment of grace, we can grasp eternity in the palm of our hand. This is the gift given to creative individuals who can identify with the mysteries of life through art,” reflected French mime and master creator Marcel Marceau.