The Colonel Resources

Websites

Enemies of War

Who might these enemies of war be? Spoiler alert: not the ones funding it. This PBS website gives a brief overview of the conflict in El Salvador during the 1980s.

Forché's Bio

Want to learn more about this extraordinary poet? Check out this biography.

Video

Carolyn Forché Reads "The Colonel"

Let your own ears come alive to the poet's voice. A few months before the Peace Accords were signed, Forché reads her most famous poem. Listen for what she skates over, what she emphasizes.

Still Life

Not for the squeamish, John Hoagland shuffles shots of the stuff mentioned in the poem with graphic shots of the Salvadoran civil war.

Against Forgetting: 20th Century Poetry of Witness

Witness for yourself Carolyn Forché in an interview on political poetry and the work of anthologizing poetry of witness.

In the Name of the People: El Salvador's Civil War

Can't swing the airfare to El Salvador? You can feel as if you're almost there with this incredibly informative 1985 documentary following four American filmmakers capturing stories of Salvadoran insurgents.

Audio

The United States and the Salvadoran Civil War

This may be a little dry for you Shmoopers, but if you want to be an authority on the subject, you need to consult the authorities. Associate Professor of History Virginia Burnett is such an authority.

Images

30 Photographers

If your imagination fails you, these 30 photographers provide an intimate view of the Salvadoran Civil War.

Inside El Salvador

Maybe all conflicts are easier to see in black and white, as in these photos of the war in El Salvador from a former show at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas.

Books

Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness

A collection of over 140 poets, this book is an anthology of political poetry from across the globe.

Movies & TV

The Colonel: Based on the Poem by Carolyn Forché

A bit hard to find, this 15-minute short dramatizes the poem.