PEN Appeal: Alan Shadrake

June 7, 2011 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Orchard Road Istana Singapore 238823 Fax: +63328983 / +68356621 Your Excellency, On behalf of the 3,500 members of PEN American Center, an organization of writers dedicated to protecting… More

PEN Appeal: Hada, Xinna, and Uiles

June 6, 2011 His Excellency Hu Jintao President of the People’s Republic of China State Council Beijing 100032 P.R. China Her Excellency Ms. Wu Aiying Minister of Justice 10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie Chaoyang-qu Beijing-shi 100020 P.R. China Your Excellencies, On behalf of… More

PEN Appeal: Syed Saleem Shahzad

June 6, 2011 President Asif Ali Zardari Office of the President Constitution Avenue Islamabad Pakistan Fax: +92 51 920 3938 / 920 1968 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Pakistan Secretariat Constitution Avenue Islamabad Pakistan Your Excellencies, On behalf of the 3,500 members… More

PEN Appeal: Wilfred Iván Ojeda Peralta

June 2, 2011 Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías Presidente Ministerio del Poder Popular del Despacho de la Presidencia Final Avenida Urdaneta, Esq. de Bolero Palacio de Miraflores Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela Fax: + 58 (212) 806… More

Dostoevsky in the Ruins

I was watching a while ago a TV news program in which there was a view of Tehran after the air raid by Iraq, and the camera was panning,… More

On Writing

A young student once wrote to the French novelist André Gide to ask him whether he should try to become a writer. “Only if you have to,” answered Gide,… More

Luminescences of Words

When I was invited, a year and a half ago, to become president of the PEN American Center, I believe it was hoped I would prove enough of a… More