Farewell and a Handkerchief--Poems from the Road is a collection that
reflects on the month-long travels of Czech poet Vítězslav Nezval
through Vienna, Paris, southern France, and Italy. During this journey,
on May 9, 1933, Nezval had a chance encounter with two of the surrealist
movement's most influential poets--André Breton and Paul Éluard--while
sitting at the Cardinal Café on the Grands Boulevards in Paris, a
meeting that proved transformative. After returning home, Nezval helped
found the Czech Surrealist Group, along with Karel Teige, Jindřich
Stýrský, and Toyen. It became the only official group of its kind
outside of France.