Poictesme

{{Short description|Fictional kingdom by James Branch Cabell}}

{{Infobox fictional location

| name = Poictesme

| alt_name =

| image = Map of Poictesme by Peter Koch (black and white).jpg

| image_size = 350px

| caption = Map of Poictesme drawn by Peter Koch

| image2 = Poictesme_arms.png

| image2_size = 100px

| caption2 = Coat of arms

| source = Biography of the Life of Manuel

| creator = James Branch Cabell

| genre = Satirical fantasy

| ruler = Count Dom Manuel

| type = Feudal fiefdom

| ethnic_groups = Poictoumois

| locations = Storisende (capital)

| people = Count Dom Manuel, Jurgen

| population =

| first = The Eagle's Shadow

| last = Something About Eve

| blank_label = Motto

| blank_data = Mundus vult decipi ("The world wants to be deceived")

| blank_label1 =

| blank_data1 =

| blank_label2 =

| blank_data2 =

| blank_label3 =

| blank_data3 =

}}

Poictesme ({{IPAc-en|p|w|ɑː|ˈ|t|ɛ|m}}) is a fictional country or province which forms the setting of the fantasy works of James Branch Cabell, known collectively as Biography of the Life of Manuel. Poictesme is ruled by the Count Dom Manuel.

It was the author's intention to situate Poictesme roughly in Southern France. The name suggests the two real French cities of Poitiers (medieval Poictiers) and Angoulême (medieval Angoulesme). Poictesme is a fief of King Ferdinand of Castile and León, who installs Manuel as count in the year 1234. Cabell's fictional history of the country extends as far as the 17th century.{{cite journal |last=Van Doren |first=Carl |authorlink=Carl Van Doren |title=The Two Heroes of Poictesme: A Study of 'Jurgen' and 'Figures of Earth' |journal=The Century Magazine |issue=November 1924 |pages=129–134 }}

The first map of Poictesme was drawn by Cabell himself, but other maps were created by artists such as Frank C. Papé, Peter Koch, and Judith Ann Lawrence.{{Cite web|title=Maps of Poictesme|url=https://jamesbranchcabell.library.vcu.edu/inspired-by-cabell/maps-of-poictesme/|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=James Branch Cabell: Literary Life and Legacy}}

At the height of Cabell's popularity in the 1920s, Cabell's publishers sold framed

wall-maps of Poictesme.Darrell Schweitzer, "Cabell, James Branch", in St. James Guide To Fantasy Writers, ed. David Pringle, London,

St. James Press, 1996, {{ISBN|1-55862-205-5}}, (p. 91-93).

The undergraduate literary journal of Virginia Commonwealth University is named pwatem after the fictional province.{{Cite web|title=Pwatem - Student Media Center - Virginia Commonwealth University|url=https://studentmedia.vcu.edu/student-media/pwatem/|access-date=2021-11-21|website=studentmedia.vcu.edu}}