Let's Have Some More

Publication Instance Details #2615

Publication Overview

Translation	Is Multilingual	Explicit Irish Context?	Ekphrasis	Has Paratext?	Reference to News, Media or Technology
No	No	No	No	Yes	No

Details

Human Rights Issues	War HR & Weapons of Mass Destruction (incl. nuclear)
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Second World War
Languages	English
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Paratext Text	'Ein U-Boot ohne Sehrohr ist heute angekommen' 'A submarine without periscope arrived today.' Signal from Admiral Karl Dönitz, Commander in Chief of the German Navy to Günther Prien, U-boat captain, on the birth of Prien's daughter.
Notes	The paratext is significant in understanding the poem: it is a note from Karl Dönitz, leader of the German Navy, to a famous Nazi sea captain, Günther Prien, on the birth of Prien's daughter. Dönitz was nicknamed 'Onkel Karl' by his men, which explains the familiar tone taken in the poem. The speaker of the poem appears to be a seaman in a German U-Boat under Dönitz, who addresses him directly, telling him all about the horrors of the war around him. It is unknown if the person in the poem represents Prien or one of his men, although it is notable that Prien's U-Boat sank in 1941, with the death of all men on board. The true cause of the U-Boat's destruction is still unknown.