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When I was in college, I was in a block section. We were around 40 and we were classmates in all subjects from 1st year to 3rd year. Our last year was an internship in a hospital. During that year, we were mixed with other interns from other schools. That was the year when I met my first real love.

One early morning, I was doing complete blood count near the window of the laboratory. I was on duty the whole night and was scheduled to leave at around 9:00 a.m. I was done with the count and just writing the results. When I glanced at the window, I saw that the trees and garden in front of the hospital were still partly hidden in the thick fog. Then I saw an image of a girl wearing a white frock (laboratory gown) almost as white as the fog. I knew who she was. She was an intern from another school. She was in the day shift but she came early just to share with me the breakfast that she cooked in her dormitory. She would like me to have a taste of her cooking. I was amused by the attention that she was giving me. The girls in my block section were never like that. Oh maybe because we all knew each other that we were like brothers and sisters already. No more mystery to ignite curiousity and create the chemistry to spark romance.

It's been 25 years since that morning but I still vividly remember that scene. My first love appearing from the fog just like a dream. Surreal. Bizarre. Dreamlike.

Nadja (1927) written by the pricipal founder of Surrealism, Andre Breton (1896-1966) was like that. It is surreal, bizarre, dreamlike but it will make you remember your past love or the first time you felt in love. It is about a man falling in love with a woman amidst the beauty of Paris in the 1920's. The narrative is punctuated with 40 photographs showing the places, people and events related to the short-lived love story. Surreal is a literary genre and this novel is its most popular example. The narrative is linear but vague. While reading it, one can never be sure if Nadja is a real woman, an idea or an illusion. The narrator's feeling is also going in all directions: love, infatuation, curiousity, apathy, indifference, etc. There is a reason for the last two that I would not want to share as I do not want to spoil your fun (in case you want to read this book too).

Suffice it to say that this novel is unique in its structure, narration and characters. The plot is typical but it is a worthwhile reading experience. It deserves its place in the 501 Must Read Books and 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. Breton defined "surrealism" as pure, psychic automatism. As an example, you hold a pen and move your hand freely. The curves, lines, points can reveal secrets about your inner self. This is called "automatism" or automatic drawing and is part of the Surrealist beliefs. With that example, think Breton writing this semi-autobiographical novel about a girl he met in France, fell in love with and stayed with her for 10 days. Throw in 40 photographs of the places they went and the things they shared. That, in essence was what Breton did here in Nadja.

My first love did not become my wife but our relationship lasted for 2 years. Unknown to my wife, I still keep our photographs, small mementos and the letters she gave me. Whenever I look at them, I still remember the days we were together. Surreal. Bizarre. Dreamlike.