SIC: The Paris Review That Paved the Way for Dada
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SIC was a Paris avant-garde review edited by Pierre Albert-Birot from January 1916 to December 1919. Across 54 issues it published work by Guillaume Apollinaire, Tristan Tzara, and Pierre Reverdy, and carried news of Zurich Dada before the Paris Dada group coalesced.
What Was SIC?
SIC was a Paris avant-garde review founded and edited by Pierre Albert-Birot. The review ran from 1916 to 1919 and opened its pages to new poetry, typography, and visual art. Albert-Birot kept the format open to short poems, prose, and visual experiments. The result was a review more concerned with new expression than with a single school. Albert-Birot gathered writers associated with the Paris avant-garde and gave early attention to forms that later intersected with Dada. The Pierre Albert-Birot SIC review is documented as one of the independent magazines that kept experimental work circulating during the war. Contemporary bibliographic records list SIC among the major periodicals of the modern movement in Paris. That status makes the review a point of reference for readers tracing the route from Cubist literary circles to Dada.
From 1916 to 1919: A Wartime Run
SIC ran from January 1916 to December 1919 and produced 54 issues, according to the bibliographic record of the International Dada Archive. That span places the review entirely within the First World War and the immediate postwar months. The pace works out to slightly more than one issue per month across the 48 months from January 1916 through December 1919. Publication therefore remained steady but compact, shaped by the limits of wartime Paris.
- January 1916: Albert-Birot starts SIC in Paris while the war is still underway.
- 1916–1919: The review publishes new writing, visual experiments, and news of avant-garde activity.
- December 1919: The run ends after 54 issues, before Paris Dada takes a more organized public shape.
SIC and the Coming of Paris Dada
SIC acted as a Paris conduit for Dada before Paris Dada existed as a group. The review published Tristan Tzara, then a central figure in Zurich Dada, and carried news of Zurich Dada activity at a time when the Paris group had not yet formed. Zurich Dada was already active during SIC's early issues, so the review's run overlaps with the first phase of the movement. In this way, SIC magazine gave Dada an early French readership while the Paris scene was still taking shape. The Paris Dada group coalesced only after the war; SIC therefore belongs to the phase of transmission rather than local Dada production. Guillaume Apollinaire and Pierre Reverdy also appeared in its pages, linking the review to the Paris literary circles that would help define Dada.
Key Contributors and Their Roles
SIC's importance rests on the writers who passed through its pages. The table lists four figures whose connection to the review is documented in the main bibliographic and digital collections.
| Contributor | Role in SIC |
|---|---|
| Pierre Albert-Birot | Founder and editor; ran the review from 1916 to 1919. |
| Guillaume Apollinaire | Avant-garde poet whose work appeared in SIC and connected it to the Paris literary avant-garde. |
| Tristan Tzara | Zurich Dada poet whose work and reports linked SIC to Dada. |
| Pierre Reverdy | Paris poet associated with Cubist literary circles and published in SIC. |
The appearances are also visible in the facsimile sets available online.
Where to Read SIC Today
Digital copies are available through Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and through Princeton's Blue Mountain Project. The International Dada Archive lists SIC among Dada-era periodicals and points to scanned originals in its Digital Dada Library. The images allow readers to check layout, typography, and contents issue by issue. The Dada Companion Editors describe their approach as checking dates, names, and works against catalogs and original editions when preparing reference entries of this kind. Readers can also consult the site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use for how reference materials are handled.
FAQ
What was SIC? SIC was a Paris avant-garde review edited by Pierre Albert-Birot, published from 1916 to 1919.
Who edited SIC? Pierre Albert-Birot edited SIC from Paris throughout its run.
How many issues of SIC were published? SIC ran for 54 issues between January 1916 and December 1919.
How is SIC connected to Dada? SIC published work by Tristan Tzara and carried news of Zurich Dada before the Paris Dada group formed.
Where can I read SIC online? Digitized issues appear in Gallica (BnF), the International Dada Archive, and Princeton's Blue Mountain Project.
Sources
Gallica, Bibliothèque nationale de France International Dada Archive, University of Iowa Libraries Blue Mountain Project, Princeton University Library
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