Last November, the Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Louise Gluck, American poet. At the same time, Alain Mabanckou took over the torch of poetry from Editions du Seuil, from the University of California where he teaches French literature. The sign of a renewed interest in this literary field? Poet himself, the charismatic Franco-Congolese writer wants to fly high the colors of “this royal road for the expression of the imagination”. And, at the head of the Poetry Points collection, displays an ambition: “Bring poetry back to the general public”.

Contemporary poetry remains largely unknown in France, and few are those who can cite the name of an author of the 21st century. Blame it no doubt on the media, which speaks little about it, and on the teaching that is still confined to the great classics. And yet, today’s poetry is very much alive! Very dynamic, animated by hundreds of small publishing houses and a multitude of events, it is an archipelago world with communities that often ignore each other, sometimes criticize each other, and all cultivate an audience of enthusiasts. “Each year, I receive 700 collections!” exclaims Florence Trocme, who follows editorial news through her Poezibao website. But ask the community about the contemporary voices that matter, everyone cites different names.

The very present women

Within the generation of new poets, no one has, it is true, yet acquired the aura of an Aragon or a Rene Char. However, new faces are emerging, each embodying a poetic renewal in their own way. Here are a few among many others: Stephane Bouquet, whose collection “Les Amourssuites” was honored by the “New Yorker” when it was published in English. Christophe Manon, poet recognized by his family before becoming a novelist, or Thomas Vineau, 32, who has become a familiar figure in the community.

Women are very present. Written after the death of her father in 1999, “Pas voir”, translated in several countries, installed Valerie Rouzeau in the landscape. We should also mention Rim Battal, 33, poetess of intimacy and femininity. Or Sophie Martin, whose first book “Classes sans suite”, a verse account of her romantic disappointments published last March, was very noticed.

Some voices also benefit from a notoriety acquired elsewhere in literature. Cecile Coulon, for example. Known for her novels, the 30-year-old has had incredible success with “Les Ronces”, “narrative” poetry first published on Facebook: 13,000 copies sold, according to her publisher, a rare level in poetry. And as a reward, the Apollinaire prize, consecration.

Experimental poetry

In this area, however, recognition is acquired over time. New voices have often published in magazines such as “Discharge” and specialized sites (Diacritik, En attendant Nadeau, etc.) before being spotted by a publisher. Today, Antoine Emaz and Olivier Barbarant are considered outstanding poets of their generation. Just like Yvon Le Men, Michel Deguy or Charles Juliet, winners of the Goncourt for poetry for all of their work. “All my poems are dictated to me by my inner life”, confides with humility Charles Juliet, who sayshe is “very attentive to the stripping, to the rhythm, to the music of the words”.

On the written side, so-called experimental poetry questions the relationship to language and works on the form and spatialization of words, as explained by Frederic Boyer, who took over the reins of POL at death, in 2018, of its iconic founder Paul Otchakovsky-Laurens. Emblematic of this current, this house welcomes in its ranks authors such as Christian Prigent, Christophe Tarkos, Nathalie Quintane, or Olivier Cadiot and Valere Novarina, both better known as men of the theater. And willingly cultivates his self-esteem. “We are not invited to the Spring of Poetry”, likes to say Frederic Boyer.

On the other hand, at Castor Astral, which publishes Cecile Coulon and Rim Battal, Jean-Yves Reuzeau, co-founder, claims a “lyrical poetry close to narrative and daily life”. However, he denies any sectarianism. Just like Yves di Manno who has been directing the poetic domain of Flammarion for twenty-five years with a single line: to publish singular voices.

Go beyond the written word

In this fragmented universe, we finally find a myriad of publishers (Cheyne, Jose Corti, Isabelle Sauvage…) who each defend their voices through favorites or personal affinities. Since the turn of the 2000s, orality, admittedly present since Antiquity, has been in turmoil.

Fairs, festivals, dedicated spaces such as Les Maisons de la poesie in Paris and in the provinces: the places where poetry can be listened to have multiplied. Last year, the Home Theater company launched an original initiative: SVP poetry, a vocal server that broadcast poems 24 hours a day. The operation was suspended following a misunderstanding on social networks.

Beyond reading, many are the poets of the new generation who seek to go beyond the written word with performances. In search of a new way to bring their text to life, they accompany it with sound, music, images, sometimes even physical staging and choose unexpected places to declaim them: a public square, a cafe, a theater, a museum. “The idea is to take poetry out of its usual space and see how the poem lives outside the page,” explains poet Jerome Game.

Adept at “reading aloud” – which led him to record a CD with several collections – he regularly works with videographers, choreographers, and visual artists. “But,” he insists, “the collection must be sufficient in itself and it is never a question of spectacularizing the text. Orality has its own economy. “A reading is remunerated around 200 euros and a performance 400 euros,” indicates the president of the Poetry Market, Yves Boudier.

Breaking the codes of language

At the edge of the poetic field, there is rap and slam, popularized by Grand Corps Malade in the early 2000s. With the eternal question “Where does poetry stop?”, once posed for Brassens, Brel, or Ferre. The former managing director of Seghers, a great publisher of 20th-century poetry, Bruno Doucey, who founded his house in 2010, is categorical: “These are modes of expression like any other. The important thing is to learn from our differences.”

Alain Mabanckou, who inherited at Points Seuil from Arthur H. and Leonard Cohen among other composers, sees it as an advantage: “By breaking the codes of language, rap and slam attract young people to poetry. This is what convinced Sophie de Sivry to create, within her house L’Iconoclaste, a collection “between poetry and slam”, baptized Iconopop and entrusted to Cecile Coulon and Alexandre Bord, ex-bookseller. Objective: “To reach the general public with short, accessible texts, in tune with the times, which can be listened to and performed on stage,” she says. Among its first authors, Mathias Malzieu, the singer of the group Dionysos and novelist.

Editorial adventure

For publishers, publishing poetry remains an adventure. Sales are confidential. “Maybe ten poets sell more than 500 copies in the first year!” says François Heusbourg to Editions Unes, based in the south of France. Success begins at 800. And if a distinction – and there are many in poetry (Prix Apollinaire, Prix Mallarmé, Goncourt de la Poésie, Grand Prize for Poetry of the French Academy, etc.) – brings recognition, it does not ensure large print runs.

For Bruno Doucey, however, poetry takes its revenge over time. “Where the novel is rapidly disappearing from the literary field, a collection can last ten years without difficulty,” he assures us. In addition, the Centre national du livre helps out by supporting authors, publishers, and festival organizers. The challenge for small publishers, however, is to ensure the visibility of their works. For lack of means, many deposit their own books in bookstores. But it is in fairs and festivals that they meet their readers.

The Poetry Market, where some 500 publishers meet, is essential. “Some of them make 30 to 50% of their annual turnover there. The cancellation of the market linked to Covid is dramatic for them,” observes its director Vincent Gimeno-Pons.

Conclusion

Poetry in the 21st century is a vibrant and diverse field, with new voices emerging and experimenting with different forms and expressions. Women play a significant role in shaping contemporary poetry, and various publishers and events contribute to the vitality of the poetry scene. While challenges remain in terms of recognition and visibility, poetry continues to evolve and capture the imagination of both poets and audiences.