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A poetry lover stabbed his old friend to death during a dispute over whether verse or prose is the greater artistic form.

A former teacher, 53, was visiting Yury Nikitkin, 66, in the town of Irbit, east of Moscow, where they began drinking vodka and discussing the importance the various literary styles.

However the argument soon escalated, and ended with the verse loving former teacher stabbing his friend in the chest with a kitchen knife, a spokesman for the regional investigative committee said.

He added: "The owner of the home argued that prose is the real literature, while his guest, who had previously worked as a teacher, insisted it was poetry."

After the incident, the murderer fled the scene to a nearby village, but was soon detained and confessed to his crime when questioned.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison.

As a twist of tragic irony, residents of the town have said that Mr Nikitkin also enjoyed poetry.

He would recall verses at length and make theatrical declarations of love to women he met in the street.