We are overjoyed to see acclaimed author Margaret Atwood in conversation with Narges Mohammadi; an author, journalist, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award honoree. Atwood is one of several prominent writers and hundreds of supporters who wrote letters to Mohammadi a year ago when she received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights advocacy while imprisoned in Iran.
Atwood, the first president of PEN Canada and a longtime supporter of writers at risk globally, spoke with Mohammadi during her 21-day furlough from unjust imprisonment in a wide ranging conversation for TIME magazine that touched on themes of gender apartheid, state power, prison conditions, and how literature can reflect reality. Their conversation took place in the last days of Mohammadi’s brief furlough, and Iranian authorities are expected to summon her to prison on December 25. Messages of support are a source of strength for Mohammadi, who said in a statement, “By raising your voices for me and for all political prisoners in Iran, you gave me the strength to keep fighting.”
Watch Margaret Atwood and Narges Mohammadi’s full conversation at TIME magazine, as well as her recent interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Mohammadi remains committed to fighting for women’s and human rights in Iran, and we continue to provide support to enable her voice to be heard as loudly as possible while we call for her full and unconditional freedom. Read a selection of the letters that writers and supporters sent to Narges Mohammadi, including messages from Margaret Atwood, Azar Nafisi, Emma Thompson, Fariba Adelkhah, and Kylie Moore-Gilbert.
