Irish novelist John Banville has withdrawn from the Cultur-Alh literary festival in Granada after organizers excluded Argentine author Ariana Harwicz under pressure from pro-Palestinian student groups. The festival, running from September 21 to 27, dropped Harwicz from a scheduled September 26 panel following complaints regarding her opposition to the cultural boycott of Israel. Banville, a Booker Prize-winning author, cancelled his planned appearance at the festival’s closing ceremony on Sunday, September 27, stating simply: “My cancellation was my statement.”

Festival Organizers Modify Program Following University Network Protests

The International Festival of Art, Literature and Cultural Humanities Cultur-Alh is a second-year event organized with support from the University of Granada. Cultur-Alh co-directors Patricia Escalona and Ana Gallego confirmed Banville’s withdrawal. In an official statement, festival organizers acknowledged receiving requests to exclude Harwicz from the University Network for Palestine of Granada, along with participating book clubs and readers. The organization decided to modify its program to align with what it described as the University of Granada’s commitment to human rights and governing council agreements regarding Palestine.

Harwicz, a Jewish-Argentinian novelist, stated on the social media platform X that festival organizers “gave in to pressure from militants” and “terror.” She noted that organizers praised her books as devoid of propaganda before deprogramming her at the last moment. “I wanted to go anyway even if they held a demonstration, they said it would be dangerous. It will be a festival without dissent. What a shame for the students,” Harwicz wrote.

Institutional Response and International Literary Condemnation

The University of Granada distanced itself from the decision, stating that it was not involved in disinviting Harwicz and criticizing the removal. Meanwhile, more than 350 writers and cultural figures signed a petition defending Harwicz, arguing that restricting freedom of expression to those with shared viewpoints replaces the free confrontation of ideas with ideological selection.

The decision also drew formal condemnation from international bodies, including the Argentinian Embassy in Spain and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain. Banville, recognized internationally as a leading voice in contemporary fiction and a past recipient of the Man Booker Prize for his 2005 novel The Sea, chose to exit the festival entirely rather than participate in the closing event, leaving organizers without one of their primary headline acts.