Nathan Thrall wins Pulitzer Prize

On the evening of May 6, Bard College Berlin and invited guests gathered at the Open Society Foundation for a discussion between Joshua Yaffa of The New Yorker (this year’s Writer in Residence at Bard College Berlin), and American journalist Nathan Thrall, author of A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy.

The book details the way in which the structure of the occupation in the West Bank contributed to the deaths of children in a bus crash on the Jaba Road, northeast of Jerusalem, in 2012. Thrall spoke of how, in the current situation, calls for an end to the present war should not involve forgetting what everyday “normality” looks like in the occupied territories, and how talk of a “two-state” or “one-state” solution creates the erroneous impression that this normality is only “temporary.” 

With students, faculty and guests including representatives of the German Council on Foreign Relations, the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, and the world of journalism and academia, Thrall discussed his approach in writing the book (letting the protagonists and context speak for themselves), and his views on debates and current developments in Israel, as well as the differences between the West Bank and Gaza. 

At the end of the event, Thrall received the news from the US that he had been awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Bard College Berlin extends its warmest congratulations to Nathan Thrall on this achievement. 

Bard College Berlin was proud to host Nathan Thrall again on May 7 in Frankfurt am Main at medico international e.V.  By making its guest speakers available beyond Berlin, Bard College Berlin aims at sharing its unique liberal arts approach with a wider community. 

Post Date: 05-08-2024