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The Chameleon Couch
The One-Handed ConcertoAfter Paul Wittgensteinlost his right hand in the Great War,he begged his friend Ravelfor a concerto of muted tom-toms& peacock feathers underneath the tempo.Something oceanic, with gusto… More
Your Republic Is Calling You
7:00 a.m.Speak UpHe opens his eyes. He feels heavy and his breath stinks. Slowly, his brain whirs into activity, and a word gradually reveals itself, like a stranger emerging… More
What the Dog Saw, And Other Adventures
The PitchmanRon Popeil and the Conquest of the American Kitchen1.The extraordinary story of the Ronco Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ begins with Nathan Morris, the son of the shoemaker and… More
Dissident Writer Liu Xianbin Sentenced
Writer and activist Liu Xianbin was handed down a 10-year prison sentence on March 25, 2011, for "inciting subversion of state power" in connection with his publication of a… More
Last of the “Black Spring” Writers Released
PEN International is delighted to report the release from prison of independent journalist Pedro Argüelles Morán on March 4, 2011. More
Day of Oprichnik
Always the same dream:I’m walking across an endless field, a Russian field. Ahead, beyond the receding horizon, I spy a white stallion; I walk toward him, I sense that… More
PEN Appeal: Liu Xianbin
April 8, 2011 His Excellency Hu Jintao President of the People’s Republic of China State Council Beijing 100032 P.R. China Wu Aiying Buzhang Minister of Justice Sifabu 10 Chaoyangmen Nandajie Chaoyangqu Beijingshi 100020 People’s Republic of China Your Excellencies, On behalf of the… More
Silver Sparrow
My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist. He was already married ten years when he first clamped eyes on my mother. In 1968, she was working at the gift-wrap… More
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