concrete poetry

20th-century form of poetry in which graphic effects created by words and letters replaces the use of conventional verse forms. It flourished in particular in the 1950s and 1960s, though one of the earliest (and most inventive) poets to use concrete poetry was the French writer Guillaume Apollinaire, whose 1918 poem Il pleut/It rains consists of words arranged in long vertical lines suggesting rain.

Inspired in part by Dada and surrealism, concrete poetry was an attempt both to escape what were seen as the constraints of conventional verse, and also to bring a new vitality and range to poetry by fusing words and images. The development of new approaches to language and meaning semiotics also provided a major inspiration. A poem was seen not just as a verbal work but also an ‘object’ (hence ‘concrete’ poetry) to be seen as well as read.

The typographical resources introduced by early word processors briefly gave a new impetus to printed concrete poetry, and some poets are now exploring the use of computer-generated poems and images. Among the best-known writers of concrete poetry is the Scottish writer and artist Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006).

Though closely related to pattern poetry, concrete poetry differs in the importance it attaches to the visual impact of the poem. A pattern poem is a complete and independent text that has been arranged to form a recognizable shape. A concrete poem, by contrast, is generally one in which the visual element (which is often much more than a shape formed by the lines) is an integral part of the experience of the poem: the text is not meant to be read independently of the form in which it is embodied.

musique concrète is a related outform, where music is created by reworking natural sounds recorded on a disk.