Arabian Nights

Publication Instance Details #437

Publication Overview

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

Details

Human Rights Issues	War Terrorism/War on Terror HR & Weapons of Mass Destruction (incl. nuclear) Other
War / Genocide Referenced	War: Global War on Terrorism War: Iraq War and Insurgency
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	Oícheanta Arabacha
Original Author	Deirdre Brennan
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Collection
Paratext Text	A take on Byron's lament for the Pathenon. What the Ba'athists didn't destroy, the Americans and the Poles did. Their original effort to protect the ancient site of Babylon wound up doing more harm than good.
Notes	This poem refers to the Iraq War and the result of the American invasion on the ancient site of the city of Babylon. The paratext indicates that war crimes against cultural heritage is a central theme. During the Iraq War, the site of ancient Babylon became a military storage area for American and Polish forces, and irreparable damage was caused to the ruins. The poem also describes the reality of the war for the Iraqi people: the cessation of cultural practices, the threat of bombs, the reality of shelling and death, and the destruction of the natural environment.