James Noël: Paons

15.05.2026 / 19:30 – 21:00
With James Noel

Poesiefestival Berlin 2026 at daadgalerie

James Noël, born in 1978 in Hinche (Haiti), is considered one of the most important poetic voices of his country. He has published more than ten books in Creole and French, including Poèmes à double tranchant (2005), Le sang visible du vitrier (2009), and Le pyromane adolescent (2013).

Two of his works are available in German, both translated by Rike Bolte: the novel Belle Merveille (What a Miracle, Litradukt 2020), awarded the International Literature Prize of the Haus der Kulturen der Welt, and the poetry collection Die größte Raubkatze / Le plus grand des félines (2018).

For the Poetry Festival Berlin, Rike Bolte has now translated poems from Noël’s new volume Paons (Peacocks). The book centers on Port-au-Prince – a city marked by violence, yet also shaped by longing, contradictions, and a distinctive musical movement. Noël’s poetry thrives on such contrasts and on a striking sonic structure that reflects his work as a musician. Despite the weight of his themes, his poems retain a sense of wonder – even in an “impasse beauté,” a dead end of infinite beauty.

On this evening, James Noël will read from Paons and speak with Cornelius Wüllenkemper about his writing.

The event will be interpreted between French and German.
With the kind support of ECHOO Conference Interpreting.

An event of Poesiefestival Berlin 2026

daadgalerie
Oranienstraße 161
Berlin-Kreuzberg

Admission free

Photo: Diana Pfammatter