Rhythms and tones Tristan Tzara’s Poèmes nègres

Between 1916 and 1920, Tristan Tzara carried out an astonishing amount of research at the Zurich Central Library. He consulted numerous works of ethnology, from which he transcribed, translated, or adapted African and Oceanian stories. This new literary material was performed during the “Soirées nègres,” accompanied by music and dancing. In this special report, the complete list of sources used by the author accompanies a selection of Poèmes nègres.