Public Lecture| “Abu Dhabi: A Diamond in the Desert’ by Jo Tatchell
Monday 23 November 2009
12.00
Sandwich lunch at 13.00
Room 102, Al Qasimi Building, University of Durham
CASAW is pleased to announce a public lecture entitled “Abu Dhabi: A Diamond in the Desert” by Jo Tatchell on Monday 23 November 2009 to be held at the University of Durham.
Jo Tatchell is a writer, contributing to a range of newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Prospect. Jo has also contributed broadcast commentary pieces to the BBC and NPR in the US. Jo grew up in the MIddle East, India and Southeast Asia. After living in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and travelling extensively across the Oman, Jordan and Syria, she returned to work in the UAE in the early 1990s.
Jo’s first book, Nabeel’s Song, is based on the life and experiences of the celebrated Iraqi poet, Nabeel Yasin. Jo first met Nabeel in London, through a mutual friend, while researching a piece about Saddam Hussein’s novels. As her friendship developed they began talking in depth about his family’s experiences inside and out of Iraq. These conversations eventually became focused and the outcome is the book, Nabeel’s Song, which was nominated for the Costa Biography Prize in 2006 and the Samuel L. Johnson prize for non-fiction in 2007.
Jo’s second book, A Diamond in the Desert, published by Sceptre in August 2009, is a study of Abu Dhabi’s transformation, from desert outpost to the world’s richest city. By looking through the eyes of people across the social spectrum it illuminates the nature of the city, its strategic role, and the limitations and opportunities that come with the extraordinary collision of nations, peoples and ideologies.
For more information please contact Dr Christopher Davidson ( ).
