AV Collioure septembre 2011 Copyright Sophie Nauleau

André Velter (born 1945),

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

, was born in

Signy-l'Abbaye Signy-l'Abbaye () is a commune in the department of Ardennes, in the north-eastern French region of Grand Est. Geography The river Vaux, a small tributary of the Aisne, flows through the commune. Population See also *Communes of the Arden ...

in the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

région and was educated in Charleville and

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. Having begun his first journeys in 1955 through

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, he has traveled through

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

, China and

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. As a result, his poetry displays a varied and colorful relation to the places, sounds and rhythms of the cultures he has visited. Velter has experimented with improvised songs, ''polyphonic'' poetry, and has composed a rock oratorio. His work with ''France Culture'' combined with frequent poetry recitals, alone or with dance and instrumentation, show commitment to poetry as an actively performed medium. His work has been translated into many languages and is also available on compact disc.

Awards

*1996

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

*1990

Mallarmé prize Mallarmé is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * André Mallarmé (1877–1956), French politician * Stéphane Mallarmé Stéphane Mallarmé ( , ; 18 March 1842 – 9 September 1898), pen name of Étienne Mallarmé, was a Fren ...

*2021:

Prix Guillaume Apollinaire The prix Guillaume Apollinaire is a French poetry prize first awarded in 1941. It was named in honour of French writer Guillaume Apollinaire. It annually recognizes a collection of poems for its originality and modernity. Members of the jury The ...

(for ''Séduire l’univers, précédé d'À contre-peur'', Gallimard)

Selected bibliography

*''Aisha'', Gallimard, 1966 *''Du Gange à Zanzibar'', Gallimard, 1993 ( Louise Labé prize) *''Les poètes du chat noir'' (Anthology), Gallimard, 1996 *''L'Arbre seul'', Gallimard, 1998 (

) *''L'Amour extrême'', Gallimard, 2000 *''Songs of Love and War: Afghan Women's Poetry'', ed. Sayd Majrouh, Other Press, 2003 *''La Faute à qui'', CD Elios Productions and les Editions Thélème, 2004 *''Zingaro suite équestre et un piaffer plus dans l'inconnu'', Gallimard, 2005

External links

Official site
1945 births Living people French poets Veletr, Andre People from Ardennes (department) French male poets Radio France people Prix Guillaume Apollinaire winners {{France-poet-stub