Maldoror

Based on Roberto Bolaño, Lautréamont  

  • Show
  • Theatre

Julien Gosselin

France / Creation Festival d'Avignon 2026

Avertissement Some scenes may be distressing to viewers.

What is the “secret of evil”? Connecting the works of Roberto Bolaño and Lautréamont, Julien Gosselin follows in the footsteps of these writers who, each in their own way, plumbed the depths of human violence. 

Maldoror, Julien Gosselin © Julien Gosselin

Presentation

Ten years after his adaptation of 2666 at the Festival d’Avignon, Julien Gosselin returns to Roberto Bolaño and stages a dialogue between the Chilean writer and a great 19th-century poet: Lautréamont. Both ceaselessly explored human violence, its origins, and its hidden corners. 
In a show that stands at the crossroads between theatre, cinema, and performance, the director continues his work on literature. Rooted in Latin America in the 1970s, Maldoror explores the works of writers and artists who were able to approach absolute evil as close as possible. 

《악의 비밀》이란 무엇인가? 로베르토 볼라뇨와 로트레아몽의 작품들을 연결 지으며, 줄리앙 고슬랭은 각자의 방식으로 인간의 폭력을 탐색해 온 두 작가의 발자취를 이어간다. 

Distribution

With Guillaume Bachelé, Rita Benmannana, Joseph Drouet, Denis Eyriey, Carine Goron, Jeremy Lewin, Jeanne Louis-Calixte, Cyril Metzger, Victoria Quesnel, Achille Reggiani, Lucile Rose, Maxence Vandevelde
Adaptation and direction Julien Gosselin
Set design Lisetta Buccellato
Lighting design Nicolas Joubert
Video Jérémie Bernaert, Pierre Martin Oriol
Music Guillaume Bachelé, Maxence Vandevelde
Dramaturgy Eddy D’aranjo, Marie-José Malis
Costumes Caroline Tavernier
Sound Théo Jonval
Script Antoine Hespel
Color grading Laurent Ripoll
Assistant director Lucile Rose
Surtitles Zoé Benguigui
Set, costumes and props workshops Ateliers de l’Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe

Production

Production Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe (Paris) 
Coproduction Festival d’Avignon, Comédie de Genève, Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, Onassis Stegi Athènes  
Support Fondation Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe

Ammodo Art promotes and supports the development of the visual and performing arts on an international scale. It is part of the Ammodo Foundation, which supports the development of the arts, architecture and science. As part of the 2026 Avignon Festival, Ammodo Art is supporting the creation of two new productions.

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Practical infos

Audiovisual

And…

La matinale – 4 July

  • Café des idées
With Julien Gosselin, Kyung-Sung Lee, Rebecca Chaillon et Jaha Koo

13e Rencontres Recherche et Création

What haunts us, what binds us: how can we express the inexpressible?
  • Café des idées
With the Agence nationale de la recherche