Postcard to Yusuf in Iraq

Publication Instance Details #3078

Publication Overview

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

Details

Human Rights Issues	War HR & Weapons of Mass Destruction (incl. nuclear) Terrorism/War on Terror
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Global War on Terrorism War: Iraq War and Insurgency
Irish Context	Irish Language/Culture
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	Cárta poist chuig Yusuf san Iaráic
Original Author	Cathal Ó Searcaigh
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Paratext Text	('From the horizon of the individual to the horizon of humankind' - Yevtushenko)
Notes	The poet-speaker, walking through Manhattan, thinks of his former lover, Yusuf, who is now, he imagines, suffering due to the war in Iraq. The first-person speaker laments the destruction of Iraq and clearly indicates that he believes that the invasion of Iraq was an abuse of power. This poem was originally published in 2003 - it was a contemporary response to the war. The role of the poet, according to the poet-speaker, is to speak truth to power and to foster empathy. There is an explicit reference to the poet's medium - a minoritized language, which is not the language of power, but is a valid medium in which to respond to injustice. Notably, this publication includes a subtitle - a quotation from Russian writer Yevgeny Yevtushenko. This is not included in other editions of this poem.