in which countries is poetry a way of life/ most appreciated?

[fajfall]

Iran should probably be one of them. Every Iranian knows at least several poets and has an opinion of those poets (eg. Firdowsi, Sadi, Khayyam, Rumi). Poems are read in criminal court proceedings, start off speeches, and even feature in military music.

The reasons for poetry's appreciation may be because poets are considered national heroes by saving Persians from becoming fully Arabised- unlike their neighbours- by maintaining the Persian language under Arab, Turkic and Islamic colonialism. Persia's history is a long one of military defeats, so there is little celebration of heroic military exploits other than in the mythical Shahnameh. Islamic prohibitions on music, painting and sculpture left only architecture, calligraphy and poetry as artistic pursuits. Poetry is also compulsory from primary school to university, making it inescapable.

Australia in contrast doesn't have the same widespread appreciation as it doesn't feature as a way of life (sport does). Most Australians couldn't explain a poem and wouldn't know the woman on the $10 dollar bill is poet Mary Gilmore. I'm talking about the masses, not select circles of society.

[Lokasenna]

Given how many artists (domestic or foreign) have been persecuted by the Iranian regime, I'm not sure Iran has that much respect for artistic expression.

[fajfall]

@lokasena: Iran's regime and Iran's society are two different matters. But even the regime uses poetry in its propaganda, and poetry's still compulsory under he theocratic regime. I wonder if other regimes hat tyrannised their populations, like the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia still incorporate poetry as a way of life?

And Persian society is highly schizophrenic and dichotomous; it's not easy to paint it in black and white terms such as 'writers are persecuted, therefore writing isn't appreciated' because it doesn't work. eg. Even devout Iranian Muslims generally loathe Arabs yet they base their lives on an Arab religion; they loath the Arab conquest and speak fondly of pre-Islamic Zoroastrian Persia yet they follow Islam with sword in hand and tyrranise Zoroastrians who haven't converted to the religion of the Arabs, even though the Iranian Islamists themselves dislike Arabs.

[Danik 2016]

I am not aquainted with Iranian poetry but I love Iranian cinema. It is very creative and it seems to be an important piece of resistance. And it is visual poetry!
A very basic entry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_New_Wave

[Eugae]

Italy, one of the most, without doubt, at least it was, in the past.. Italy's history is adorned by poetry indeed. if just the young generation wasn't so little interested in it, I can testify.

[Citrouille]

La poésie n'a pas de patrie.

Poetry hath no homeland.

[khashan]

La poésie n'a pas de patrie.

Poetry hath no homeland.

I agree.