Library and Archives Canada welcomes unique works by Christian Bök into its collections
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is proud to announce a significant addition to its collections by Canadian poet and innovator Christian Bök.
This generous donation includes The Xenotext, a landmark poetic work consisting of two sonnets encoded within the DNA of a living organism, the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans. In this extraordinary work, the organism reads the first DNA-encoded poem and produces a responding poem in the form of a protein. The first poem is written in the voice of the Greek mythological figure Orpheus, while the responding poem is attributed to his lost love Eurydice. When expressed as a protein, Eurydice’s poem causes the organism to visibly turn red. By encoding poetry into a “forever organism” such as Deinococcus radiodurans, the work functions as an enduring archival form intended to persist over time.
In addition to this groundbreaking poetic work, LAC has received a set of related materials, including archival drafts, protein visualizations, research documentation, grant materials, responding works of poetry by other authors, as well as a specially printed edition of the poem. These materials will be made available on our website as soon as possible.
Completed in 2025 after more than two decades of development, The Xenotext is recognized as a major achievement not only in poetry but also in the fields of molecular biology and genetics. The six vials holding the organism were repatriated from the University of Texas and transferred to the National Biodiversity Cryobank of Canada at the Canadian Museum of Nature, where they sit in permanent storage at -160°C. This partnership ensures long-term preservation and creates opportunities for future research.
Acquiring artistic works is an essential part of our mandate to preserve documentary heritage and make it accessible for future generations.