Guinean Exile Poet Falmarès Publishes Second Collection 'Le Jardin des Flamboyants'

Falmarès, a Guinean poet living in exile, has released his second poetry collection titled 'Le Jardin des Flamboyants' through Flammarion in late February 2026. Born Mohamed Bangoura in Koba, Guinea, the 24-year-old writer now resides in Brittany, France. The work explores themes of displacement, memory, and finding beauty in everyday life, drawing from his experiences as a griot descendant and his difficult journey through Libya and Italy before reaching France. In an interview, Falmarès explained that poetry became a refuge during his migration, helping him cope with trauma through writing in French when he couldn't read Italian texts. He describes poetry as fundamentally connected to music and oral tradition, citing griot heritage and ancient poets like Homer who performed their works. The collection contains over one hundred poems that balance darker reflections on exile with celebrations of simple joys, which the poet views as acts of resistance. Falmarès maintains a weekly writing practice, considering himself a perpetual learner who writes between Mandingue cultural traditions and Western literary influences.