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Case Histories: Allen Ginsberg

"My books piled up before me for my use / waiting in space where I placed them, they haven't disappeared, time's left its remnants and qualities for me to… More

On Translating Andrea Tompa

Andrea Tompa's generation had no sultan to fear in distant Constantinople and his pashas, but they did have a Moscow-driven communist dictator and his secret police. No hostile armies… More

PEN Visits South Africa

I just returned from a fabulous trip to South Africa, where I traveled on behalf of PEN American Center with the poet Cathy Park Hong as part of our… More

Final Words: Book Banning Is Not Dead

In April of 2011, a visit with a close friend sparked the same question that was asked each time we were together: What are you working on now? I… More

A Banned Books Wrap-Up

This week the American Library Association celebrates Banned Books Week, honoring notable literature that has been challenged for controversial material. This September, PEN American Center reached out to writers, editors,… More

China’s Nobels

PEN American Center's Larry Siems and translator Jeffrey Yang on Liu Xiaobo, Mo Yan, and Liu Xia. More

Stone Upon Stone

Grandfather was supposed to have also started the fire brigade. Before, when someone’s place was on fire people would just run up each with their own bucket of water… More

Arguably

Sometimes the United States is worthy of the respect to which this emulation entitles it; sometimes not. Where not—as in the question of waterboarding, discussed later—I endeavor to say… More