Romandie in poetry

“What a bummer our lack of poetry (…)!”

This is how Virgile Elias Gehrig , the poet from the French-speaking part of Switzerland, describes his dual relationship with Switzerland, without omitting the qualities of the rösti… It’s true that the romantic and bohemian spirit don’t easily go hand in hand with the great Swiss virtues, such as stability, calm and pragmatism. And yet, we have no shortage of poets. What’s more, for 200 years, the Swiss valleys have been home to poets who came from afar in search of peace and quiet, and found inspiration here. Isabelle Falconnier and Antonio Rodriguez accompany us on this literary stroll through landscape and history.

Today, we even dare to speak of the resurgence of poetic expression. Authors abound: alongside names already well established in the French-speaking literary landscape, there are new voices, many of them winners of prestigious literature prizes. This is not possible without the support of numerous institutions and the commitment of cultural players. The Canton of Vaud strongly encourages literary creation , with the University of Lausanne playing a dynamic role. The latter is at the very heart of the events that enliven each Printemps de la poésie, the 7th edition of which will soon be enchanting the cities of Romandie.

One of the reasons contemporary poetry is so popular is that it resonates with today’s world. Often agitated and laconic, it offers brief moments of suspension, small stops in the frenetic rhythm of our times. It is also highly varied, ranging from lyrical revival to sonic experimentation. The freshness of her language is expressed through new codes and new media. At the crossroads of the arts, between painting and music, poetry acquires forms of expression that are sometimes unexpected, even extending to stage performance. Paradoxically, this is a return to the roots of the oral poetry that accompanied popular festivals and rituals. The winegrowers’ festival keeps this tradition alive, linking poem and performance. But above all, poetry remains an intimate experience that, through a sensitive relationship with language, gives rise to emotion.

As spring (both calendar and poetic) approaches, the BCUL site Riponne is offering a selection of young poets from the French-speaking part of Vaud and beyond, including some voices of immigrants living in Switzerland and active on the local literary scene. You’ll also find recent collections by poets with longer-established names. What do they have in common? All the works in this selection were published in the canton of Vaud.

To take things a step further, the 11th issue of the French-language literary magazine La cinquième saison is entirely dedicated to the poem and its transmitters: authors, publishers and booksellers give us a thousand and one reasons to read, write and publish poetry again.

And finally, a date to remember! On Monday March 21-World Poetry Day-poems will be waiting for you on the open-access tables at the BCUL site Unithèque.

“it’s full of poems.
everywhere,
we step on them”.
(Silent sale; followed by 4X4 poèmes tout-terrains, Marius Daniel Popescu)

We hope you enjoy your lyrical journey!

Diana Pabianczyk-Bifrare, legal deposit intern.