James Noël

Born in Haiti in 1978, James Noël is considered one of the major voices in contemporary poetry. A poet, novelist, and cultural mediator, he has created a body of work comprising around twenty books. Honorary President of the 27th Marché de la Poésie in France in 2024 and a former fellow of the Villa Médicis in Rome, he currently resides in Berlin as part of the Berliner Künstlerprogramm des DAAD.

He is the editor of the literary and artistic journal "IntranQu’îllités" and also coordinated the landmark "Anthology of Contemporary Haitian Poetry" (Points, 2015; reissued in 2025). His first novel "Belle merveille" (Zulma 2017) was awarded the International Literature Prize in Berlin in 2020.

His poetry collection "Paons" (Au Diable Vauvert), currently at the center of critical attention, has been widely praised in the French press (AFP, Le Monde, Libération, L’Humanité, TV5 Monde, among others) and was awarded the Prix Sirène Lapérouse in March 2026.

His work engages in a rich dialogue with music: his texts have inspired artists such as Arthur H, Chloé Sainte-Marie, Wooly Saint-Louis Jean, and James Germain. This musical dynamic continues in the album "En toute pyromanie", created in collaboration with composer Guillaume Hazebrouck—a poetic concert performed by a sextet and based on his collection "Le Pyromane adolescent".