If I wanted to write a piece of fiction set in, for instance, Cuba, I could probably do sufficient homework on the place to produce a believable setting, but can the same be done with poetry? The poet Andrew Motion has come in for some serious criticism for his poems detailing (imagined) WWII experiences (he was born in 1952) so this kind of thing has been done. I don't plan on writing any fictionalised poetry, but would be interested in hearing others thoughts on the subject.
Yes, it can be done. I don't know of any examples, but I don't see how it would be any different from doing research for, say, a novel. I'll have to check out Motion's WWII poetry to see if I agree with the criticism.
I may have misled here. I know I've read he's come in for criticism for his war poetry, but it seems he writes 'found poetry', spliced from various genuine war poems from unknown authors. There's one called On Dry Land which appears to be about a floundering battleship, but oddly I can't find it online. I suspect the argument is that poetry, more so than fiction, should be fuelled by experiences.
Well there are different types of poetry. Take Dr. Seuss for example, his poems weren't from experience, they were just poems that told a story in a wacky way that appealed to children. Not every poem has to be from experience, in my opinion.
Check out the poet Dan O'Brien. He's got a few books of poetry. His first is called War Reporter. He spent some time interviewing a famous war photo journalist and did an amazing job of turning both of their lives and experiences into some really great poetry. He's probably among the best modern-day poets around. His stuff is definitely worth checking out.
