Explore our documents for World Poetry Day New selection in the discovery area

Looking for inspiration? Each month, our subject specialists highlight a particular topic through a range of documents from the National Library’s collections. In January an February, discover our selection for World Poetry Day!

On 21 March, World Poetry Day is celebrated internationally. Established by UNESCO in 2000, this day highlights linguistic diversity as a cultural heritage, underlines the importance of oral traditions, and fosters intercultural exchange. Poetry is not only a literary art form distinguished by its conciseness, vivid imagery and musicality – it is also a reflection of society. Poets are keen observers of their time: they question, warn and give powerful voice to ideas. They reveal the beauty of the world while also drawing attention to social injustices and challenges.

Explore the richness of contemporary poetry, featuring a carefully curated selection of works, anthologies and journals in German, French, English and Italian, alongside accompanying research literature.

You can browse this compilation in the discovery area on the ground floor of the Reading Room. If you are interested in one of the documents, simply remove it from the shelf: they are all available for on-site consultation and/or home loan. Enjoy your read!