Definition of Contemporary Poetry

One of the oldest artistic expressions

Poetry is one of the oldest artistic expressions that human beings have developed and it is characterized by its manifestation in the form of verse, and in some cases also in prose, that is, a set of words that respect rhythm and measure, and the expressionlinguistics natural not subject to rhyme or measurements, respectively.

The poetry that was generated in the last hundred years

Meanwhile, contemporary poetry is that which corresponds to expressions of this type that correspond to the last hundred years.

Influenced by the avant-gardes of the early 20th century

For example, contemporary poetry differs substantially from poetry of ancient times, because of course, it is totally drenched and influenced by the avant-gardes that occurred in the last century and that were characterized by confronting the classic proposals, which they dominated the scene poetic for long years, regarding meter and rhyme.

Greater ease and experimentation

Putting it in simpler words, contemporary poetry proposes a greater ease and experimentation, which will obviously imply leaving the methodology classic and respected for so many years.

Away from meter and rhyme and the privilege of free verse

The main actions are to move away from the meter and rhyme, elements so characteristic of poetry since its inception. Free verse will be privileged and each one will be able to have an unrestricted use of syllables. Also in terms of themes, contemporary poetry advances and leaves the pigeonhole, evoking then images that propose to advance beyond traditional beauty.

Contemporary Poetry is an artistic expression that begins to stand out from the second half of the last century, once it managed to "become independent" from the so-called literature postwar period that prevailed until then with the emergence of a new breed of poets whose styles certainly marked a huge difference from their predecessors.

Contemporary Poetry gives it a great attention to shape, a fact that of course its predecessor had left very far behind as far as the conception of the poetic fact was concerned. And another characteristic very characteristic of this new poetry is the marked interest that he shows towards mass phenomena that were just making their first steps such as the comic, the movie theater, the music pop, among others.

Josep María Castellet, a pioneer

The first big step in this direction will be taken by the writer and literary critic Josep Maria Castellet, who in addition to founding and presiding Writers Association in Language Catalana had an outstanding task in terms of coding of this new kind of poetry that was looming in the world. Even this activity was recognized with several distinctions, among them: the Josep Pla Prize, the Cross of Saint George, the gold medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, among others.

His anthology Nine newest Spanish poets caused an incredible repercussion in the medium almost instantaneously because it supposed and raised a huge controversy around two basic questions, the selection criteria and the way to understand the poetry of the poets who had been selected. This famous group of nine was made up of the following writers: Guillermo Carnero, Pere Gimferrer, Antonio Martínez Sarrión, Féliz de Azúa, José María Alvarez, Vicente Molina Foix, Leopoldo María Panero, Ana María Moix and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.

We must emphasize that beyond these questions of style that contemporary poetry decides to adopt with respect to classical poetry, this literary expression, always, yesterday and today, deals with give an aesthetic treatment to the word with the mission of moving the avid reader of this type of literature and of course to allow him through that special treatment to evoke images.

Topics in Contemporary Poetry