The article presents a retrospective of the Brazilian poetry along the last century. The main characteristics of the poetic movements that followed each other until 1964 (modernism, postmodernism, generation 45, and the avant-garde and popular poetry movements of the post-war period) are described and connected with the socio-politic context, and the main authors are presented. The progressive development of the poetic creation out of the big cities of the South, in particular in the Nordeste, is highlighted. The various forms of poetic expression during the military dictatorship (1964-1985) (the poema/processo movement, the marginal poetry, the catequese poética movement, and some “independent” poets) are then evoked. The various forms and styles in which poetry is expressed in the aftermath of the dictatorship are described, with emphasis on the poetry written by women and discriminated or exploited minorities (Black people, homosexuals, inhabitants of the favelas). Lastly, the repente and the cordel literature, popular poetic forms still very much alive today, are mentioned, as well as the poetry in indigenous languages, which is gradually beginning to develop and become better known. In conclusion, we analyse the major characteristics of the Brazilian contemporary poetry. The essay is completed by a selection of texts of twelve contemporary Brazilian poets, translated into French.