Calligram info: We explain what a calligram is in poetry, its characteristics, and how to write one—also, examples of calligrams by great authors.
What is a calligram?
A calligram is a type of poetry in which the written word is combined with the visual aspect of the poem, in such a way that the calligraphy and the arrangement of the words build on the surface of the page an allegorical image to the poem. In other words, these are poems in which the words form an image and contribute visually to the meaning of what is said. For this reason, calligrams are considered to be part of the so-called concrete poetry or visual poetry.
Calligrams have a very ancient history, with roots in Greco-Roman Antiquity and especially in medieval Arab culture, since their writing method encouraged this type of aesthetic experimentation. However, in the West, calligrams owe their fame and notoriety mainly to the French cubist poet and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who cultivated them extensively and published them in his famous compilation Calligrammes. Poèmes de la paix et de la guerre 1913-1916 (“Caligrammes. Poems of Peace and War”), which appeared the same year of his death. Keep getting this Acetate information too!
However, there were other important authors of calligrams among the avant-garde of the 20th century (especially among cubists, creationists and ultraists), such as Guillermo de la Torre, Juan Larrea, Gerardo Diego, Jorge Eduardo Eielson, Arturo Corcuera, Juan José Tablada, Guillermo Cabrera Infante, Oliverio Girondo and Vicente Huidobro.
Characteristics of a calligram
The main characteristics of calligrams are:
- They are texts of a poetic nature, that is, they pursue an aesthetic purpose: to connect the reader with beauty, with a unique view of language and things.
- The poem in question must also illustrate an important content, either by using a specific calligraphy or by being distributed in a specific way on the page. For example, a poem about a flower can recreate its petals on the page, or a poem about hunger can use a very pale and thin typography.
- It is considered a poetic genre typical of the avant-garde and experimental literary movements, which wanted to break the traditional molds of form when writing poetry.
How do you make a calligram?
To make a calligram, we must think of a poem and a figure at the same time. The latter must be allegorical to the poem, that is, it must have to do with some central aspect of its message, in such a way that it complements it, illustrates it or even contradicts it. For example, if our poem is going to be an ode to the intense wind of the Argentine southern pampas, we could choose a very Argentine word, such as “Patagonia” and reproduce it on the page as if the wind were carrying it away:
PA T A G O N I A
This dynamic, however, will work for the entire poem or for certain specific and significant portions of the poem. Keep getting this Application (software) information too!
Another possible technique would be to find a simple image (let’s say, a drawing of a dog) and put it under a translucent paper that allows us to see its silhouette. Then we will write the letters of the poem on the paper following the silhouette, so that, when we remove the translucent paper, the poem has the shape of the dog.
Examples of calligrams
The following examples are famous calligrams by well-known authors:
Calligrams by Guillaume Apollinaire:
Calligrams by Guillermo Cabrera Infante:
Calligrams by Vicente Huidobro:
