Odd Man Out

Publication Instance Details #3080

Publication Overview

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

Details

Human Rights Issues	War
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Bosnian War
Irish Context	Other Specific Irish place or place-name mentioned
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	Duine Corr
Original Author	Cathal Ó Searcaigh
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Paratext Text	after Nebojša Vasović
Notes	The subtitle indicates that this poem is based on a poem by Serbian poet Nebojša Vasović. Ó Searcaigh's poem explicitly references the Bosnian-Serbian conflict and media coverage of it. The first-person speaker is open about his own lack of knowledge of the background to the conflict and his lack of interest in informing himself. Instead, he is keen to immerse himself in Zen poems as a form of escapism. The poem appears to highlight a growing apathy despite, or perhaps due to, information saturation. It may also highlight the privileged position of those who can choose to ignore the plight of others.