Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel: One Year Later
[caption id="attachment_6814" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Liu Xiaobo’s empty chair. Photo by Sarah Hoffman."][/caption] Today marks three years since Liu Xiaobo was detained and began an odyssey into China’s legal system, which… More
Free Expression in RSA: A Conversation with South African PEN’s Margie Orford
South Africa ended a civil war not through a fight to the death, but rather by saying we’ll just stop fighting and have a braii (barbecue) together and be… More
Flee, Sit in Prison, or Shut Up: An Interview with Liao Yiwu
Amid the recent crackdown on dissidents by the Chinese government, the case of Liao Yiwu, the well-known poet and chronicler of contemporary China, is particularly interesting. More
Literature Knows No Frontiers: John Galsworthy and the Shaping of PEN
As we look forward to our 90th anniversary in 2012, we also look back to our founding principles, which were written in a period with parallels to today’s uncertain… More
Literature Knows No Frontiers: John Galsworthy and the Shaping of PEN
This past Sunday marked the birthday of English novelist, playwright, and Nobel Laureate John Galsworthy (1867–1933), the first President of PEN International and author of the first three articles… More
U.N. Calls on China to Release Liu Xiaobo
The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calls on the government of China to release Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife, Liu Xia. More
Success and Silence in Today’s China
Last week, a small group of representatives from PEN American Center and PEN International visited Beijing and Hong Kong, hoping to learn more about the situation for writers and… More
2008 PEN/Borders Literary Service Award: Toni Morrison
On April 28, 2008, Toni Morrison accepted the PEN/Borders Literary Service Award at the PEN Literary Gala, held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.… More