There Was a War On

Publication Instance Details #1069

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 Gender-based violence
Languages	English
Original Language	Irish
Original Poem	Bhí Cogadh ar Siúl
Original Author	Celia de Fréine
Genre	Short Lyric
Medium	Print Anthology
Paratext Text	I have chosen this poem because it tells the story of a woman who, in wartime, is faced with additional problems in finding food for her children. Her voice is that of one of the many nameless women whose story is usually told through word of mouth. To highlight this, I have juxtaposed her struggle to survive with that of a male formalist poet.
Notes	The paratext of the poem in this publication gives significant detail about the poet's themes and intentions in writing the poem. Unspecified war. The first-person speaker of the poem describes a situation in which she is attempting to cross a border, on a bus, to get supplies. As it enters the desert, the bus is stopped by bandits who wish to make an example of someone. The only options are the speaker of the poem (a mother) and an 'effeminate' poet who volunteers to be executed.