Logo of International PEN

International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, was founded in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere; to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. It is the world’s oldest human rights organization and the oldest international literary organization. PEN originally stood for "Poets, Playwrights, Essayists and Novelists," but now includes writers of any form of literature, such as journalists and historians. Image File history File links InternationalPEN-logo. ... Image File history File links InternationalPEN-logo. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

PEN is strictly non-political, a non-governmental organization in formal consultative relations with UNESCO and Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ...

The first PEN Club was founded in London in 1921 by Mrs. C.A. Dawson Scott and John Galsworthy, who would become International PEN's first President. Its first members included Joseph Conrad, George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... John Galsworthy (August 14, 1867 – January 31, 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. ... Joseph Conrad. ... (George) Bernard Shaw (July 26, 1856 – November 2, 1950) was an Irish playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. ... H. G. Wells at the door of his house at Sandgate Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 - August 13, 1946) was an English writer best known for his science fiction novels such as The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. ...

The club established the following aims:

1. To promote intellectual co-operation and understanding among writers;
2. To create a world community of writers that would emphasize the central role of literature in the development of world culture; and,
3. To defend literature against the many threats to its survival which the modern world poses.

Past Presidents of International PEN have included Alberto Moravia, Heinrich Böll, Arthur Miller and Mario Vargas Llosa. The current President is Jiří Gruša. Alberto Moravia (November 28, 1907 – September 26, 1990; born Alberto Pincherle) was one of the leading Italian novelists in the 20th century. ... Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (December 21, 1917–July 16, 1985) was one of Germanys foremost post-World War II writers. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Mario Vargas Llosa (birth name: Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa) (born March 28, 1936) is a Peruvian writer who is one of Latin Americas leading novelists and essayists. ...

International PEN is composed of 144 autonomous PEN Centres in 101 countries around the world, each of which are open to qualified writers, journalists, translators, historians and others actively engaged in any branch of literature, regardless of nationality, race, colour or religion. Every member is required to sign the PEN Charter, which sets out the aims of the network and the conditions of membership.

PEN Charter

LITERATURE, national though it be in origin, knows no frontiers, and should remain common currency among nations.

in spite of political or international upheavals.

IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, and particularly in time of war, works of art and libraries, the heritage of humanity at large, should be left untouched by national or political passion.

MEMBERS OF PEN should at all times use what influence they have in favor of good understanding and mutual respect among nations; they pledge themselves to do their utmost to dispel race, class, and national hatreds and to champion the ideal of one humanity living in peace in the world.

PEN STANDS FOR the principle of unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and among all nations, and members pledge themselves to oppose any form of suppression of freedom of expression in their country or their community.

PEN DECLARES for a free press and opposes arbitrary censorship in time of peace. It believes that the necessary advance of the world toward a more highly organized political and economic order renders free criticism of governments, administrations, and institutions imperative. And since freedom implies voluntary restraint, members pledge themselves to oppose such evils of a free press as mendacious publication, deliberate falsehood, and distortion of facts for political and personal ends...

Writers in Prison Committee

International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee works on behalf of persecuted writers worldwide. Established in 1960 in response to increasing attempts to silence voices of dissent by imprisoning writers, the Writers in Prison Committee monitors the cases of over 900 writers who have been imprisoned, tortured, threatened, attacked, disappeared and killed for the peaceful practice of their profession. It publishes a bi-annual Case List documenting free expression violations around the world [1]. Though anyone who creates a written work may be called a writer, the term is usually reserved for those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Dissent is a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to an idea (eg. ... A prison is a place in which people are confined and deprived of a range of liberties. ... Aspects of torture Incrimination of innocent people One well documented effect of torture is that with rare exceptions people will say or do anything to escape the situation, including untrue confessions and implication of others without genuine knowledge, who may well then be tortured in turn. ... A Forced disappearance occurs when an organization (usually a ruling government and that is usually a police state or dictatorship) forces a person to disappear from public view. ...

The Committee also coordinates the International PEN membership's campaign towards an end to these attacks and an end to the suppression of freedom of expression world wide. Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ...

International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and campaigns to defend journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression. International Freedom of Expression eXchange. ... A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization which is not a part of a government. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A journalist is a person who practices journalism. ...

It is also a member of the Tunisia Monitoring Group, a coalition of 15 free expression organisations that is lobbying the Tunisian government to improve its human rights record. The Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) is a coalition of 15 free expression organisations that belong to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. ...

See also

• PEN American Center
• Tunisia Monitoring Group
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange
• Harold Pinter
• Arthur Miller
• John Galsworthy
• Sybille Bedford

PEN American Center (PEN), founded in 1922, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. ... The Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG) is a coalition of 15 free expression organisations that belong to the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. ... International Freedom of Expression eXchange. ... Harold Pinter Harold Pinter, CH, CBE (born October 10, 1930) is a British playwright and theatre director. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... John Galsworthy (August 14, 1867 – January 31, 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. ... Sybille von Schoenebeck (16 March 1911 – 17 February 2006) was a British author under her married name of Sybille Bedford. ...

External link

• International PEN