CONCRETE POETRY: CHARACTERISTICS, AUTHORS AND OUTSTANDING WORKS - LITERATURE - 2025

The concrete poetry is a lyrical genre in which the poet uses combinations of words, letters, colors and fonts to improve the effect of the poem in the reader. The artist thus seeks to go beyond the effect of words and boldly experiments with language, incorporating visual, verbal, kinetic and even sonic elements.

The movement began in the 1950s, in Germany, through Eugen Gomringer, who borrowed the term 'concrete' from the art of his mentor, Max Bill, and in Brazil, through the Noigandres group, which included the brothers De Campos and Décio Pignatari.

Eugen Gomringer, In the course of the 1960s it exploded in Europe, America and Japan. During this time, other protagonists of the movement emerged such as Öyvind Fahlström, Dieter Roth, Ernst Jandl, bpNichol, Jackson Mac Low, Mary Ellen Solt, Bob Cobbing, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Dom Sylvester Houédard, Henri Chopin, Pierre Garnier, Brion Gysin and Kitasono Katsue..

Furthermore, during that decade, concrete poetry became less abstract and was adopted by many mainstream poets as a specific poetic form rather than as a combination of literature and visual art.

Characteristics of concrete poetry

In concrete poetry, form is an essential part of function. The visual form of the poem reveals its content and is an integral part of it. If this is removed, the poem will not have the desired effect.

In some (but not all) specific poems, the form contains so much meaning that removing the form from the poem completely destroys the poem.

Also, the arrangement of letters and words creates an image that offers meaning visually. Even the white space on the page can be an important part of the poem.

Likewise, such poems can include a combination of lexical and pictorial elements. The physical arrangement in concrete poetry can provide a cohesion that actual words lack. This allows a poem to ignore standard syntax and logical sequence.

On the other hand, while such poetry is predominantly experienced as visual poetry, some poems include sound effects. In general, concrete poetry tries to give its audience the most immediate experience of art that art spectators or those who listen to music have.

Featured authors and works

Augusto de Campos (1931-)

This Brazilian translator, poet and essayist who is a member of the literary group Noigandres was one of the creators of the movement called concrete poetry in Brazil.

In the beginning, Campos used different resources in his work. These covered the geometric arrangement of words on the page, the application of colors, and the use of different typefaces.

Then, as he developed artistically, he began to explore newer resources. Her concrete poetry was transformed into videos, holograms and some other proposals for computer graphics.

Of his work, we can highlight Poetamenos (1953), Pop-cretos (1964), Poemóbiles (1974) and Caixa Preta (1975), among others.

Haroldo de Campos (1929-2003)

Haroldo Eurico Browne de Campos was a Brazilian poet, translator, essayist, and literary critic. He was also a member, along with his brother Augusto de Campos, the Noigandres group and was another of the initiators of concrete poetry in Latin America.

As a translator, critic and essayist, Haroldo de Campos left behind a vast and recognized work. Among others, the following titles stand out: Chess of Stars (1976), Sign: Almost Heaven (1979), The Education of the Five Senses (1985). Likewise, the titles Galaxias (1984), Crisantempo (1998) and The world machine rethought (2001) were highly recognized.

Décio Pignatari (1927-2012)

Décio Pignatari was a Brazilian poet and essayist, and also served as a teacher, publicist, and translator. On the other hand, he was another member of the Noigandres group and considered among the great poets of the concrete poetry movement in Latin America.

His poetic work includes the books Carrusel (1950), Exercise Findo (1958) and Poetry as it is Poetry (1977). More satirical and less orthodox than the Campos brothers, Décio also wrote novels and short stories. He also translated works by Dante, Goethe and Marshall McLuhan.

Eugen Gomringer (1925-)

Eugen Gomringer is a Swiss writer and publicist who is considered one of the fathers of the concrete poetry movement.

His masterpiece Constelaciones (1953) represented a new lyrical model in which the written language was diminished in order to enhance the visual component.

Some of his works include The Book of Hours (1965) and Poetry as a medium for setting the environment (1969).

Also, the pieces A Book for Children (1980) Theory of Concrete Poetry and Text and Manifesto 1954-1997 (1997) are considered works of art.

On the other hand, his work Al Punto de lo Concreto is a selection of Texts and comments about artists and design issues 1958-2000 (2000).

Öyving Fahlström (1928-1976)

Öyvind Axel Christian Fahlström was a Swedish writer, critic, journalist and multimedia artist born in Sao Paulo.

He was the author of multiple works that include poetry, concrete sound compositions, collages, drawings, installations, films, performances, paintings, and critical and literary texts.

Fahlström combined politics and sexuality, humor and criticism, writing and image. His "variables", his labyrinthine drawings, the use of words and multiple references to capitalism are an important part of his creative language.

Ernst jandl

Jandl was an Austrian writer, poet, and translator. He began writing experimental poetry influenced by Dada. This was first published in the magazine "Neue Wege" ("New Forms") in 1952.

His poems are characterized by the play on German words, often at the level of individual characters or phonemes. For example, his famous univocal poem "Ottos Mops" uses only the vowel "o".

Of course, poems like this cannot be easily translated into other languages. And most are better listened to than read.

Example

Ronaldo Azevedo Speed

Land of Décio Pignatari

References

1. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2016, December 01). Concrete poetry. Taken from britannica.com.
2. Chahin, P. (2009, June 20). Concretist literary movement. Taken from elnacional.com.do.
3. Poets.org. (2004, May 06). A Brief Guide to Concrete Poetry. Taken from poets.org.
4. Unst, A. (s / f). The Concrete Poem Form. Taken from baymoon.com.
5. UOL. (s / f). Augusto de Campos. Biography. Taken from uol.com.br.
6. Itaú cultural encyclopaedia. (2018, April 25). Haroldo de Campos. Taken from encyclopedia.itaucultural.org.br.
7. UOL. (s / f). Brazilian poet and translator. Haroldo de Campos. Taken from educacao.uol.com.br.
8. Frazão, D. (2016, April 26). Pignatari said. Brazilian poet. Taken from ebiografia.com.
9. Escritas.org. (s / f). Pignatari said. Taken from Escritas.org.
10. Mcnbiographies. (s / f). Gomringer, Eugen (1925-VVVV). Taken from mcnbiografias.com.
11. Macba. (s / f). Öyvind Fahlström. Taken from macba.cat.
12. Poem hunter. (s / f). Biography of Ernst Jandl. Taken from poemhunter.com.