An haife shi a watan Fabrairun 1896, a Faransa, ga dangin da ba su da kyau, Breton ya gano daga ɗalibinsa tun yana ɗabi'a da ikon waƙoƙi. Wannan koyaushe yana da matsayi mai mahimmanci a rayuwarsa, kodayake a cikin 1913 ya fara karatun likita.
Lokacin da Yaƙin Duniya na Farko ya ɓarke a shekara ta 1914, Breton ya nuna shakku game da sha'awar yaƙi na Faransa, kodayake dole ne ya yi aiki a Ma'aikatar Kiwon Lafiya.
Rashin nuna rashin amincewarsa da umarnin waƙa, wanda ya kira "tsohuwar wasan baiti" ya sa shi buga jerin waƙoƙi a cikin 1919 da ake kira Monte de Piedad kuma ya samo mujallar Littattafai tare da Louis Aragon da Philippe Soupault.
A cikin 1924 Breton ya ayyana kuma ya tabbatar da hanyar tunaninsa game da Manifesto na Surrealism, wanda mujallar La Révolution Surréaliste ta biyo baya da sauri, fitowar farko wacce ta fito a cikin watan Disamba na wannan shekarar tare da rubutun: “Dole ne mu kammala a cikin sabuwar sanarwar haƙƙin mutum ".
Mahimmancin Manifesto shi ne cewa yana ƙin yarda da yanayin gaskiyar, murabus, son rai da mutuwa kuma yana ba da sababbin hanyoyin fasaha. Ya ce: “Rayuwa da daina rayuwa mafita ce ta ƙirarraki. Nisan akwai wani wuri ". Tare da surrealism, wanda bashi da yawa ga Sigmund Freud, wanda ya fi wadata daga cikin kyawawan gonaki ya fara. Saboda haka, ana iya bayyana Surrealism a matsayin neman sabon tatsuniyoyi wanda ya danganci binciken rashin sani da kuma damar da haduwar waɗannan abubuwa suka bambanta suke bayar da fasaha da kuma waƙa.
Breton ya zo Mexico a 1938, yana gaskanta cewa wannan hakika "ƙasa ce mai ba da gaskiya". Ga wani yanki na Memory of Mexico:
“Meziko ta gayyace mu zuwa wannan tunani game da dalilan ayyukan mutum, tare da pyramids ɗinta wanda aka yi ta da duwatsu da yawa daidai da al'adun da ke nesa da suka rufe juna cikin duhu. Binciken ya bai wa masu ilimin kimiya na kayan tarihi damar yin hasashen game da bambancin jinsi da suka yi nasarar juna a waccan kasar kuma suka sanya makamansu da gumakansu suka yi nasara a wurin.
Amma yawancin waɗannan lokutan har yanzu suna ɓacewa a ƙarƙashin gajeren ciyawa kuma suna rikicewa daga nesa da kusa da tsaunuka. Babban saƙo na kaburbura, wanda ya bazu fiye da yadda aka bayyana shi ta hanyoyin da babu tuhuma, yana cajin iska da wutar lantarki.
Meziko, wanda ya tashi daga mummunan tarihinta, ya ci gaba da haɓaka a ƙarƙashin kariyar Xochipilli, allahn furanni da waƙoƙin waƙoƙi, da Coatlicue, allahiya ta duniya da mutuwar tashin hankali, waɗanda tasirinsu, suka mamaye abubuwan cuta da ƙarfi duk sauran suna musayar daga karshe zuwa karshen gidan adana kayan tarihin, a kan shugabannin manoman Indiya wadanda su ne mafi yawansu kuma mafi yawan baƙi, kalmomi masu fuka-fuki da kuka mai zafi. Wannan ikon sasanta rayuwa da mutuwa ba tare da wata shakka ba shine babban abin jan hankalin da Mexico ke da shi. Dangane da wannan, yana ci gaba da buɗe rajistar abubuwan da ba za a iya karewa ba, daga mafi mawuyacin hali zuwa mafi ƙeta. "
