Pulitzer Winner Nathan Thrall to Headline Tenerife Noir Festival
Pulitzer Prize winner Nathan Thrall will discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and his acclaimed book at the 11th Tenerife Noir festival on March 11, marking his first visit to the Canary Islands.
The 11th Tenerife Noir festival will feature Nathan Thrall, who recently won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize. His involvement highlights the festival's goal of exploring current world events through books and news. Thrall's work focuses on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and his presence will make the festival a key place for cultural and political discussions today.
The American journalist and essayist, known for his deep understanding of the Middle East, will host a session called 'Palestine Today.' This will take place on March 11 at 7:00 PM in the CajaCanarias Cultural Space Auditorium. It will be Thrall's first visit to the Canary Islands. José Abu-Tarbush Quevedo, a Professor of Sociology of International Relations at the University of La Laguna, will lead the discussion. He will guide the conversation on the region's political history and tensions, linking them to Thrall's storytelling.
A main topic of the conversation will be Thrall's latest book, 'A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.' Based on a true story, the book follows a Palestinian father's desperate search for his five-year-old son, Milad. It shows the difficult rules and restrictions that shape daily life in Palestine. Thrall's storytelling fits the noir genre, looking into society's darker sides and how conflicts affect people. Critics have praised his book for giving a historical and human view of a situation that continues to draw global attention.
Nathan Thrall has written for well-known publications like The New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, and The New York Review of Books. His articles have been translated into more than twelve languages. He has also taught at Bard College and wrote the essay 'The Only Language They Understand: Forcing Compromise in Israel and Palestine' (Metropolitan Books, 2017). For ten years, he worked as a senior analyst for the Middle East and North Africa Program at the International Crisis Group, a leading organization in conflict research. His work has been mentioned in important international bodies such as the United Nations Security Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council, as well as in reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Thrall's involvement strengthens Tenerife Noir's goal of being a place for critical thought. It shows how the noir genre can go beyond just literature to help us understand today's world. This year's festival also celebrates 40 years of classic noir works like Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Higgins, and Howard Chaykin's miniseries Shadow: Blood & Judgment. These examples show how such stories can challenge ideas about power, right and wrong, and society.
Tickets for Nathan Thrall's event will be available through a special link. The session will have live translation. Tenerife Noir receives support from several organizations, including the Ministry of Culture, the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo de Tenerife, Turismo de Tenerife, and the City Councils of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and San Cristóbal de La Laguna. It also works with the University of La Laguna, the CajaCanarias Foundation, and the DISA Foundation. DS Automobiles is the festival's official vehicle partner. You can find all program details on the festival's official website: www.tenerifenoir.com.