The History of Palindrome Poetry

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A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or sequence of units which can be read the same way either backwards or forwards. Composing literature in the palindrome format is an example of constrained writing.

In the 17th century an English writer by the name of Ben Jonson gave this name to poetry coined in this strange fashion. Using the Greek word palin (again) and drom or dramein (run), he came up with the phase palindrome. But the actual Greek phrase to describe a palindrome poem is karkinike epigrafe meaning crab inscription. Thus you have an inscription that can be read backwards alluding to the backward motion of crabs.

Jonson penned this name after researching the life of Sotades a Greek poet from Greek-ruled Egypt in the 3rd century. Sotades was the chief representative of the writers of obscene and satirical poetry known as Kinaidoi. His verses were written to be read backwards or forwards.  He had three forms of his so called “Sotadic verses”.  They could be written to be read backwards with the same words, read forwards and backwards by the letter or read forwards and backwards by the line.

While his poems were popular it was his obscene side which cost him his life. Sotades lived in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy II. One of the Sotadic verses attacked Ptolemy’s marriage to his sister Arsino. This infamous line was his doom, “You’re sticking your prick in an unholy hole”. For this, Sotades was imprisoned but escaped with the help of his followers. Later he was captured on the island of Caunus where he was closed inside a lead chest and thrown into the sea.

Palindrome poems were quite popular in the 1800’s and used as party games by the bored wealthy. As times changed they were once again lost but resurfaced in the literary world in the 1930’s. Since then they have been a popular challenge for many writers.

Simple rules for a palindrome poem: It must read the same forwards and backwards with a central focal point from where it begins to read backwards.