Salon Littéraire - Meet Elliot for a Bookshelf Conversation

Each session opens with an introductory moment — a reading, an excerpt, or a conceptual perspective — setting the tone for the discussion to follow in a relaxed atmosphere of collective reflection and exchange.

For this edition of the Literary Salon, we invite you to explore a more engaged and political question at the intersection of poetry, literature, and our relationship with the world:

Making Poetry: How Can We Re-Enchant the World? Literature as a Form of Resistance.

What role can poetry play in the face of the conflicts and challenges of our time?

Beyond being simply a literary genre, poetry can also be understood as a way of making and creating. It is not only something we read or think about, but also a way of acting upon the world.

In a time marked by war, violence, social and political crises, and climate change, poetry can become a space for engagement and resistance. But how can literature help us respond to the realities that surround us? Can poetry offer new ways of seeing, questioning, imagining — and perhaps even transforming — the world?

For the session, participants are invited to bring a poetry collection, preferably, or any other literary text with a poetic dimension — such as a literary essay, novel, short story, or play. Philosophical texts are also welcome, as long as they remain rooted in a literary approach. Participants will be invited to share a passage or excerpt from their chosen text as a starting point for the conversation.

Together, we will explore poetry not only as something to be read, but as a form of action. Because reading is never simply about thinking; it can also be a way of doing.

Through texts, ideas, and shared perspectives, the conversation will reflect on how poetry can help us resist, respond, imagine, and ultimately re-enchant the world.

As always, spontaneity and open exchange remain at the heart of the Literary Salon, allowing the conversation to unfold organically through readings, reflections, and personal perspectives.

The Literary Salon takes place at TheMerode, in an intimate and welcoming setting, and is held once a month.