Paris's Club des poètes keeps poetry alive since 1961

Since 1961, the Club des poètes in Paris has hosted nightly poetry recitations at 30 rue de Bourgogne, near the Assemblée nationale. Founded by Jean-Pierre Rosnay, a poet and resistance fighter, the club was initially a publishing house (Les Jeunes artistes réunis) and a radio show. His son, Blaise Rosnay, now runs the venue, which has hosted Louis Aragon, Pablo Neruda, Léopold Sédar Senghor, and Raymond Queneau. The cardinal rule is that poems must be recited from memory, not read. Attendees include both regulars and newcomers, encouraged by Rosnay. Samuel, a 28-year-old who has attended for ten years, performed Louise Michel's "L'Hirondelle" set to music. The club operates Tuesday to Friday evenings, offering a convivial atmosphere with wine and tarts, lit by candles. Rosnay emphasizes that memorization honors poetry's pre-literate history and shows respect to the audience.