The Mind Creative March 2014
Prose Poetry, is a phrase that sounds like a contradiction in itself,
and yet this is an established literary form; where poetry is written
in prose and where the traditional use of poetic verse (specifically
the line breaks that we are intrinsic to traditional poetry) is
discarded. In effect, it looks like prose but reads very much like
poetry. An excellent definition has been given by Peter Johnson
(Professor of English, Providence College): “Just as black humour
straddles the fine line between comedy and tragedy, so the prose
poem plants one foot in prose, the other in poetry, both heels
resting precariously on banana peels. Prose poets, no matter how
different in sensibilities, wander on this uncertain terrain. It's a
land of paradoxes and oxymorons, welcoming the sleight of word
artist.”
The website “POETS.org: From The Academy of American Poets”
(www.poets.org) has this to say about Prose Poetry: “While it lacks
the line breaks associated with poetry, the prose poem maintains
a poetic quality, often utilizing techniques common to poetry, such
as fragmentation, compression, repetition, and rhyme. The prose
poem can range in length from a few lines to several pages long,
and it may explore a limitless array of styles and subjects.”
The origins of Prose Poetry can be traced back to 19th century in
France and Germany, where the style flourished more as retaliation
against the dependence on traditional poetic verse. At the end of
the 19th century this form was taken up by many writers and poets
including Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe. The indulgence in
prose-poetry then sort of abated till the mid 1900’s, when poets
such as Bob Dylan, Russell Edson and Pulitzer prize winner Charles
Simic reignited the spark. The form has gained a wide popularity
since the 80’s with many journals and websites dedicated to this
art form.
In the 90s, Peter Johnson (the winner of the 2001 James Laughlin
Award for his collection of prose poems), established “The Prose
Poem: An International Journal”, which is widely regarded as a
conduit for a prose poem renaissance during the 90s.
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