Are Britons Private?

Executive Director of English PEN Jo Glanville speaks about British culture and PEN's landmark lawsuit fighting government surveillance in the UK. More

Song of Songs

Why is Song of Songs singled out as the problem child? Song of Songs, the Bible's great love poem, is the zenith of the Bible's contemporary social incomprehensibility because… More

The Naked Lunch: Disguised Espionage

In a sense, the book was predestined to cause a censorial response, programmed, as it was, to infiltrate and disrupt. It seems likely that Burroughs, along with his editors… More

Revenge for My Protest?

Forty-five minutes before departure the microphone crackled, the decision on my case was made known, and the woman told me abruptly and without emotion that my entry into the… More

English PEN Challenges British Surveillance

Three of Britain’s most prominent campaign groups have today announced the launch of a legal challenge against the actions of GCHQ, alleging it has illegally intruded on the privacy… More

A Different Kind of Book Prize

This summer’s crowd came to the park on a sweltering hot day not only to commemorate the Civil Rights milestone that those 1963 protests achieved. Many came also to… More