Colum McCann

Colum McCann

Please join us for two evenings of compelling discussion about an inspiring Israeli Palestinian story

We have a very stimulating two evening event coming up later this month!

I’m a real fan of the Irish American author Colum McCann who will be joining us, via Zoom, on January 28th. McCann is the author of seven novels, including the National Book Award-winning, Let the Great World Spin.

The Holy Blossom Centre for Contemporary Jewish Literature and our Israel Committee are welcoming Colum to talk about his most recent novel, the masterpiece, Apeirogon. It takes its inspiration from the real-life friendship between a Palestinian, and an Israeli: “An Israeli, against the occupation. A Palestinian, studying the Holocaust.” The men are united in their grief – they lost their daughters to terrorist attacks.

The novel is the moving and inspiring story of the two men, Rami and Bassam, and it employs a fascinating method to tell the story – the novel is divided into 1001 sections, like the Arabian Nights.

On January 27^th, the night before Colum’s live appearance, we will discuss another way of telling the story – through the award-winning documentary, Within the Eye of the Storm. Guided by Dr. Gillian Helfield we will discuss the form and content of the film, and show Gillian’s interview with the director.

These two nights give us the opportunity to consider important issues around Israeli/Palestinian relations, and how these matters can be presented in two different, compelling art forms.

Colum McCann will be interviewed by the Globe and Mail Arts Reporter Marsha Lederman, and he will also read from Apeirogon and answer your questions. I encourage you to join us for these two nights of thoughtful discussion exploring the true stories of inspiring men.

“…Apeirogon is a masterpiece, a novel that will change the world.” – The Observer

“Colum McCann loves a high-wire act, and Apeirogon is a powerful, political tightrope walk of a novel. It’s the story of modern Israel and the story of modern Palestine. This beautiful, deeply felt book is first and foremost an extraordinary act of listening.”—Nathan Englander

We are making charitable contributions to Combatants for Peace, an organization one of the men helped to found, the goal of which was to bring Israeli and Palestinian soldiers together in the hope of finding common ground and putting an end to the violence. And to Narrative 4, Colum’s charity for sharing important stories around the world.

Please register at https://holyblossom.org/colum-mccann/

I look forward to seeing you on January 27 and January 28 at 7:30 pm!

Cynthia Good