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The Human Face of the Free Expression Crackdown in China
Close your eyes, and imagine you were a writer, a publisher, a PEN supporter living in China. What do you see? More
The Blood of Love
If memory is all that can be kept of the past, how might it be kept alive? And if there is no life we can see beyond this one,… More
from L’Heure Bleue
When I say what I think, / someone always tells me they agree / or disagree, which ruins / the thought for me . . . // There’s a… More
Dear President Putin
Over 200 writers from across the globe have joined PEN in calling for the repeal of punitive new laws that severely restrict freedom of expression in Russia. In an… More
Cavafy Before He Was Cavafy
Why do they insist on remembering us as old men? The profile frowning on the plaque or the statue standing regally in the park almost inevitably depict the vanished… More
Rights Groups Urge Sochi Corporate Sponsors to Speak Out to Halt Anti-LGBT Violence
Corporate sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics should act now to urge Russia to halt the rising tide of discrimination, harassment, and threats against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender… More
The PEN Ten with emily m. danforth
I fear that it sounds too nicey-nice, too passive, which isn’t my intention—writers can and should agitate and expose and upset. But I still think there’s something there in… More
The ‘Enemy Within’
A Gay Russian Writer Talks with PEN International's Cathal Sheerin about Homophobia and Libel under Putin More
What is the Literary Scene in Russia Like Today?
The literary process is now organized as show business, with flashy presentations and contests, ratings, quizzes, and so on. Serious authors conduct TV shows and even advertise consumer goods. More
Uyghur PEN Member, Writer and Academic Ilham Tohti Detained; Fears for Safety
PEN is seriously concerned for the well-being of Uyghur writer, academic, and Uyghur PEN Member Ilham Tohti, who was arrested at his home in Beijing on January 15, 2014,… More