tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20503420703399349462024-03-05T14:08:53.285-08:00The news from 'International PEN' and it's Centers around the globeThis blog never represents any organisation. This is a space where you will find the PEN News around the globe. This space is also used to circulate the urgent message from any PEN center over this world. I believe in FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION and I use this space for this purpose. I am a stark activist of International PEN and I follow it.
All the news and articles are posted by Albert Ashok, and maintained by his pocket money, Your co-operation is welcomeBLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.comBlogger212125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-6786067034294644762017-11-02T01:07:00.002-07:002017-11-02T01:15:52.840-07:00সোফিয়া ওয়াদিয়াঃ ভারতীয় পি ই এন প্রতিষ্ঠাতা <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<![endif]--><span style="color: blue;">ভারতীয় পি ই এন প্রতিষ্ঠাতা সোফিয়া ওয়াদিয়াকে আমরা অনেক ভারতীয়রাই চিনিনা জানিনা। তার কিছু পরিচিত এখানে আমি দিলাম। তিনি ভারতীয় সাহিত্যের ইতিহাসে এক উজ্জ্বল নাম। তিনি লেখক ছিলেননা, সম্পাদক হিসাবে ও প্রকাশিকা হিসাবে ভারতের আঞ্চলিক সাহিত্যকে বিশ্বের দরবারে নিয়ে গেছিলেন।</span></h4>
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কেমব্রীজ ইউনিভারসিটি প্রেস প্রকাশিত Indian English and The Fiction of National Literature. by Rosemary Marangoly George, সাহিত্য আকাদেমি ও নানা উৎস থেকে ভারতীয় পি ই এন বা পেন এর প্রতিষ্ঠা ও ভারতীয় সাহিত্যের প্রসারের আরম্ভ খুঁজলে একটি উৎসর্গিত নাম দেখা যায় সে নামটি হল সোফিয়া ওয়াদিয়া। ভারত সরকার তাকে ১৯৬০ সালে সমাজ সেবি হিসাবে সেরা চতুর্থতম পুরষ্কার 'পদ্মশ্রী' (the fourth highest Indian civilian award ) ত্র ভূষিত করেন। সোফিয়া ক্যামাচু, ১৯০১ সালে আমেরিকার কলম্বিয়াতে জন্মান , সেখানে , প্যারিসে, লন্ডনে ও নিউইয়র্কে পড়াশুনা করেন সোফিয়া স্পেনিশ-আমেরিকা বংশ জাত। ১৯২৭ সালে বি পি ওয়াদিয়া বিখ্যাত অধ্যাত্মবিদ্যা বা ব্রম্মজ্ঞানী, ও পণ্ডিত তার সাথে সাক্ষাৎ করেন ও ১৯২৮ সালে তার সাথে বিবাহবদ্ধ হন। তিনি প্রথন আন্তর্জাতিক পি ই এন বা পেন এর সাথে পরিচিত হন এবং ভারতে ১৯৩০ সালে পেন সংগঠন প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন আজকের মুম্বাইতে। সাহিত্য, সমাজ শিক্ষা ও শান্তি ও অধ্যাত্মবিদ্যা (থিওজফি) নিয়ে সারাজীবন খুব ঢৃড়তার সাথে কাজ করেন। তার সাথে ভারতের উচ্চশিক্ষিত, নেতৃবর্গ, কবি লেখক প্রাবন্ধিক প্রমুখের সাথে যোগাযোগ ছিল ও তিনি সাহিত্যের ও শান্তির জন্য অনেক উল্লেখযোগ্য কাজ করতে পেরেছিলেন। তিনি ধর্ম ও সাহিত্যের জন্য দুটি সাময়িকী প্রকাশ করতেন The India PEN (১৯৩৪ সালে) ও The Aryan Path, এবং আজীবন তার সম্পাদক ছিলেন। রবি ঠাকুরের সাথে তার যোগ ছিল, চল্লিশের শুরুতে তিনি দুটি অসাধারণ বই প্রকাশ করেন , তার নাম Preparation for Citizenship (১৯৪১ সালে) তাতে রবি ঠাকুরের মুখবন্ধ লেখা ছিল। ২য় বইটির নাম The Brotherhood of Religions (১৯৩৬ সালে) সেটি মুখবন্ধ লিখে ছিলেন মহাত্মা গান্ধী। ১৯৫৮ সালে তার স্বামী বি পি ওয়াদিয়া মারা যান। তিনি ১১ টী সারা ভারত লেখক সম্মেলন করেন। ২৭ শে এপ্রিল ১৯৮৬তে ৮৫ বছর বয়সে তিনি মারা যান। তার জীবন ও কর্ম দেশ বিদেশের নানা জনের লেখায় পত্রপত্রিকায়, বিধৃত আছে। Indo-Anglian Literature by K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar এবং Madame Sophia Wadia ' Friend, Philosopher and Guide' by Nissim Ezekiel বই দুটি সাহিত্য আকাদেমি রপ্রকাশনা, থেকে এই শ্রদ্ধেয় রমণীর মহানুভবতা ও কর্ম জানা যায়। তিনি প্রথম সারা ভারতের সকল জাতির সাহিত্যকে বিদেশে প্রকাশ করবেন বলে একটি উল্লেখযোগ্য প্রকাশন শুরু করেছিলেন। সরাসরি প্রত্যেক ভারতীয় রাজ্যগুলির তাদের নিজেদের ভাষা জানা দক্ষ পন্ডিত দের নিয়ে অনুবাদের সাথে শুরু করেছিলেন। এই অনুবাদের মাধ্যমে আমরা এক ভাষী লোক অন্য ভাষীর কৃষ্টি ও সংস্কৃতি জানতে পারি। এখানে তার কিছু ছবি রাখা হল। <span style="color: blue;"><b>- আত্মজ উপাধ্যায়</b></span><br />
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<span class="3oh-"><span lang="BN" style="font-family: "vrinda"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></span><span lang="BN" style="font-family: "vrinda"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span>
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BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-71014288519316957142013-03-14T00:19:00.000-07:002013-03-14T01:26:09.716-07:00‘পি. ই. এন. এর মা’ ও পেনের জন্ম কথা<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><b>‘পি. ই. এন. এর মা’ ও পেনের জন্ম কথা</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">‘পি. ই. এন. এর মা’ </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">You can read also <a href="http://penwestbengal.blogspot.in/2009/04/history-of-pen-in-bengali-for-bengali.html" target="_blank"> </a></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://penwestbengal.blogspot.in/2009/04/history-of-pen-in-bengali-for-bengali.html" target="_blank">http://penwestbengal.blogspot.in/2009/04/history-of-pen-in-bengali-for-bengali.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Vrinda; mso-bidi-language: BN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://penwestbengal.blogspot.in/2009/04/history-of-pen-in-bengali-for-bengali.html" target="_blank"><o:p>http://penwestbengal.blogspot.in/2009/04/history-of-pen-in-bengali-for-bengali.html</o:p></a></span></div>
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মিসেস ডসন স্কট পি. ই.এন. এর প্রতিষ্ঠাতা, তার এই অসম্ভব উদ্যোগের জন্য তাকে পেনের মা সম্বোধন করা হত। এখানে তারই জীবনের গল্প অল্প কথায় বলা হয়েছে।<br />
পি.ই.এন. ইনটারনেশনাল বা ইন্টারনেশনাল পেন এর প্রাথমিক প্রতিষ্ঠাতা হলেন ক্যাথরীন অ্যামি ডসন স্কট, বিয়ের আগে তার নাম ছিল ক্যাথরীন অ্যামি ডসন। তারপর তাকে ডাকা হত মিসেস স্যাফো, পরে বলা হত মাদার অব পেন বা বাংলায় ‘পেনের মা’।<br />
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৩১শে আগস্ট ১৮৬৫ সালে ক্যাথরীন অ্যামি ডসন স্কট দক্ষিণ লন্ডনে, ডালউইচের গথিক লজে জন্মান।<br />
১৯৩৪ সালের ৪ নভেম্বর লন্ডনে হাস্পাতালে মারা যান।<br />
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ক্যাথরীনের বাবা এবেনেযার ডসন ছিলেন একজন ইট প্রস্তুতকারক, তার মা ছিলেন স্কটিশ বংশোদ্ভুত ক্যাথ্রীন আর্মস্ট্রংগ।ক্যাথরীন ১৮ বয়সে উচ্চবিদ্যালয় থেকে স্নাতক হয়ে তার নিজস্ব জীবিকা শুরু করেন। প্রফেসর জেনিংস বলে একজন অন্ধ বয়োজেষ্ঠ মানুষের সেক্রেটারী হন। প্রফেসর জেনিংসের জন্য অন্যান্য কাজ সহ কখনো উচ্চস্বরে কয়েক ঘন্টা ধরে বই পড়তে হত। জেনিংস তাকে পছন্দ করতেন কারন তার উচ্চারণ ছিল পরিষ্কার এবং মিস্টি। তিনি তাকে শুধু কিছু জ্ঞান লজিক ও গ্রীক ভাষা শেখান নি তাকে অন্যের উপর কথা বার্তায় চালচলনে সঠিক বিচার বিশ্লেষন করা- ‘স্কেপ্টিসিজম’ ও শেখান। তাকে তখনকার দিন অনূযায়ী ৪০০ পাউন্ড বছরে মাইনে দিতেন যেখানে একজন কেরাণী বছরে ১০০ পাউন্ড উপায় করত আর একজন প্রফেসর বছরে ৭০০ থেকে ১০০০ পাউন্ড উপায় করে। চার বছর পর প্রফেসর মারা গেলে ২২ বছরের ক্যাথরীন তার সকল সঞ্চয় নিয়ে লন্ডনে চলে এলেন। সেখানে একটি ফ্ল্যাট ভাড়া নিয়ে থাকতে শুরু করেন। খবরের কাগজে তার কবিতা , ছোটগল্প ইত্যাদি প্রকাশ করে লেখার পেশা বা জীবিকা শুরু করেন।কস্টেমস্টে যা পেতেন তাই দিয়ে দিন কাটিয়ে দিতেন। তার যা সঞ্চয় ছিল তাতে হাত দিতেননা।<br />
১৯৮৮ সালে ২৩ বছর বয়সী ক্যাথরীন সি এ ডসন নামে একটি বই প্রকাশ করেন ‘শ্যারাডজ ফর হোম অ্যাক্টিং’।<br />
এক বছর পর তার নিজের টাকায় তার প্রথম সাহিত্য সৃস্টি ‘স্যাফো’ নামে ২১০ পাতার এক লম্বা মহাকাব্য প্রকাশ করেন, এতে গ্রীক মহিলা কবি স্যাফোর জীবন উচ্চপ্রশংসা করেন। তরুন নারীবাদী দৃস্টিতে দেখা ও লেখা কবি তার গ্রন্থে সমস্ত ধরণের স্বাধীনতা চান, যার জন্য তার বন্ধুদের কাছে তিনি স্যাফো নামে পরিচিত হন।তারপরে তিন বছর পর তার দ্বিতীয় গ্রন্থ প্রকাশ হয়, সেটা ছিল তার সকল কবিতার সংগ্রহ নাম ‘আইডিলস অব উইমেনহুড’, এইভাবে তিনি তার সাহিত্য যশে নারীবাদী কবি হিসাবে।<br />
১৮৯৬ সালে ডাক্টার হোরাশিও ফ্রান্সিস নিনিয়ান স্কটের সাথে পরিচিত হন ও বিয়ে করেন। হোরাশিও উত্তর আয়ারল্যান্ডের অধিবাসী, একজন স্কটিশ, তিনি রাজপরিবারের নিযুক্ত ডাক্তারদের মধ্যে একজন তরুন ডাক্তার ছিলেন।ক্যাথরীন হোরাশিওকে বিয়ে করে তাকে সাহায্য করা ও সন্তানদের দেখাশুনা করাতে ব্যস্ত হন লেখা বন্ধ করে দেন।<br />
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ছয় বছর পর, লন্ডনের উপর ডাক্তার স্কটের বিতৃষ্ণা জন্মাল, তার স্ত্রীকেও সেকথা বোঝালেন।তাদের তিন বছরের মেয়ে ও এক বছরের ছেলেকে নিয়ে লন্ডনের শেষ দক্ষিণ প্রান্তে, আইল অব ওয়াইট এর উত্তরে পশ্চিম কাউএসে চলে যান। ওটা একটা দেশ পাড়াগাঁ । সেখানে ডাক্তার হোরাশিও মেডিসিনে ও শল্য চিকিৎসায় দক্ষতা দেখান, রোগের নিরাময় করে সুনাম করেন।১৯০৪ সালে ক্যাথরীনের দ্বিতীয় ছেলে জন্ম গ্রহন করে।মিসেস ডসন-স্কট তখন তার রোজকার ঘরোয়া কাজ থেকে মুক্তি পান এবং দিন দিন ভাবনা চিন্তাহীন আরামে ও বিলাসব্যসনে অভ্যস্ত হয়ে উঠেন। তিনি আবার লেখা শুরু করার জন্য ভাবেন।১৯০৬ সালে, সাহিত্য ছেড়ে চলে যাবার পর ১৪ বছর পর, মিসেস ডসন স্কটের বয়স তখন ৪১ বছর, তিনি তার প্রথম উপন্যাস ‘দ্য স্টোরি অব অ্যানা’ প্রকাশ করেন ‘মিসেস স্যাফো’ ছদ্মনামে। দুবছর পর তার দ্বিতীয় উপন্যাস ‘দ্য বার্ডেন’ তার প্রকৃত নামে সি এ ডসন স্কট নামে প্রকাশ করেন।তারপর তিনি এত সৃজনশীল হন যে তিনি ছয় বছরের মধ্যে সাত খানি বই প্রকাশ করেন।পাঁচটা উপন্যাস, একটা কবিতার গ্রন্থ ও একটা অন্য ধরনের বই। এরপর প্রথম বিশ্বযুদ্ধ শুরু হয় ১৯১৪ সালে। ১৯১০ সাল নাগাদ স্কট পরিবার আবার লন্ডনের কাছে চলে যান। এবং মিসেস ডসন স্কট পরিনত কবি ও নতুন উপন্যাসিক হিসাবে সাহিত্যের লন্ডনে ফিরে এলেন।<br />
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১৯১৪ সালে, বিশ্বযুদ্ধ শুরু হওয়ার পর ডাক্তার হোরাশিও রয়াল আর্মি মেডিসিন করপস এ যোগ দেন। তাকে তখন ফ্রান্সে পাঠানো হল। ঘরে তিনটি স্কুল শিশুর দায়িত্বে ক্যাথরীন। যুদ্ধ শুরু হওয়ার একসপ্তাহ পর ক্যাথরীন তার অতিমাত্রার সাংগঠনিক ক্ষমতা দেখালেন। টাইমস পত্রিকায় তিনি একটা পত্র লেখেন, তাতে তিনি একটা প্রস্তাব রাখেন যে মহিলারা সাধারণ মানুষের জন্য বা আধা মিলিটারিদের জন্য সংগঠন তৈরী করুক তাতে যুদ্ধকালীন সেবা শ্রশ্রুসা দেওয়া যাবে। অনেক লোক নাম লেখাবে।তখন অনেক লোক দেশের সর্বপ্রান্ত থেকে তাকে স্বাগত জানাল ও তাকেই প্রতিষ্ঠাতা হতে বললেন। এইভাবে ‘উইমেন’স ডিফেন্স রিলিফ করপ্স’ স্থাপিত হল। হাজার হাজার সদস্য যোগ দিলেন অনেক শাখা সংগঠন তৈরী হল। মোট কথা উদ্দেশ্য সার্থক। কিন্তু ক্যাথরীন সংগঠন অন্যের হাতে তুলে দেন কাজ চালিয়ে যাবার জন্য। তার ছিল মনে দেশপ্রেমের চাপ ও শান্তি। তিনি আরো উচ্চকিছু ভাবনায় ব্যস্ত হন।বিশ্বযুদ্ধের ক্ষতি নিয়ে উদ্বিগ্ন হন তিনি বিশ্বশান্তির কথা ভাবেন।তার মনযোগ চলে গেল আবার লেখা ও লেখকগনের দিকে।<br />
মিসেস ডসন স্কট বিশেষ করে যত্ন নিতেন ও দয়া দেখাতেন তরূন লেখকদের জন্য। যাদের সমাজ সহ্য করতনা, যারা পুরানো প্রথাগত নিয়ম ও মূল্যবোধ ভেঙ্গে বিদ্রোহ দেখাতেন তাদের নতুন লেখা দিয়ে। তিনি নতুন উপন্যাসিকদের চায়ের আমন্ত্রন জানাতেন তাদের রিভিউ লিখে দিতেন, যারা আর্থিক দুর্বল তাদের ডেকে খেতে দিতেন ও কয়েক টিন ভর্তি খাবার দিয়ে দিতেন বাড়ি নিয়ে যাবার জন্য।এইভাবে অনেক তরুনের সাথে বন্ধুত্ব করেন তারা তাকে মিসেস স্যাফো বলতেন। কখনো তিনি প্রতিভাবান তরূনকে তার প্রতিষ্ঠিত বন্ধুদের সাথে পরিচয় করে দিতেন, এবং যাদের মনে করতেন তাদের সাহিত্যে সম্ভাবনা আছে , তাদের তিনি তার পরিচিত সম্পাদকদের কাছে সুপারিশ করে পাঠাতেন। কখনো সাহিত্যের প্রতিনিধি বা প্রকাশকের কাছে। এইভাবে তিনি একটা ভাবনা খুঁজে পান, তিনি আগামীপ্রজন্মের লেখকদের চিহ্নিত করে একটা ক্লাব করতে চান, এবং করেন, নাম দেন ‘টু-মরো ক্লাব’।<br />
তাতে তিনি ‘আগামীর লেখক’ দের এমন একটা অবস্থা ও সুযোগ করে দেন যেখানে তারা নিজেদের মধ্যে কথা বিনিময় করতে পারবে, পড়াশুনা করতে পারবে, উন্নতি করতে পারবে বা তাদের অনুসন্ধান চালাতে পারবে। এবং এটা মিসেস ডসন স্কটের বাড়ি হতে তুলে নিয়ে গেলেন ক্লাবে, সেখানে সান্ধ্যভোজ হত, কোন বিষয়ের উপর বক্তৃতা হত, সভা সমাবেশ হত।<br />
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১৯১৭ এর বসন্তে ৫০ বছর বয়সী মিসেস স্যাফো টু-মরো ক্লাব প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন। এট তার দ্বিতীয় সংগঠন।এই সংগঠনই পরবর্তীকালে আন্তর্জাতিক পি.ই.এন. নামে বিদ্যমান। টুমরো ক্লাবের অর্থ ছিল এখানকার সদস্যরা আগামী কালের লেখক।যদিও অনেক লেখক বা তথাকথিত তরুণ সাহিত্যিক সেখানে সাহিত্যের তোষামোদকারী, বা জোকারের ভূমিকায় ছিল। এই ক্লাব তার প্রত্যেকটা সভার জন্য সেক্রেটারি নিয়োগ করত, প্রত্যেকটা বিষয়ে বক্তা থেকে চেয়ার পার্সন সব স্থির করত। এইসব স্থানে তরুন লেখকরা একে অপরের কাছে শধু শিখতনা বা যোগাযোগ রাখতনা তারা বড় বড় লেখকদের কাছ থেকে তাদের অভিজ্ঞতা ও পরামর্শও পেত। অনেকে দয়া করে নানা সাহায্যও করতেন। মিসেস স্যাফো, অধিকন্তু, তার পরিচিত বড় বড় সম্পাদক ও সাহিত্যের প্রতিনিধিদের সান্ধ্যভোজে আমন্ত্রণ করতেন আর তরুণ সাহিত্যিকদের তাদের সাথে পরিচয় করার সুযোগ দিতেন।<br />
এই ক্লাবও খুবই সুন্দর ও সার্থক হয়ে উঠেছিল। মিসেস স্যাফোর পরিকল্পনা ও পরিচালনায়।১৯১৮ সাল থেকে রুটিন করে সাপ্তাহিকভাবে সান্ধ্যভোজের ও বক্তৃতার আসর জমতে লাগল। মিসেস স্যাফোর অস্টম উপন্যাসও এইসময় বের হল, তার নাম অয়াস্ট্রালস। এরপর প্রতি বছর একটা করে বই লিখতে লাগলেন তিনি। নভেম্বরে বিশ্বযুদ্ধ শেষ হল।ব্রিটিশরা বিজয়ী হল। যুদ্ধের জন্য যেসব পরিবার বিচ্ছিন্ন হয়ে গেছিল তারা আবার পুনরায় মিলিত হল।সবকিছুই তখন ভাল চলছিল।<br />
লোকে বলে সুখ আসা মানে দুঃখ সেখানে ঝুকছে বা খুব সুখ দুখকে জন্ম দেয়।যুদ্ধ শেষ হলে কি হবে, যুদ্ধের ফলে উদ্ভুত পরিস্থিতি এড়িয়ে চলা মুশকিল। অনেক পরিবার ছিন্নভিন্ন হয়ে গেছে। মিসেস স্যাফো ও তা্র পরিবারের আনন্দ স্বল্পস্থায়ী হল।ডাক্তার হোরাশিও স্কট সেনাবাহিনী থেকে বাড়ি ফিরে দেখেন তার স্ত্রীর আবেগ তাড়না ও সামাজিকতার চাপ তার জীবনে অসহ্য।যদিও মিসেস স্যাফোর স্বামীর প্রতি ভালবাসা অনেক গভীর।মিসেস স্যাফো সম্ভবত পাড়াগায়ের ডাক্তারের স্ত্রী মিসেস ডসন স্কটের ভূমিকায় ফিরে যেতে পারেননি। ২০ বছরের বিবাহিত জীবনের ছেদ টেনে বিবাহবিচ্ছেদ করলেন খুব তারাতারি।এটাই হয়ত মিসেস স্যাফোর জীবনের বড় ব্যর্থতা এবং তিনি এটাকে আর বাঁচাতে পারলেননা। এই ঘটনা তাকে মনস্তাত্ত্বিকতায় নিয়ে গেল ও তিনি মনস্তত্ব নিয়ে গবেষনা শুরু করেন। এবং তার স্বামী মরে যাবার পরও তার আাত্মার সাথে যোগাযোগ করার জন্যঅনেক বছর চেস্টা করেন। তার লেখা ‘ফ্রম ফোর হু আর ডেড’ এরই ফসল হিসাবে সাত বছর পর প্রকাশিত হয়। তিনি একটি আধ্যাত্মিক সংগঠনও তৈরী করেন নাম ছিল ‘সারভাইবাল লিগ’।<br />
আবেগের ও আধ্যাত্মতা ছাড়া বিবাহ বিচ্ছেদ বস্তুত মিসেস স্যাফোকে খুব ভাল কিছু দিতে পারেনি। যুদ্ধের সময় প্রায় ৫বছর তিনি একা মা হয়ে সন্তান মানুষ করেন। কিন্তু এসব তার জীবনকে খুব পালটে দিতে পারেনি।ছেলে মেয়েরা প্রায় নিজেরাই এক একা মানুষ হয়েছে। বছরে নয় মাস তিনি লন্ডনে সাহিত্যও সামাজিক কাজের জন্য থাকতেন।সাপ্তাহিক টুমরো ক্লাব বাদে মাসে এক রবিবার বিকেলে তার মেয়েদের সাহায্যে একটা কর্মশালা বসাতেন।সেখানে নানা লোক আসতেন, প্রতিবেশী বা স্থানীয় লেখকরা, নতুন বা পুরানো বন্ধুরা আসতেন, ২০ জনের অধিক মানুষ জমায়েত হতেন।সাংবাদিক, লেখক, প্রকাশক সম্পাদক ... সবাই আসতেন।এইভাবে তার বৃত্ত ক্রমশঃ বৃহত্তর হচ্ছিল।<br />
প্রত্যেক গ্রীস্মে তিনি তার সন্তানদের নিয়ে গ্রামের দিকে চলে যেতেন,করনওয়ালের লেভর্নাতে, সেখানে কোনো কূটীর তিন মাসের জন্য ভাড়া নিতেন, কখনো বন্ধুদের নিয়ে যেতেন এবং প্রাকৃতিক দৃশ্য, চাষীদের খাবার, তাদের জীবন ইত্যাদী উপভোগ করতেন।<br />
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<b>মিসেস স্যাফোর নাতনী মার্জরী অ্যান ওয়াট</b> এক সন্ধ্যায় আড্ডায় খুবই আন্তরিক পরিবেশে মিসেস স্যাফোর জীবন বর্ণনা করেন। তিনি বলেন, বন্ধুদের কাছে অ্যামি ডসন স্কট ( ছোট, মোটা কিন্তু ভয়ঙ্কর) মিসেস স্যাফো নামে পরিচিত ছিলেন কারন তিনি সারাজীবন নারীবাদী ছিলেন--- তার প্রথম কাব্যগ্রন্থ ‘স্যাফো’ প্রকাশের পর গ্রীক চরিত্র স্যাফোকে তিনি ভীষন পছন্দ করতেন। স্যাফোর যৌনপছন্দগুলিই নয়, ২০০০ বছর আগে লেসবোস দ্বীপে নারীদের অধিকার নিয়ে তার লড়াই ও উদাহরণ পছন্দ করতেন।<br />
মার্জরী অ্যান ওয়াট থেকে আমরা আরো জানতে পারিঃ অ্যামি ডসনের মা ও বাবা কড়া প্রকৃতির মানূষ ছিলেন। অ্যামি ছোটবেলা থাকতেই ছিলেন জেদী, চালাক ও ভাল করে অভিব্যক্ত করার মানূষ। তার বাবা মায়ের অসূখী বিয়ের সন্তান। প্রায়ই তিনি বাবা মায়ের সাথে ঝগড়ায় জড়িয়ে পড়তেন।পরবর্তীকালে নাতনীর সাথে গল্প করেছেন, তার মা রুটি কাটার ছুরি নিয়ে ভয়ঙ্কর ভাবে তাকে তাড়া করতেন, তিনি বাড়ীর চারদিকে দৌড়ে পালাতেন আর তার মা তাকে অনুসরণ করে আসতেন। অল্প বয়সে অ্যামির মা মারা যান, তার বাবা আবার বিয়ে করেন। অ্যামিকে ছোট একটা বোর্ডিং স্কুলে স্থানান্তর করা হয়।<br />
যদিও দেখতে শুনতে ভাল ছাত্রী ছিলেননা তার উপর বিদ্রোহী ভাব, তবু তিনি শ্রেণীকক্ষের সবার প্রিয়তা অর্জন করতে সক্ষম ছিলেন, সবাইকে অদ্ভুত অদ্ভুত গল্প বলে কাছে টেনে নিয়ে আসতেন।স্কুলে শেষ করে ১৮৮৪তে একজন অন্ধ প্রফেসরের সেক্রেটারির কাজ পান। সেখানেই তার প্রফেসরের পাঠাগার দেখে জীবনে সাহিত্যকে জীবিকা করার কথা ভাবেন।<br />
ঐরকম সময়েই এক বিখ্যাত প্রকাশন কভেন্ট গার্ডেন পাব্লিশার – এর প্রকাশক উইলিয়াম হেইনম্যান এর সাথে পরিচিত হন। হেইনম্যান অ্যামির ঘনিষ্ঠ বন্ধু হওয়ার সুবাদে লন্ডনের বেড়ে উঠা বিশিস্ট সাহিত্যিক সমাজে অ্যামিকে পরিচিত করিয়ে দেন। বিশিস্ট সাহিত্যিকগনের মধ্যে ছিলেন H.G. Wells, W.B. Yeates, Miss Forster and Oscar Wilde। সাহস পেয়ে ১৮৮৯ সাল নাগাদ হেইনম্যান এর সহযোগীতায় নিবন্ধ, প্রবন্ধ , কবিতা ইত্যাদি লিখে তিনি কিছু পয়সাও উপায় করতে লাগলেন। তখনই ২১০ পাতার নারীবাদী কাব্যগ্রন্থ স্যাফো প্রকাশ করেন।<br />
মার্জরী ওয়াট আরো বলেন, তার দিদা অ্যামি বুঝতে পারেন কাব্যগ্রন্থ প্রকাশ করে তিনি একটা বিশেষ সাহিত্যস্থানে অবস্থান অর্জন করেছেন।লাবন্যময়ী তরুণী হিসাবে বিভিন্ন সাহিত্য সমাবেশে, পার্টিতে তিনি ডাক পেতেন।তাকে লোকের ভাল লাগত। তিনি প্রচুর ডাক পেতেন। একটা মৌলিক ও আকর্ষনীয় মনের বহিঃপ্রকাশ মানুষ গ্রহন করল। ১৮৯৭ সালে বিয়ের পর তার সাহিত্যিক জীবন স্তব্দতায় ডুবে গেল,ডাক্তার স্বামী , ৩ টে বাচ্চা।এর ১৪ বছর পর আবার সাহিত্য জগতে ফিরে পুরানো সম্পর্কগুলি কে নতুন করে সাহিত্যে প্রবেশ। ২০ খানা উপন্যাস ছাড়া তিনি নাটক, সামাজিক ট্যাবু, পারিবারিক অশান্তি, ব্যভিচার ও বিয়ের আগে যৌন সংসর্গ এইসব আলোচ্য বিষয় নিয়ে প্রচুর লিখেছেন।<br />
তার বিশেষ ৩টি পরিকল্পনার সবগুলিকেই বাস্তব রুপ দিতে পেরেছিলেন।<br />
১৯১৪ সালে উইমেন্স ডিফেন্স রিলিফ কর্প্স সংগঠন করেন। ১৯১৭তে টু-মরো ক্লাব করেন। ১৯২১ তে আন্তর্জাতিক পেন করেন।<br />
মার্জরি বলছেন,পীকাডেলির ফ্লোরেন্স রেস্তঁরাতে ১৯২১র অক্টোবর ৫ এ অ্যামি তার বন্ধুদের মধ্যে ৫৪ জনকে তোষামোদ করে, চোখ রাঙ্গিয়ে এক জায়গায় জড়ো করেছিলেন। জর্জ বানার্ড শ পরে মন্থব্য করেছিলেন, ‘ আমি যোগ দিয়েছিলাম কারণ গলসওয়ার্দি বলেছিলেন আমাকে করতেই হবে। তিনি মনে হচ্ছে যোগ দিয়েছিলেন কারন মিসেস ডসন স্কট বলেছিলেন তাকে যোগ দিতেই হবে।’ এতে বোঝা যায়,মিসেস ডসন স্কট অনেকটা কতৃত্বের সুর ও শাসনের ক্ষমতাও রাখতেন।<br />
আর্নেস্ট রেমন্ড তার আত্মজীবনীতে বলেছেন, অ্যামি অপরিহার্যভাবে স্বেচ্ছাচারী ছিলেন। তিনি স্বাধীনতা ও গনতন্ত্র পছন্দ করতেন এবং তার জন্য তিনি স্বেচ্ছাচারী ছিলেন। তার জীবন সুন্দর ও টানাপোড়েনের ছিল, তার শারিরীক ও ভাবনার সৃস্টিরা তার জন্য গর্বিত মনে করবে।<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>২য় অংশঃ পেনের জন্ম</b></span><br />
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১৯২১ সালে শ্রীমতী স্যাফো’র টু-মরো ক্লাবের চারবছর পূর্ণ হল, ক্লাব খুব ভাল চলেছে। ১৯১৮ তে যুদ্ধোত্তর প্রথম উপন্যাস ওয়াসট্রল প্রকাশনার পর প্রতি বছর একটা করে আরো দুটি উপন্যাস বেরুল।তার চতুর্থ উপন্যাসও প্রকাশনার জন্য স্থির হয়ে গেল। জুলাই মাসে শ্রীমতি স্যাফো কর্ণওয়ালে গেলেন তার ‘গ্রীনস্টোনস’ উপন্যাস লিখে গ্রীস্ম কাটাবার জন্য সমুদ্র সৈকতে লেভর্ণা ভিলা ভাড়া নেন। তার মেয়ে মার্জোরী সব সময় তার সাথেই থাকত কিন্তু এবার সে থাকলনা। মার্জোরির তখন ২১ বছর, সে ওয়ার শ’তে ব্রিটিশ পাশপোর্ট কন্ট্রোল –এ এক বছর ধরে কাজ করছিল। তখন মা মেয়েতে প্রতি সপ্তাহে অনেক চিঠি চালাচালি হয়েছিল। পরে পেনে র ইতিহাস বলতে গিয়ে এই চিঠিগুলির প্রাসঙ্গিক বিষয় প্রকাশ করে ছিলেন।<br />
আমার একটা বুদ্ধি এসেছে! নামীনামী লোকদের নিয়ে-- একটা সান্ধ্যভোজের মিলন স্থান। এই ব্যাপারটা আমি ভায়োলেটকে (হান্ট) বলব- ও আর আমি দুইজনে এটা করব। এতে স্বামী স্ত্রীর মধ্যে অসুবিধা হবেনা মঙ্গলবার সন্ধ্যা ৮টায় দ্য ফ্লোরেন্স রেস্তরাঁয়।<br />
তার ঠিক ছয়দিন পর মার্জোরীর কাছে শ্রীমতীস্যাফো প্রথমবার তার ক্লাব লিখলেন পি. পি.ই.এন.- পোয়েট, প্লেরাইট, এডিটর এবং নভেলিস্ট, পরের চিথিতে সংক্ষিপ্ত করে পি. ই. এন. করে নেন। তার অনেক অনেক পরের চিঠিতে পেন ক্লাব বলে পরিষ্কার করে লিখতে শুরু করেন। এবং এই ক্লাবটার আন্তঃর্জাতিক করণের জন্য ভাবতে শুরু করেন।<br />
শ্রীমতি স্যাফো মধ্য লন্ডনের পিকাডিলি সার্কাসের রুপার্ট স্ট্রিটের ফ্লোরেন্স রেস্তঁরায় আনুষ্ঠানিক ভাবে পেন ক্লাবের জন্য প্রথমবার সান্ধ্যভোজ দেন। ৫ ই অক্টোবর ১৯২১ সাল ৪৩ জন লেখক এই শুভ সূচনাতে পেনে যোগদান করতে এসেছিলেন। এই তারিখে যারা এসেছিলেন তারাই প্রতিষ্ঠাতা সদস্য হিসাবে সম্মান পেয়েছিলেন। শ্রীমতি স্যাফো ও মার্জোরী বাদে বাকী ৪১ জন হলেন<br />
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1.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Arthur Beverley Baxter (1891-1964); 2.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Victor Bridges (1878-1972); 3.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ethel Coxon (f) 4.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Charles Seddon Evans (1883-1944); 5.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>John Farquharson (1882-?)¬; 6.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>John Galsworthy (1867-1933); 7.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Walter Lionel George (1882-1926); 8.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Muriel Morgan Gibbon (f); 9.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Louis Golding (1895–1958); 10.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Austin Harrison (1873-1928); 11.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Edith Shackleton Heald (f, 1984-1976) 12.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>M.T. Hogg (f); 13.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Percy Hord (f); 14.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Isobel Violet Hunt (f, 1862-1942); 15.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Edgar Alfred Jepson (1863-1938); 16.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Fr[iniw]yd Tennyson Jesse (f, 1889-1958); 17.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Sheila Kaye-Smith (f, 1887–1956); 18.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lamburn; 19.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mrs. Lamburn; 20.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Lewis Rose McLeod (1875-?);<br />
21.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Arthur E. Mann (1876-1972); 22.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mrs. Elizabeth Craig Mann (1883-1980); 23.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ethel Colburn Mayne (f, 1870-1941); 24.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Edgar Charles Middleton (1894-1939); 25.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mrs.Yevonde Middleton (1893-1975); 26.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Elinor Mordaunt (1872-1942); 27.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hermon Ould (1885-1951); 28.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Edward Raymond Thompson (1872-1928); 29.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Hylda Rhodes (f); 30.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kathlyn Rhodes (f, 1878-1962); 31.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Marion Ryan (f); 32.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Horace Shipp (1891-1961); 33.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> May Sinclair (f, 1862 – 1946); 34.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stephen Southwold (1887-1964); 35.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Winifred Stephens Whale (f, 1870–1944) 36.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Muriel Stuart (f, 1885-1967); 37.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Netta Syrett (f, 1865-1943); 38.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rebecca West (f, 1892-1983); 39.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Kate Douglas Wiggin (f, 1856-1923); 40.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Stanley Wrench; 41.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Mrs.Violet Louise Stanley Wrench (1880-1966).<br />
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অংশগ্রহনকারীদের মধ্যে মহিলা ছিলেন ২৫ জন আর পুরুষ ছিলেন ১৮ জন।সান্ধ্যভোজের আগে, মিসেস স্যাফো কিছুতেই গলসওয়ার্দিকে সভাপতি হোয়ার জন্য রাজী করাতে পারলেননা। তারপর অনেক আলোচনা হওয়ার পর তিনি একবছরের জন্য সভাপতি পদে থাকতে রাজী হন। তখন সেক্রেটারি শ্রীমতী স্যাফো ছাড়া আর কারুর হওয়ার কথা নয়। কিন্তু তার স্বাস্থ্য ভাল না থাকার জন্য সেক্রেটারির সাম্মানিক পদে মার্জোরী হন আর ইংলিশ রিভিওর সম্পাদিকা অস্টিন হ্যারিসন সাম্মানিক কোষাধ্যক্ষ পদে বহাল হন। সান্ধ্যভোজের মধ্যেই কার্যকরী সমিতি তৈরী হল- হ্যারিসন, ম্যাক্লয়েড, ইভানস, শিপ, গোল্ডিং, ওয়েস্ট এবং মান তা্রা অন্তর্ভুভুক্ত হন। তার একসপ্তাহ পর প্রথম কার্যকরী সমিতির প্রথম সভা বসে লন্ডনে বেডফোর্ড স্কোয়ারে ইংলিশ রিভিও র অফিসে। হ্যারিসন চেয়ারম্যান হিসাবে নিযুক্ত হন। সমিতি ইউরোপে ও উত্তর আমেরিকার কিছু ব্যক্তিবর্গের সাথে পেন কেন্দ্র তাদের দেশে খোলার জন্য কথা চালাবার সিদ্ধান্তে উপস্থিত হল। বেশ কয়েকজন লেখকগনকে আমন্ত্রণ জানানো হল ইংলিশ পেনে যোগদান করার জন্য বা অন্যান্য দেশে সাম্মানিক সদস্য হওয়ার জন্য।<br />
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হ্যারিসন তার শক্ত নেতৃত্ব প্রদর্শন করতে ব্যর্থ হন। সমিতি বা পেন ক্লাব কমিটি গলসওয়ার্দীকে প্রথম সভা বা মিটিঙ্গএর পর চেয়ারম্যান হতে বলেন। তিনি (গলসওয়ার্দি) তার পরের সভা থেকে শীর্ষ আসনে বসা শুরু করেন। প্রতিষ্ঠার পর অক্টোবরের শেষের দিকে পেন তার প্রথম সাধারন সান্ধ্যভোজ বসাল সেখানে ৭২ জন লোক এসেছিলেন। এসেছিলেন আমেরিকা থেকে, কানাডা থেকে এবং অন্যান্য দেশ থেকে।<br />
১০ নভেম্বর,কমিটি তাদের তৃতীয় সভাতে ২৪জন নতুন সদস্যকে মেনে নেন। তাদের মধ্যে গিলবার্ট কিঠ চেস্টারটন এবং যোশেফ কনরাডও ছিলেন। মার্জোরী ডসন স্কটকে বিদেশের নামীনামী লেখকদের সাম্মানিক সদস্য হওয়ার জন্য আমন্ত্রন পাঠাতে বলা হল।<br />
১৯২২ এর জানুয়ারীতে সাম্মানিক সদস্য হওয়ার জন্য বিশ্ববিখ্যাত লোকেরা আমন্ত্রন গ্রহন করেন, তাদের মধ্যে ১২ জন ছিলেন লরিয়েট ও ৫জন নোবেল পাওয়া সাহিত্যিক। এবং ভবিষ্যৎ লরিয়েটদের মধ্যে Selma Lagerlöf (1909), Maurice Maeterlinck (1911), Romain Rolland (1915), Knut Hamsun (1920). Anatole France (1921) and William Butler Yeats (1923). অন্যান্য লেখকদের মধ্যে উল্লেখযোগ্য হলেন Thomas Hardy,Johan Bojer,Geoge Brandes, Martin Andersen Nexø, Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, George William Russell and Artur Schnitzler.<br />
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ইংলিশ পেন এইভাবে বড় হচ্ছিল আর আন্তর্জাতিক চাপ বাড়ছিল তখন খুব কস্ট হচ্ছিল এই ছোট্ট কমিটিকে সামলাতে। মিসেস স্যাফো আবার পুরানো প্রস্তাবকে উত্থাপন করেন যে আন্তর্জাতিক কমিটি স্থাপন হোক তারা দেশের বাইরের সংগঠন চালাবে আর যোগাযোগ বজায় রাখবে। কার্যকরী কমিটি মিসেস স্যাফোর প্রস্তাব মেনে নিল। আন্তর্জাতিক কমিটির কর্তা হবেন গলসওয়ার্দী মহাশয় ও মিসেস স্যাফো। তাদের সাহায্য করবেন লন্ডনের কিছু কার্যকরী কমিটির সদস্য যাদের আন্তর্জাতিক যোগাযোগ আছে। Shipp, প্রতিষ্ঠা সদস্য Stephens Whale, এবং তিনজন নতুন সদস্য William Archer, Rosita Forbes এবং Edward Shanks. মার্জরী ছিলেন এটারও সেক্রেটারি। ১৯২২ এর ফেব্রুয়ারীতে ইংলিশ পেনের আন্তর্জাতিক কমিটির প্রথম সভা বসল মিসেস স্যাফোর বাড়িতে। এই সময় ফরাসী কেন্দ্র মোটামুটি হয়ে গেছে আর বাইরের দেশের অন্য কেন্দ্রগুলি প্রস্তুতি নিচ্ছে।<br />
১৯২৩ সালের পয়লা মে, লন্ডনের হোটেল সিসিল-এ আন্তর্জাতিক পেন- এর প্রথম সান্ধ্যভোজের আসর বসাল। আন্তর্জাতিক পেনের হেডকোয়ার্টার ইংলিশ পেন বাদে ১০টি দেশের ১১টি পেন কেন্দ্র যোগ দিল। বার্সিলোনা (স্পেন),মাদ্রিদ (স্পেন), বেলজিয়াম, চেকোশ্লাভিকিয়া, ডেনমার্ক, ফ্রেন্স, ইতালী, নরওয়ে, রোমানিয়া, সুইডেন এবং আমেরিকা।তারা ১৬৪ জন অংশগ্রহন কারী প্রতিনিধি পাঠালেন। ইংল্যান্ডে আন্তর্জাতিক পেনের আদর্শগুলিকে মিসেস স্যাফো পরিমার্জনা করলেন। তিনি পেনের মা। তার অনুপ্রেরণায় পেন দেশে ও বাইরে বিস্তৃতি লাভ করতে লাগল। সাথী লেখকগন তাদের পারস্পরিক বোঝাবুঝির মধ্যদিয়ে পেনে যোগদান করতে লাগলেন।<br />
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অ্যামি ডসন স্কট যেদিন বললেন ‘ আমার মাথায় একটা বুদ্ধি এসেছে’,১৯২১ সালে, তার আজ ৯০ বছর। তার সুদুর প্রসারী স্বপ্ন, লেখকদের আন্তর্জাতিক সমাবেশ ও সম্পর্ক গড়া আজ বিশাল কর্ম কান্ডে পরিনত হয়েছে। দেশের প্রতি দেশের, জাতির প্রতি জাতির, বোঝাবুঝির, শান্তির একটা মঞ্চ তৈরি হয়েছে। এই আন্তর্জাতিক মঞ্চ আজ স্বীকৃত মানবাধিকার সংগঠন। আজ পৃথিবীর ১০৫টি দেশে ১৪৫টি কেন্দ্র।<br />
মার্জরি ওয়াট বলেছেন, পেনের কেন্দ্রের মূল ছিলেন জন গলসওয়ার্দি। তিনি ছিলেন তখনকার দিনে অতিসুপরিচিত ও বিখ্যাত মানুষ।তার সাথে নানা দেশের যোগাযোগ ছিল। অ্যামি তাকে পরিচালক মন্ডলিতে যে করেই হোক আনতে পেরেছিলেন, পেনে যোগ দিয়ে তিনি দেশবিদেশের যোগাযোগই সাধন করেন নি। খুব তারাতারি তিনি পেন চলার গতিশক্তি রুপে আবির্ভূত হন।প্রচুর দেশভ্রমন করেন, তার আন্তর্জাতিক খ্যাতিকে নিংড়ে দেশে বিদেশে অনেক সদস্য সংখ্যা বাড়ান। অ্যামি ও গলসওয়ার্দির মধ্যে অনেক চরিত্রগত ভিন্নতা ছিল।গলসওয়ার্দি একজন আইনজ্ঞ, সাবধানী, জ্ঞানী, আবেগে নড়েননা—এদিকে অ্যামি আবেগমথিত,উদ্দীপিত, অসাধারণ ও জেদী--- ওরা একে অপরের পরিপূরক। অ্যামির সাথে গলসওয়ার্দির মত পার্থক্য ছিল প্রচুর।তবু তাকে সম্মান করতেন, তিনি জানতেন গলসওয়ার্দির কথার যুক্তি থাকে এবং তাকে গলসওয়ার্দির কথা শুনে চলতেই হবে।<br />
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সাইমন বার্কার বলে একজনের কথায় জানা যায়, কি করে জন গলসওয়ার্দি পেনের সাথে জড়িয়ে পড়লেন।<br />
তিনি প্রথম থেকেই পেনের সমর্থনে ছিলেন এবং এটা বুঝতে পেরেছিলেন তরুন লেখকদের তাদের ডেস্ক থেকে বেরিয়ে এসে জনসাধারনের বৃত্তে একে অপরের সাথে কথাবার্তা বলা দরকার। গলসওয়ার্দির উদ্দীপনার মূলে ছিল একটা ভাবনা। সে বিশ্বাস করে লেখক ও বুদ্ধিজীবিদের একটা সামাজিক দায়িত্ব আছে , অন্য লেখকদের প্রতি দায়িত্ব আছে। আছে দিনের শেষে সামাজিক বিষয় কেন্দ্র করে কথা বলা।<br />
জন গলসওয়ার্দিকে যদিও আমরা চিনি ‘ফরসাইট সাগা’র জন্য কিন্তু তার জনপ্রিয়তার ব্যাপ্তি এত বিস্তৃত ছিল যে যখন তিনি তার কাজের জন্য আমেরিকায় নিউইয়র্কে গিয়েছিলেন, জাহাজের ডক থেকে তাকে লুকিয়ে সরিয়ে নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়েছিল।কারণ তাকে দেখার জন্য এত লোকের ভিড় জমে ছিল—এটা বিটলসদের কথা মনে করিয়ে দেয়, যখন বিটলসরা প্রথমবার আমেরিকায় গেছিলেন তখন এমন হয়েছিল।<br />
গলসওয়ার্দীর একটা সোস্যাল ইমেজ ছিল, তার নিজের বিয়ের জন্য লন্ডন ক্লাব থেকে বহিষ্কার হয়েছিলেন, তাই তিনি চাইছিলেন সামাজিক পটভুমিকায় তার সম্মানকে পুনরোদ্ধার করতে। আর লোকে ভাবছিল তার ব্যক্তিগত জীবনে কিছু ঠিকঠাক চলছেনা ।তখন তিনি নারীর অধিকার নিয়ে লড়তেন। যুদ্ধের সময় তিনি কারাগার সংশোধনের জন্য আইন সংস্কার করেন। অনেক কিছুই একা একা করেন। অনেক ভাল কিছু করতে চান অবশেষে দৃড়সংকল্পিত হয়ে লেখায় ফিরে আসেন। সাত্রে যেমন বলেছিলেন, “তরোয়াল ধরার অবস্থা থেকে বাঁচতে হলে আগেই কলম হাতে ধর”।<br />
গলসওয়ার্দি কথাটার মানে পি.ই.এন. -এ নিয়েগেছিলেন।<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>পেন বা পি.ই.এন</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
পেন একটি বেসরকারী লেখকদের বিশ্বসংগঠন, বিশ্বের প্রথম মানবাধিকার সংগঠন, ইউনেস্কো বা ইউ.এন.ই.এস.সি.ও র বিশেষ পরামর্শদাতা, ইউনাইটেড নেশন এর সামাজিক ও অর্থনৈতিক উপদেস্টা।<br />
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<span style="color: blue;">১৯২১ সালে এর শুরু হয়। উপলক্ষ ছিল যা তা হলঃ</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">১. লেখকদের মধ্যে বৌদ্ধিক সহযোগীতা ও পরস্পরের মধ্যে বোঝাবুঝি।To promote intellectual co-operation and understanding among writers;</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">২. লেখকদের একটা বিশ্বসংগঠন করা যেখানে বেড়ে উঠা পৃথিবী বা ক্রমউন্নতমান পৃথিবীর সংস্কৃতিতে সাহিত্যের মূল কাজ কি হবে তা স্থির করা এবং To create a world community of writers that would emphasize the central role of literature in the development of world culture; and,</span><br />
<span style="color: blue;">৩. আধুনিক পৃথিবীতে দেখা যাচ্ছে লেখা ও লেখকদের অনেক হয়রানি জীবনের হুমকী, ভয়, বিপদ আসছে, তা থেকে লেখা ও লেখকগনকে বাঁচানো। To defend literature against the many threats to its survival which the modern world poses.</span><br />
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সংক্ষিপ্ত ইতিহাসঃ<br />
‘আন্তঃর্জাতিক পি. ই.এন.’ এই সংগঠনটি আজ থেকে ৯১ বছর আগে- ইউনাইটেড কিংডমের লন্ডনে - ১৯২১ সালে শুরু হয়। শুরুতে নামটি ছিল ‘পি. ই. এন’ বা পেন। শুরুর চার বছরের মধ্যে ইউরোপে ২৫টি কেন্দ্র স্থাপন হয়। এবং ১০ বছরের মধ্যে ১৯৩১ সালের মধ্যে দক্ষিণ আমেরিকা ও চীন সহ প্রচুর কেন্দ্র স্থাপন হয়। কেন্দ্রগুলি স্বাধীন ও স্বশাসিত।<br />
১৯৩৯ সালে দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের প্রাক্কালে, (প্রথম বিশ্বযুদ্ধ ১৯১৪ – ১৮) পৃথিবীর প্রায় দেশগুলিতে সূচনীয় ও ঘনায়মান অন্ধকার গাঢ় হয়ে উঠছিল, তখন পি.ই.এন. এর সদস্য হয়েছিল অন্তর্ভুক্ত দেশবৃন্দঃ আর্জেন্টিনা,অস্ট্রেলিয়া, বলিভিয়া, ব্রাজিল, কানাডা, চিলি, কলম্বিয়া, মিশর, ভারত, ইরাক, জাপান, মেক্সিকো, নিউজিল্যান্ড, প্যালেস্টাইন, উরুগুয়ে, আমেরিকা এবং অন্যান্য। উত্তর ইউরোপের বা স্ক্যান্ডিনাভিয়ান দেশগুলি সহ পূর্ব ইউরোপের অনেক দেশ ও সদস্য হিসাবে অন্তর্ভুক্ত ছিল। বাস্ক, ক্যাটালান এবং ইদ্দিশ কেন্দ্রগুলিরও প্রতিনিধি ছিল।<br />
আজ আট দশক পর, ব্যপক ও ভিন্ন ধরণের সংস্কৃতি, ভাষার সজ্জা ও বিস্তৃতি নিয়ে, ইউরোপের বাইরে ১৪৫টি কেন্দ্র নিয়ে ‘আন্তঃর্জাতিক পি.ই.এন’ গর্ব করার মতো একটি বিশ্বসংগঠন।<br />
পি. ই. এন. হল বিশ্বে প্রথম বেসরকারী সংগঠন এবং যে কয়টি প্রথম আন্তঃর্জাতিক সংগঠন মানুষের অধিকার নিয়ে উকালতি করছে তার মধ্যে অন্যতম। নিশ্চিতভাবে, বিস্তৃত পৃথিবীর প্রথম লেখকদের সংগঠন ----এবং প্রথম সংগঠন যারা চিহ্নিত করেছিল একটি নীতি – বাক্স্বাধীনতা ও সাহিত্য অবিচ্ছেদ্য বিষয়— একটি নীতি যা তারা উপরে ধরে রেখেছে আজও, তাদের চার্টারে বা সাংবিধানিক ধারায় স্থান দিয়েছে। ১৯২৬ সালে এই নীতির সূত্রপাত এবং ২২ বছর লেগেছিল তা নানা পরীক্ষায় উত্তীর্ণ করে ১৯৪৮ সালের কোপেনহাগেন কংগ্রেসে চিরস্থায়ীভাবে গৃহীত হয়।<br />
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প্রায় কঠিন এক শতাব্দী ধরে প্রথম মহাযুদ্ধ থেকে শুরু করে দ্বিতীয় মহাযুদ্ধের গড়ে উঠা ও প্রাদুর্ভাবে, -- তারপর ঠান্ডাযুদ্ধের মধ্যদিয়ে এবং সোভিয়েট ইউনিয়নের পতন এবং আজকের বিস্তারিত পৃথিবীর ভিন্নপ্রকৃতির ও সুক্ষ্ম ভিন্ন আবহাওয়ায় আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেন সাহিত্য ও স্বাধীনতাকে নিয়ে নানা টানাপোড়েনে চলেছে, দ্বন্ধ, পরীক্ষা, নানা আপত্তি অগ্রাহ্য ইত্যাদি করে সামলে আসছে। আজকের আধুনিক ইতিহাসের সবচেয়ে নাটকীয় মোড়গুলির প্রতিক্রিয়া জানিয়েছে। এবং এর নেতৃত্ববর্গ- প্রত্যেকযুগের সেরা ব্যক্তিগণ, বিখ্যাত ও বুদ্ধিজীবিগণ সহ, সকল অক্লান্ত ও উৎসর্গিত সদস্যবৃন্দেরা - লেখা, পড়া ও প্রকাশ করার অধিকারের নিশ্চয়তা দেওয়ার লক্ষ্যে সংগ্রাম করে চলছেন বিশ্বসংস্কৃতির কেন্দ্রগুলিতে।<br />
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পেন বা পি.ই.এন শব্দটা এসেছে ইংরাজী শব্দ পোয়েটস (কবি),এসেয়িস্টস (প্রাবন্ধিক),নভেলিস্টস (উপন্যাসিক) (পরে যোগ করা হয়েছে প্লেরাইটস ( নাট্যকার) ও এডিটরস (সম্পাদক দের) মূলতঃ মসীজীবি বা লেখক—কবি, নাট্যকার, সম্পাদক, প্রাবন্ধিক ও উপন্যাসিকগণের সমাবেশ। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর সদস্য সংখ্যা বেড়ে উঠার জন্য পি.ই.এন. আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেন বা পি.ই.এন নামে খ্যাতি লাভ করে।<br />
<b>প্রথমে ছিল একটা নতুন ধরণের ডিনার (সান্ধ্যভোজের) ক্লাব।</b><br />
ক্যাথরিন অ্যামি ডসন স্কট, একজন ব্রিটিশ কবি, নাট্যকার এবং শান্তিবাদ কর্মী মহিলা প্রথম বিশ্বযুদ্ধের তান্ডবের পর সকল লেখকদের একত্রিত করতে চেয়েছিলেন। প্রথমদিকে এটা একটা সান্ধ্যভোজের আসর ছাড়া কিছুই ছিলনা, শুধু ছিল একটু জায়গা যেখানে লেখকরা সামাজিকতা বা নিজেদের মধ্যে ভাবনা-চিন্তার বিনিময় করতেন। পেন ক্লাব ইউরোপের অন্যান্য রাজ্যে স্থাপন হবে এবং লেখকরা সেখানে গিয়ে নতুন বন্ধুদের সাথে ভাবনা বিনিময় করবেন এইরকম ভাবনা চিন্তা ছিল। ডসন স্কটের সান্ধ্যভোজের অতিথিবর্গের মধ্যে একজন ছিলেন জন গলসওয়ার্দি, যিনি পেন এর প্রথম প্রেসিডেন্ট হন,যিনি একটা আন্তঃর্জাতিক আন্দোলনের সম্ভাবনা দেখতে পেয়েছিলেন---- যা নরনারী লেখকগনের জন্য বহু রাজ্যের জাতিগনের একটি ঐক্য সমাবেশ মঞ্চ।<br />
<b>রাজনীতির প্রশ্নে</b><br />
পেন তার প্রথম কংগ্রেস উপস্থাপনা করে ১৯২৩ সালে, ১১ টি কেন্দ্র তাতে যোগ দেয়। ১৯২০ সালের থেকেই পেন তার চরিত্রে অদ্বিতীয়, সংস্কৃতি, ভাষা বা রাজনৈতিক দ্বিমত তোয়াক্কা না করে সকল লেখকগনদের একজায়গায় আনতে পেরেছিল।পেন অরাজনৈতিক সংগঠন কিন্তু এইসময়টাতে রাজনৈতিক পারদ চাপানউতর সবাই লক্ষ্য করছিল। বস্তুত, একটি প্রতিষ্ঠাকালীন নীতি—কোন অবস্থাতেই কোন রাজনীতি পেন ক্লাবে চলবেনা, এরকম ছিল। এতেই কাজ হয়েছিল, পেনে সবাই বাক্স্বাধীনতা, শান্তি ও বন্ধুত্ব বজায় রেখেছিল কিন্তু কোন রাজনৈতিক বিতর্ক ছিলনা।<br />
১৯৩৩ সালে, যাইহোক, এই ভাবনাটাকে পরীক্ষায় এনে ফেলেছিল কারণ জার্মানীতে জাতীয় সমাজবাদীর ছায়া ফেলেছিল। ডুব্রবনিকে পেন কংগ্রেসের প্রতিনিধিরা ঐ বছর বুঝেছিল রাস্ট্রিয় দমন ও অসহিষ্ণুতার বাতাবরণ উপেক্ষা করে চলা কঠিন।<br />
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এমনকি ১৯২৬ সালে, বার্লিনে পেন কংগ্রেসে জার্মান পেন ও পেনের সাধারন সভ্যদের মধ্যে ভাবনার সংঘাত ও দুঃচিন্তার পারদ চড়ছিল। অনেক তরুন জার্মান লেখক- বার্টোল্ট ব্রেখট, আলফ্রেড ডব্লিন এবং রবার্ট মিউসিল তাদের অন্যতম ছিলেন---তারা বলছিলেন জার্মান পেন তাদের দেশে সত্যিকারের জার্মান সাহিত্য প্রতিনিধিত্ব করছেনা। তারা প্রেসিডেন্ট গলস ওয়ার্দির সাথে দেখা করেন তাদের হতাশার কথা জানালেন। নাট্যকার আরনেস্ট টলার বললেন রাজনীতি উপেক্ষা করে চলবেনা, রাজনীতি পেনে থাকবে---এটা সর্বত্র এবং এর প্রভাব থাকবেই।<br />
<b>বই পোড়ানো, পোড়ানোর আক্রোশ</b><br />
১৯৩২ সালের বুদাপেস্ট কংগ্রেসে ধর্মীয় ও রাজনৈতিক বন্দীদের মুক্তির জন্য একটা আবেদন পাঠানো হয়েছিল সকল দেশের সরকারের কাছে। গলস ওয়ার্দী তখন পাঁচটি বক্তব্য ঘোষণা করেছিলেন- এটা ছিল পেন বিকাশের আরেক ধাপ যেটা আজ আমরা পেন চার্টারে দেখতে পাই।<br />
তার পরের বছর রাজনৈতিক টানাপোড়েন অভুতপূর্বভাবে বেড়ে উঠেছিল। ব্রিটিশ উপন্যাসিক এইচ জি ওয়েলস ১৯৩৩ সালে গলস ওয়ার্দির মৃত্যুর পর পেনের প্রেসিডেন্ট হন। জার্মানীর নাজীরা তখন বই পোড়ানো উৎসবে মত্ত, ওয়েলস এর বিরুদ্ধে প্রচার অভিযান চালান। জার্মান পেন প্রতিবাদ করতে পারলনা, ব্যর্থ হল। অধিকন্তু, টলারকে (তিনি এক ইহুদী ছিলেন) ডুব্রভনিকের কংগ্রেসে বলা থেকে বিরত করার চেস্টা করল। তারপরেই পেন থেকে জার্মান পেনের সদস্য পদ থেকে খারিজ করে দিল। বিবৃতিতে পেন বলল যদি জার্মান পেন তাদের জাতীয়তাবাদী আদর্শে চলে তবে তাদের পেন সংগঠন কে বাতিল করা হল।<br />
<b>জেল বন্দি লেখকদের দুটো পুরানো ঘটনাঃ</b><br />
১৯৩০ সালের শেষের দিকে লেখকগনের পক্ষে সক্রিয়ভাবে আবেদন করা বা প্রতিবাদ করা পেনের অন্যতম কাজ হয়ে উঠেছিল। হাঙ্গেরীতে জন্ম আর্থার কোয়েস্টলার, তখন তিনি সাঙবাদিক ছিলেন, তিনি ফ্যাসিস্ট স্পেনে বন্দী ছিলেন, তাকে মৃত্যু দন্ড দেওয়া হয়েছিল। পেন তার মুক্তির দাবীতে সোচ্চার হলে তিনি মুক্তি পান।<br />
স্পেনের মহান কবি ফেদেরিকো গারসিয়া লোরকা অন্যদিকে তার অ্যারেস্ট হওয়ার পরই তাকে গুলি করে হত্যা করা হয়, তাকে বাঁচানো যায়নি। কারন পেন টেলিগ্রাম যখন পেয়েছে তখন দেরী হয়ে গেছে। ১৯৩৭ সালে প্যারিসে পেন কংগ্রেসে লোরকার প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানানো হয়।<br />
<b>যুদ্ধোত্তর পেনের দিনঃ</b><br />
দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর পেন পুরো অন্যরকম হয়ে গেল। আগে এর সৃস্টির পেছনে ভাবনা ছিল ক্লাব হিসাবে জাতি, ধর্ম ও বিশ্বাস যাইহোকনা কেন লেখকদের স্বাগতম জানানো। যুদ্ধের সময় লন্ডনে ও নিউইয়র্কে নির্বাসিত লেখকদের নিয়ে নতুন দল প্রতিষ্ঠিত হল। পেনে কিছু চাপও সৃস্টি হচ্ছিল যেমন যারা জার্মানে জাতীয় সমাজতন্ত্র সমর্থন করছিল বা অন্যত্র যারা এসব করছিল তাদের সাথে পেন কিভাবে ব্যবস্থা নেবে। এবং ক্রমশ বেড়ে উঠা আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেন সমাজ নিয়মিতভাবে কিভাবে যোগাযোগ বজায় রাখতে পারে বা দরকারের সময় তাৎক্ষণিকভাবে যোগাযোগ রাখবে, এই প্রয়োজন থেকেই আন্তর্জাতিক পেনে ইগজিকিউটিভ কমিটি গঠিত হয়।<br />
১৯৪৯ সালে আমেরিকান পেনের সংকল্পিত ভাবনায় পেন বিশ্বের লেখকদের প্রতিনিধি হিসাবে ‘ইউনাইটেড নেশনে’ পরামর্শদাতার মর্যাদা পায়। এবং ইউনাইটেড নেশনের শরিক।<br />
১৯৫০ সালে পেন সদস্যগন যেসব লেখকদের লেখা বা মতামতের জন্য মৃত্যুদণ্ড বা জেল দণ্ড পেয়েছেন তাদের মামলাগুলি পরীক্ষানীরিক্ষার জন্য একটি কমিটি করার প্রয়োজন ভাবেন। তার ফল হিসেবে একটি কমিটি ‘রাইটার্স ইন প্রিজন’ গঠিত হয় ১৯৬০ সালের এপ্রিল মাসে। আস্তে আস্তে পেন আন্তঃর্জাতিক মহলে প্রভাব বিস্তার শুরু করল।<br />
ওলে শয়িঙ্কা এবং মেরিলিন মনরোর স্বামীর চিঠিঃ<br />
১৯৬৭ সালে আমেরিকার নাট্যকার আর্থার মিলারের প্রেসিডেন্সীশিপের সময় পেন নাইজিরিয়ার কাছে একটা আবেদন রেখেছিল এমন একজন নাট্যকারের পক্ষে যিনি তখন তার দেশের বাইরে পরিচিতি পাননি। ওলে শয়িঙ্কাকে তার দেশের সর্বোচ্চ কর্তা জেনারেল ইয়াকুবু গোওন তাড়াতাড়ি মেরে ফেলার জন্য চিহ্নিত করেছিল। তখন বাইয়াফ্রান পৃথক হওয়া নিয়ে সেখানে গৃহযুদ্ধ চলছিল।<br />
এক ব্যবসায়ী পেনের থেকে একটি চিঠি গোঅন এর কাছে নিয়ে গেছিলেন,শয়িংকার মুক্তির দাবিতে এবং বললেন কে চিঠিটা লিখেছে্ন, বস্তুত যিনি মেরিলিন মনরোকে বিয়ে করেছিলেন ( ১৯৫৬ সালে আর্থার মিলার মেরিলিন মনরোকে বিয়ে করেছিলেন) গোঅন যখন নিশ্চিত হন সে একই ব্যক্তি মনরোর স্বামী ও পত্রলেখক শয়িঙ্কার মুক্তি চাইছেন তখন গোঅন তার বন্দীকে মুক্ত করে দেন। শয়িঙ্কা তারপর দেশ ছেড়ে যান, অবশ্যই, পৃথিবীর বিখ্যাত কবি ও নাট্যকার হিসাবে ১৯৮৬ সালে সাহিত্যের জন্য তিনি নোবেল পুরষ্কার পান।<br />
<b>রাশিয়ানরা নারাজ</b><br />
মিলার রাশিয়ার লেখকদের সাথে দেখা করতে রাশিয়ায় যান, এবং মিলারকে বলা হয় যে তারা পেনের সদস্য হতে চান কিন্তু প্রধান বাধা হল পেনের চার্টার। মিলার পরিষ্কার করে বললেন যে তিনি এখানে চার্টার অদল বদল করে তাদের উপযুক্ত করার জন্য আসেননি। তিনি এসেছেন দেখতে কিসে পেন পৃথিবীতে ছড়িয়ে পড়ছে। যাইহোক তিনি এটা নিশ্চিত করেন যে পুব-পশ্চিম বিভাজন খোলা রাখা আছে। কিন্তু রাশিয়ান পেন ১৯৮৮ এর আগে সৃস্টি হয়নি। তার পরের তিন দশক—২০০০ সাল অব্দি পেন পৃথিবীর কোনায় কোনায় পৌছে গেছে ও তার শুভ ছাপ রেখে গেছে। পেনের আওয়াজকে জাতীয় বা আন্তঃর্জাতীক স্তরে মূল্য দেওয়া হয় বা সম্মান জানানো হয়, কিছু বিষয়ে যেমন - বাক্স্বাধীনতায়, অনুবাদ সাহিত্যে, মহিলা লেখকগনের সমস্যায় এবং কি করে সকল লেখকদের সংস্কৃতি ও ভাষার উপর দিয়ে একত্রে আনা যায় ইত্যাদি। সেন্সরশিপ, মৃত্যুদণ্ডাজ্ঞা, জেলবন্দী এবং খুন—এসবের বিরুদ্ধে পেন ক্রমাগত আন্দোলন চালিয়ে যাচ্ছে।<br />
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<b>রাশদি প্রসঙ্গ</b><br />
১৯৮০ থেকে ১৯৯০ সাল, লেখকগন , প্রশাসকগন বা আন্তঃর্জাতিক সংগঠনগুলি অবগত আছে যে পেন জেল বা মৃত্যু সাজাপ্রাপ্ত বা বিচারাধীন লেখকদের হয়ে কাজ করছে। ১৯৮৯ সালে,বুকার পুরষ্কার বিজয়ী সালমান রাশদী তার বই স্যাটানিক ভার্সেস এর লেখার চেয়ে বেশী আন্তঃর্জাতিক দৃস্টি আকর্ষন করেছিলেন,কারণ, ইরাণের আয়াতোল্লা খোমেনির ধর্মীয় ফতোয়া লেখকের মৃত্যু জারী করেন , তাদের মতে ইসলামের অবমাননা করা হয়েছে সালমানের বইয়ে। সালমান বাধ্য হয়ে আড়ালে লুকিয়ে যান। এরপর রাশদীর দুর্দশা সাহিত্যের এক ইতিহাস হয়ে উঠে। মৃত্যুদন্ডপ্রাপ্ত লেখক হিসাবে তিনি এক প্রতীক হয়ে যান। পেন ফতোয়া তুলে নেবার অভিযান চালায় পৃথিবীর সর্বত্র এবং প্রকাশকদের বইটি বিক্রীর সমর্থন দেয়। রাশদী আজ অব্দি আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেনের সদস্য এবং আমেরিকান পেনের প্রাক্তন প্রেসিডেন্ট।<br />
<b>কেন সারো-উইয়াঃ</b><br />
১৯৯৫ সালে,পেনের চোখ আবার নাইজিরিয়ার দিকে ঘুরে গেল। পেন ৯০ সাল থেকে একটা মামলা লক্ষ্য করছিল। উপন্যাসিক,নাট্যরুপকার ও মানবাধিকার কর্মী কেন সারো-উইয়া । নাইজার ব-দ্বীপের কাছে ওগোনি জাতির লোকদের হয়ে প্রচারভিযান চালাচ্ছিল কেন সারো-ঊইয়া, তার জন্য তাকে ১৯৯২ সালে প্রশাসন প্রথম গ্রেপ্তার করল।। ওগোনিরা বৃহত্তরভাবে স্বয়ং শাসন বা স্বায়ত্বশাসন চাইছিল, এবং কেন সারো-উইয়া বহুজাতিক পেট্রোলিয়াম সংস্থা রয়াল ডাচ শেল এর কাছে আবেদন রাখছিল যে তারা যেন তেল নিকাশ করতে গিয়ে ওগোনি ল্যান্ডের পরিবেশ যা ক্ষতি করেছে তার দায়িত্ব নেয়। তার কয়েক মাস পর তাকে ছেড়ে দেয়। ১৯৯৩ সালে আবার একমাসের জন্য একটি শান্তিপ্রিয় প্রতিবাদের জন্য গ্রেপ্তার করে, ঐ আন্দোলনটা নাইজিরিয়ান সিকিউরিটি ফোর্সেস ভয়াবহ ভাবে দমন করেছিল। ১৯৯৪ সালে ৪ জন ওগোনি সর্দার মারা গেল মিলিটান্ট ওগোনিদের হাতে। সারো উইয়াকে আগেরবার এই সর্দারদের সাথে সভায় বসতে বাধা দেওয়া হয়েছিল। প্রশাসন আবার তাকে ওগোনি ডানপন্থীদের ১৪ জনের সাথে গ্রেপ্তার করল। তাকে খুনের অপরাধে অভিযুক্ত করা হল। ১৯৯৫ এর ১০ মার্চ, পেনের আন্তঃর্জাতিক প্রচার অভিযান চলা সত্ত্বেও কেন সারো-উইয়া কে মারা হল। তারপর আন্তঃর্জাতিক চিৎকার, চাপ আসতে লাগল নাইজিরিয়ার সরকারের উপর। ১৯৯৬ সালে শেল কোম্পানীর বিরুদ্ধে নাইজিরিয়ায় মানবাধিকার লঙ্ঘনের মামলা রুজু করা হল কেন সারো-উইয়া হত্যা সহ। ২০০৯ সালে শেল কোম্পানী ১৫.৫ মিলিয়ন ডলার ক্ষতিপূরন দিতে রাজী হল। <br />
২০০৬ সালের অক্টোবরে, অ্যানা পলিটস্কোভায়া, একজন উচ্চ স্তরের রাশিয়ান সাংবাদিক, স্বাধীন খবরের কাগজে ‘নোভায়া গ্যাজেটা’ কাজ করতেন। চেচনিয়ার যুদ্ধের উপর তিনি খবর লিখতেন। তাকে মৃত্যুর হুমকী দেওয়া হচ্ছিল। একদিন তাকে তার বাড়ীর (অ্যাপার্টমেন্টের) লিফটে খুন করা অবস্থায় পাওয়া গেল। পেন তারপর থেকে খুনীকে আদালতে তোলার সর্বচেস্টা চালিয়ে যাচ্ছে।<br />
তার তিন মাস পর, ২০০৭ এর জানূয়ারীতে, আমেরিকান তুর্কী লেখক এবং খবরের কাগজের সম্পাদক হ্রান্ট দিঙ্ক কে ইস্তানবুলে মারাত্মক ভাবে গুলি করে মারল। ডিঙ্ক তূর্কী সংবিধানের ৩০১ ধারায় তার লেখায় তুর্কীজাতি্কে অপমান করার অভিযোগে দোষী সাব্যস্ত ছিল। ডিঙ্ক তুর্কী সরকারকে ১৯১৫ সালে আর্মেনিয়ান গনহত্যাকে চ্যালেঞ্জের মুখে ছুঁড়ে দিয়েছিল।<br />
পেন দিঙ্ক এর পরিবারকে সাহায্য করেছিল এবং তার হত্যাকারীকে চিহ্নিত করার চাপ দিল। এক তরুন তূর্কী উগ্রজাতীয়তাবাদীকে ধরা হল ও ডিঙ্ক কে খুন করার অপরাধে কোর্ট মৃত্যুদন্ড দিল,অন্যান্য দের সাজা দিল।<br />
এই হল আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেন। আজও ডসন স্কট ও গলস ওয়ার্দীর আওয়াজ শোনা যায়। লেখকরা শক্তিশালী হচ্ছে,তারূন্যতা পাচ্ছে, নির্ভীক হচ্ছে। সবই আন্তঃর্জাতিক পেনের অভয়ে।<br />
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পেনের কাজ সঠিক ভাবে পালনের জন্য চারটি কমিটি আছেঃ ১. শান্তির জন্য লেখকদের কমিটি ২.জেলবন্দী লেখকদের কমিটি ৩. নারী লেখকদের কমিটি ৪.অনুবাদ ও ভাষাগত অধিকারের কমিটি।<br />
‘পেন ইন্টারনেশনাল’ নামে পেন একটি ম্যাগাজিন ষান্মাসিকভাবে প্রকাশ করে। তাতে পৃথিবীর সকল প্রান্ত থেকে সমকালীন মৌলিক লেখা সংগৃহীত হয়। উঠতি লেখকগন থেকে প্রতিষ্ঠিত লেখকরা লেখা পাঠান। এই ম্যাগাজিনটি ১৯৫০ সালে শুরু হয়, নাম ছিল ‘বুলেটিন অব সিলেক্টেড বুকস’, তাতে পৃথিবীর সাহিত্যের উপর আলো ফেলে সাহিত্য মতামত প্রকাশ হত।পরে তাতে যোগ হল প্রবন্ধ, ছোট গল্প ও কবিতা।বর্তমানে ম্যাগাজিনটির যে আদল তা ১৯৮২ সাল থেকে।<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">চার্টার</span></b><br />
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১.সাহিত্য, যদিও কোনো জাতির, বা যেকোন ভৌগোলিক স্থানে তার উৎপত্তি, তার কোনো সীমানা নেই, সে সর্বত্র অবাধ বিচরণ করবে। রাজনীতি বা আন্তর্জাতিক কোনো সংঘাত তাকে স্পর্শ করবেনা।<br />
২.যেকোনো অবস্থায়- বিশেষ করে যুদ্ধের সময়, জাতীয় বা রাজনৈতিক আবেগ শিল্পকর্ম, পাঠাগার, বা পূর্বপুরুষের উত্তরাধিকারের সূত্রে পাওয়া বস্তুতে কখনো যেন স্পর্শ না করে<br />
৩.পেনের সদস্যগন তাদের ক্ষমতা বা প্রভাব যা আছে সবসময় ভিন্নজাতিগনের মধ্যে শ্রদ্ধা ও পরস্পরের বোঝাবুঝিতে ব্যবহার করবে, তারা শ্রেণি,বর্ণবৈষম্য বা জাতির প্রতি ঘৃণা বর্জন করার শপথ নেবে। এবং পৃথিবীতে শান্তিতে বসবাস করার জন্য মানবিক আদর্শ গুলি তুলে ধরবে।<br />
৪.পেন জাতি ও বিভিন্ন জাতির মধ্যে ভাবনাকে ব্যঘাতহীনভাবে পৌছে দেওয়া বা চালনা করা সমর্থন করে। সদস্যগন মানুষের অভিব্যক্তি প্রকাশ দমনকে বা বিরুদ্ধাচরণকে বাধা দেওয়ার বা প্রতিবাদ করার শপথ নেয়, তারা তাদের দেশের মধ্যে বা সমাজের মধ্যে অভিব্যক্তি প্রকাশের সকল মাধ্যমের স্বাধীনতাকে নিরাপত্তা দেয়।<br />
৫.পেন ঘোষনা করে স্বাধীন বক্তব্য বা মুক্ত প্রকাশ।শান্তির সময় কোনো বিধিনিষেধকরণ চলবেনা। পেন বিশ্বাস করে প্রচন্ড উন্নত সংগঠিত রাজনৈতিক, অর্থনৈতিক পৃথিবীতে সরকারের, প্রশাসনের, বা বিভিন্ন প্রতিষ্ঠানের মুক্ত সমালোচনা আবশ্যিক প্রয়োজন। এবং স্বাধীনতা মানে স্বেচ্ছায় সংযত থাকাও তাই সদস্যগন শপথ নেয় কোনো রাজনৈতিক বা ব্যক্তিগত স্বার্থে কেউ যদি সত্যের অপলাপ করে, স্বেচ্ছায় ভুলতথ্য পরিবেশন করে, মিথ্যা বলে তার বিরোধিতা করা।<br />
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লেখা ঃ অ্যালবার্ট অশোক<br />
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BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-14679401012367023132012-05-18T22:06:00.003-07:002012-05-18T22:06:32.094-07:00PEN News: May 17, 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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PEN News: May 17, 2012</h2>
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Writers are now eligible for PEN membership after the publication of
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publicists—are also invited to join. <a href="http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/581" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Submit your application today</a>.<br />
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<strong><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12042" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
<span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><em>Art is not entertainment. At its very best, art is a revolution.</em></span></a></strong><br />
<strong><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"> <span style="color: #003366;"> </span><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12042" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
<span style="color: #003366;"> </span></a></span></strong><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12042" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Salman Rushdie delivers the Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture - </span></a><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12042" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Click here to watch!</a><strong><span><a href="" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
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<span style="color: darkorange;"> </span></a></span></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/eskinder_Nega_100x80.jpg" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/eskinder_Nega_100x80.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/6494/prmID/172" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;">ESKINDER NEGA RECEIVES 2012 FREEDOM TO WRITE AWARD </span></span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/6494/prmID/172" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Nega "picked up his pen to write things that he knew would put him at risk"</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11985" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/egan_100x80.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; height: 80px; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11985" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> JENNIFER EGAN: HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN RULES</span></span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11985" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan discusses the role of structure in writing and reading</span></a><br />
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<a href="" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
</a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11957" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/atwood_100x80.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; float: left; height: 80px; margin-bottom: 2px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 5px; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> TIMESTALKS </span></span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11957" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, and E.L. Doctorow talk with A.O. Scott of <em>The New York Times</em></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12069" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
<img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Eltahawy_100x801.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; height: 80px; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12069" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> UNDERSTANDING EGYPT</span></span></strong></a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12069" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
</a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12069" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #004681;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>With Mona Eltahawy, Elias Khoury, and Rula Jebreal</b></span></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/2228" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012PWV_100X80.gif" style="border: 0px solid; float: left; height: 80px; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM PWV AUTHORS </span></span></strong><br />
</a><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/2228" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">New Work from </span><b class="TITLE" style="color: #30448d;">Herta Müller</b><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;">, Ludmila Ulitskaya, Elias Khoury, Etgar Keret, and Others </span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://penlive.tumblr.com/" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" border="0" height="80" src="http://static.tumblr.com/58sgieu/RMrm2kxr4/pen_live_transparent_180x142.png" style="border: 1px solid #000000; height: 80px; width: 101px;" width="101" /></a><a href="http://penlive.tumblr.com/" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> PENLive! </span></span></strong></a><a href="" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
</a><a href="http://penlive.tumblr.com/" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #004681;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>Our team of live-bloggers posted photos, videos, and reflections throughout the PEN World Voices Festival</b></span></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12019" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br />
<img align="left" height="80" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/litcrawl_100x80.jpg" style="border: 0px solid; float: left; height: 80px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 2px; width: 100px;" width="100" /></a><a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12019" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><strong><span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: #084478;"> PEN EVENTS </span></span></strong></a><br />
<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=12019" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxsubTitle" style="color: #004681; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold;"><b style="color: #004681;">Join PEN May 19 for Booze & Books at Lit Crawl 2012</b></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.pen.org/blog" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b/files/dpa_banner2_370x50.jpg" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px; height: 50px; width: 370px;" /></a></div>
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More from the <a href="http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/1096" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">PEN World Voices Festival</a>; Julian Sanchez <a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11938" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">on fiction and surveillance</a>; news and updates from <a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?p=11997" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">authors and members of PEN</a>; Charles Simic, Tracy K. Smith, and others <a href="http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/6439/prmID/2206" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">translate poets alive</a>; Mark Nowak's <a href="http://penlive.tumblr.com/post/23059235125/theres-so-much-to-say-writings-from-the-domestic" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Domestic Writers United Workshop</a>; and more excerpts from the latest issue of <a href="http://www.pen.org/blog/?cat=36" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><em>PEN America</em></a>.</div>
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-45884339057428252392012-04-28T05:27:00.000-07:002012-04-28T05:27:11.917-07:00PEN World Voices Festival!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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One Week Until PEN World Voices Festival!</h2>
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<strong>The PEN World Voices Festival starts next week!<br />
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From April 30 to May 6, 100 writers from around the globe are coming
to New York City to celebrate the power of the word in action. Join the
celebration online. Follow us on <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=4d03f9e90f&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=446646ba86&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=f4776548fa&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a>, and don't forget to share your favorite events with friends. </strong><br />
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<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wednesday, May 2 | <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=0854f87b81&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">4 events</a></span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=b4ce6eb74d&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/kronos_75x72.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" /><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Opening Night—The Kronos Quartet: Exit Strategies</span></a><br style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" />
In this Festival’s signature event, the string quartet will team up with writers <strong>Tony Kushner</strong>, <strong>Marjane Satrapi</strong>, and <strong>Rula Jebreal</strong> to further explore the boundaries between these two arts. <span style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=baf1d8459a&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></span></span><br />
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<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thursday, May 3 | <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=2cd4e44c33&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">13 events</a></span></strong><br />
<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=6b8d6ff1d6&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/images/authors/1579_muller_75x72.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" /><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">In Conversation: Herta Müller and Claire Messud</span></a><br style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;" />
In her first New York appearance in over a decade, 2009 Nobel Laureate <strong>Herta Müller </strong>will read from her forthcoming novel <em>The Hunger Angel </em>and will converse with literary titan <strong>Claire Messud</strong>. <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=3997ffd396&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=aaaae49059&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="72" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/eltahaway_75x72.jpg" style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=1b02ff9785&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Understanding Egypt: Mona Eltahawy, Elias Khoury and Rula Jebreal</span></a>
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What is really happening inside the most populous country in the Arab
world? How accurate is the American media’s portrayal of events as they
unfold? <strong>Mona Eltahawy</strong> joins authors <strong>Elias Khoury</strong> and <strong>Rula Jebreal</strong> to discuss the Egyptian revolution and the future of the country. <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=b786dd0515&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></div>
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<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Friday, May 4 | <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=13f8932fbc&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">9 events</a></span></strong></div>
<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=e0bf263688&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="75" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/cage_75x72%281%29.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a></strong><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=1237abd910&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">John Cage: How to Get Started</span></a><br style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" />
In honor of John Cage’s centennial, PEN will revive for the first time ever John Cage’s <em>How To Get Started</em>—a collaborative experiment on improvisation and the origin of ideas, featuring <strong>David Harrington </strong>of Kronos Quartet, <strong>Aleksander Hemon</strong>, <strong>Etgar Keret</strong>, <strong>Sonia Sanchez</strong>, and you! <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=260cad675a&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a><br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=1baa442e93&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="72" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/ulitskaya_75x72.jpg" style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=6fdb72e04f&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">In Conversation: Ludmila Ulitskaya and Anderson Tepper</span></a><br />
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Recipient of the Russian Booker Prize, <strong>Ludmila Ulitskaya</strong> is
considered the heir to Chekhov and among the most important writers in
Russia today. Ulitskaya will read from her writing and discuss with<strong> Anderson Tepper </strong>the current political, cultural, and social situation in Russia. <span style="font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=0b71da452c&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></span><br />
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<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Saturday, May 5 | <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=c1aff05621&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">14 events</a></span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=c95c4d874e&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="72" src="http://www.pen.org/images/authors/240_ssanchez_75x72.jpg" style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=aeceaf4770&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;"><em>Memory</em> in Harlem</span></a><br />
Food for thought, food for the palate—<strong>Sonia Sanchez</strong>, <strong>Etgar Keret</strong>, <strong>Adam Manbach</strong>, <strong>Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts</strong>, and 2012 Pulitzer prize-winning <strong>Tracy K. Smith</strong> read from their works dealing with the complexities of memory. With <strong>Chef Marcus Samuelsson</strong> of Red Rooster Harlem. <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=dac3110cf9&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a><br />
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<strong style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sunday, May 6 | <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=3ba9bfeb0b&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">4 events</a></span></strong><br />
<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=121409b9d8&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="72" src="http://www.pen.org/images/authors/241_mcunningham_75x72.jpg" style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=aac2994202&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">A Place Out of Time: Gregor von Rezzori’s Bukovina Trilogy</span></a>
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Born in the Ukraine on the eve of World War I, novelist Gregor von
Rezzori built his reputation as a chronicler of the fading
Austro-Hungary Empire. Explore Rezzori's lost worlds in his Bukovina
trilogy with a stellar line-up of admirers: <strong>Michael Cunningham</strong>, <strong>Deborah Eisenberg</strong>, <strong>Daniel Kehlmann</strong>, and<strong> Edmund White</strong>. Moderated by <strong>Edwin Frank</strong>. <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=0f7a2d537a&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></div>
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<span style="color: dimgrey;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Translation Matters</b></span><br />
Translation increase cultural understanding and the exchange of ideas.
Come hear some of the best minds in translation today in four
translation-related festival events.</span><br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=971c498b11&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/komunyakaa_50x48.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=d50a008e9a&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Translating Poets Alive</span></a><br />
Four seminal voices of American poetry—<strong>Yusef Komunyakaa</strong>, <strong>Charles Simic</strong>, <strong>Tracy K. Smith</strong>, and <strong>Anne Waldman</strong>—will read excerpts of their work together with their translators.<br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=4765f5ace4&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/stein_50x48.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=543273c41a&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Reviewing Translations</span></a><br />
When a translated work is under review, what exactly is being critiqued? With <strong>Ruth Franklin</strong>, <strong>Julya Rabinowich</strong>, <strong>Lorin Stein</strong>; moderated by <strong>Eric Banks</strong> and <strong>Susan Bernofsky</strong>.<br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=8866b240ac&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/mastretta_50x48.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=86a40ad61f&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Translation Slam</span></a><br style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;" />
Don't miss this duel to the translation death! With <strong>Laurie Sheck</strong> and others; hosted by <strong>Michael F. Moore</strong>.<br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=1c01efa9fa&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="48" src="http://www.pen.org/userfiles/image/cort%C3%A9s-50x48.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="50" /></a> <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=0f67376334&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;">Go the F**k to Sleep: A Translation Event</span></a><br />
A panel of writers and translators explore the swear words we use and how they affect what we read. With <strong>Ricardo Cortés</strong>, <strong>Cobina Gillitt</strong>, <strong>Adam Mansbach</strong>, <strong>Murat Nemet-Nejatand</strong>, and others. Moderated by<strong> Dale Peck</strong>.<br />
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<b style="color: dimgrey; font-size: 18px;">Also Coming Up</b><br />
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<a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=cf424205b4&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" src="http://www.pen.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nyww_logo_501.jpg" style="color: #676767; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 2px;" width="75" /></a><a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=9ffe56bde6&e=9670beace1" style="color: #ff5b00; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span class="ecxREGULARBLUE" style="color: #004681; text-decoration: underline;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-left;">NYWW Perfect Pitch Fiction Conference</span></span></a>
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<strong>April 27-29 in NYC:</strong> The New York Writers Workshops
offers a three-day Pitch Conference for writers of fiction (adults and
children’s/YA fiction). Participants refine pitches for their proposals
or manuscripts, then meet with and pitch to three different editors from
major New York publishing houses. <a href="http://pen.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=0809b771ad9123934911c8d9b&id=9c0a2e48ea&e=9670beace1" style="color: #fd772b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">>> Event details</a></div>
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-87989757232579555882012-04-27T02:57:00.000-07:002012-04-27T03:02:27.365-07:00PEN Appeal: Pussy Riot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b style="color: #30448d;">PEN Appeal: Pussy Riot</b>
April 26, 2012<br />
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Source : <a href="http://www.facebook.com/groups/127240123998511/345977175458137/?notif_t=group_activity" target="_blank">American PEN</a><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><b>RUSSIA</b></span><br />
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PEN International joins international condemnation of the
imprisonment of three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. Last
week, on April 19, their pre-trial detention was extended until June 24.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova have been held since March
4, and Ekaterina Samusevich since March 15. By the next trial hearing,
they will have been held for well over three months without trial. PEN
believes that the women are being treated particularly harshly because
of the lyrics of a Pussy Riot song that was performed without
authorization at St Savior’s Cathedral in Moscow on February 21. PEN
calls for the women’s release.<br />
----------------------------------------------------------------------<b style="color: #30448d;">BACKGROUND INFORMATION</b><br />
On February 21, four members of the all-female punk rock
band Pussy Riot entered the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow,
wearing brightly colored outfits and balaclavas masking their faces. For
a few minutes they <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17753013" target="_blank">danced in front of the altar</a>, singing their “punk prayer” before being removed from the building. <br />
<br />
Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina
Samusevich were arrested some days later and charged with “hooliganism”
under Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Code, which carries a maximum
seven-year gaol term. While the three women are part of the band, they
say that they were not among the performers at the Cathedral. On April
19, Tagansky Court in Moscow extended their detention until June 24,
saying that more time was needed to find further witnesses and
participants at the event. The demonstrations outside the court and
statements from the three women were widely covered in the <a href="http://freepussyriot.org/content/pussy-riot-member-talks-about-detention-conditionsg" target="_blank">press</a>.<br />
<br />
According to reports and videos of the event, there was no
damage to the premises and no violence. It is clear that the women are
being treated particularly harshly because of the lyrics of the song
performed. Entitled “Holy Sh*t,” it lashes out at Putin and the Russian
Orthodox Church, and it includes the lines “Holy Mother, Blessed Virgin,
chase Putin out!” <a href="http://amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR46/014/2012/en/c9edb950-30b6-4b90-a4d3-ddf8b97bc4c3/eur460142012en.html" target="_blank"><br />
<br />
Amnesty International</a>, which considers the women as
prisoners of conscience, states: "Even if the three arrested women did
take part in the protest, the severity of the response of the Russian
authorities—the detention on the serious criminal charge of
hooliganism—would not be a justifiable response to the peaceful—if, to
many, offensive—expression of their political beliefs." <br />
<br />
The band had already become famous for other actions. It was
formed in late 2011 by a group of feminists to protest Putin’s decision
to return as president. Over the following months, they staged sudden
unannounced “flash” performances in public places, including on public
transport. They came to international attention in January 2012 when
they held a brief performance, shouting out the lyrics “Revolt in
Russia—the charisma of protest! Revolt in Russia, Putin’s got scared!”
outside the Kremlin. Then they were briefly arrested and fined. For more
detail of the arrest and the band see <a href="http://freemuse.dk/sw47336.asp" target="_blank">Freemuse</a>, the organization that works against music censorship. <br />
<br />
Support in Russia is high with even mainstream pop artists
calling for their release, among them the iconic singer Alla Pugachyova,
who has held pop star status through the Soviet era to the present day.
She described the arrests as “shooting sparrows with a cannon.” There
have been numerous protests in support of the band. Most recently around
100 people demonstrated outside the court on April 19, with about 20
arrested. Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow and All Russia strongly accused
the band as “defiling” the church and called for harsh penalties, while
other Orthodox believers have expressed disquiet at this hardline stance
and have asked that the women be shown leniency.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile the three women face the prospect of another six
weeks in prison, two of them separated from their children. At the April
19 hearing, Tolonnikova spoke of the distress that her four-year-old
daughter is suffering because of the imprisonment of her mother. Read
more about the Pussy Riot support and activities in their support follow
the <a href="http://freepussyriot.org/" target="_blank">Free Pussy Riot web site</a>. <i><br />
</i><br />
<br />
<b>President of the Russian Federation</b><br />
President Dmitry Medvedev<br />
23, Ilyinka Street <br />
Moscow, 103132<br />
Russia<br />
<br />
Dear President Medvedev,<br />
<br />
On behalf of the 3,000 members of PEN American Center, an international
organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression
wherever it is threatened, we are writing to add our voice to the
international condemnation of the imprisonment of Pussy Riot band
members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina
Samusevich.<br />
<br />
According to our information, on April 19, 2012, the pre-trial detention
of band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina
Samusevich was extended until June 24 to allow more time to find
witnesses and participants of the February 21 Pussy Riot performance at
St. Savior’s Cathedral in Moscow. They have been charged with
“hooliganism” under Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Code, which
carries a maximum seven-year gaol term. Reports and videos of the event
show no signs of violence or damage to the premises. It is believed that
the women are being treated particularly harshly because of the lyrics
of a song entitled “Holy Sh*t!” The song lashes out at Vladimir Putin
and the Russian Orthodox Church, and includes the lines “Holy Mother,
Blessed Virgin, chase Putin out!”<br />
<br />
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova have been held since March 4,
and Ekaterina Samusevich since March 15. The three women are part of
the all-female Russian punk band Pussy Riot, formed in late 2011 by a
group of feminists protesting Putin’s decision to return to the
presidency. However, they claim that they were not among the four
performers on February 21 and have since received widespread support
within Russia, with more than 100 people demonstrating outside the court
on April 19. Singer Alla Pugachyova has described the arrests as
“shooting sparrows with a cannon.”<br />
<br />
PEN American Center protests the detention of Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda
Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina Samusevich, and believes that the women are
facing harsh treatment because of the contents of song lyrics, which is
in violation of the right to free expression as guaranteed by Article
19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)
ratified by Russia. In addition, with the extension of their pre-trial
detention, the women will be held for more than three months without
trial, which breaches Article 9 of the ICCPR. We therefore call for
their immediate and unconditional release.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Hannah Pakula<br />
Chair, Freedom to Write Committee<br />
<br />
Larry Siems<br />
Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>CC: </b>Mr. Sergey I. Kislyak<br />
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United States<br />
Embassy of the Russian Federation to the Untied States<br />
2650 Wisconsin Ave, NW<br />
Washington, DC 20007<br />
Fax: (202) 298-5735<br />
<br />
<br />
------------------------------------------<br />
<b style="color: #30448d;">PLEASE SEND APPEALS...</b>
<br />
• Protesting the detention of Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Ekaterina Samusevich;<br />
<br />
• Pointing out that they are being treated particularly harshly because of the contents of the song lyrics;<br />
<br />
• Referring to Russia’s obligations under Article 19 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified
by Russia, which protects the right to freedom of expression;<br />
<br />
• Further referring to the fact that the women will be held
for more than three months without trial, breaching Article 9 of the
ICCPR, which guarantees the right not to be held in pre-trial detention
for lengthy periods of time. <br />
<br />
<b style="color: #30448d;">SEND APPEALS TO...</b><br />
<b>Mr. Dmitry Medvedev <br />
</b>President of the Russian Federation <br />
Kremlin <br />
Moscow <br />
Russia<br />
Fax: +7 095 206 5173 / 230 2408 <br />
Send a message through the <a href="http://eng.letters.kremlin.ru/" target="_blank">Kremlin web site</a><br />
<br />
Please copy appeals to the <a href="http://www.rusembassy.org/" target="_blank">diplomatic representative for Russia</a> in your country if possible. <br />
<br />
<b>Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN if sending appeals after June 23, 2012: <a href="mailto:ftw@pen.org">ftw@pen.org</a></b><br />
<br />
<b>-----------------------------------------------</b><br />
<h1 class="story-header">
Russian punk band Pussy Riot to appear in court over church gig</h1>
<h1 class="story-header">
<span class="story-date">
<span class="date">18 April 2012</span> <span class="time-text"></span></span>
</h1>
<div class="emp-decription" id="meta-information">
Three women detained for singing a political punk song
in Moscow's main cathedral will ask a court to set them free later this
week. If found guilty they face up to seven years in prison. <br />
The actions of the group have sparked a furious debate over
the role of the church, which has asked for the women to be treated
severely. <br />
Daniel Sandford reports.<br />
<br />
Source :<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17753013" target="_blank"> BBC</a> </div>
<h1 class="story-header">
</h1>
<br />
<b> </b><b style="color: #30448d;"><br />
</b></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-17797397781399432522012-02-23T00:01:00.003-08:002012-02-23T00:01:57.324-08:00MEXICO – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 8 MARCH 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
News: MEXICO – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 8 MARCH 2012</h2>
<strong>Murdered and Disappeared Women Writers</strong><br />
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world in which
to be a writer. Since 2006, at least 45 journalists, writers and
bloggers have been murdered or disappeared, most of them in the course
of their work. <br />
Since 2009 there has been an escalation in violence against writers,
with women increasingly being targeted. Five of the nine Mexican writers
killed in 2011 were women; their murders were particularly savage (see
pdf).<br />
On International Women’s Day, PEN International calls on PEN members to remember our fallen and missing female colleagues. <br />
You can do this in two ways:<br />
1. Arrange for obituaries to be placed in national or local press
(please see pdf for very effective examples by Swiss German PEN and
Swiss Italian and Reto-Romansh PEN).<br />
2. Write to the Mexican authorities calling for an end to impunity
and a thorough investigation into the killings and disappearances of
these women and of all the murdered and disappeared Mexican writers (see
pdf for addresses).<br />
For a list of the women writers, examples of obituaries and addresses of the authorities to whom you should protest see <a href="http://www.pen-international.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/MEXICO-Womens-Day-Eng.pdf" target="_blank">MEXICO Women’s Day Eng</a><br />
PEN will be campaigning on Mexico throughout 2012, building on the
successes of both the PEN Protesta delegation in January 2012 and the
Day of the Dead Campaign in November 2011.<br />
<strong>Please let us know what you will be doing to commemorate the
murdered and missing women writers of Mexico on International Women’s
Day.</strong><br />
For further details please contact Cathal Sheerin at the Writers in
Prison Committee London Office: PEN International, Brownlow House, 50-51
High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER Tel: +44 (0) 207 405 0338 Fax +44 (0) 207
405 0339 email: <a href="mailto:cathal.sheerin@pen-international.org">cathal.sheerin@pen-international.org</a><br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/mexico-international-women%E2%80%99s-day-8-march-2012/">PEN</a></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-51602910106141181502012-02-22T23:16:00.001-08:002012-02-22T23:30:00.253-08:00News: Monthly letter from John Ralston Saul, International President – February 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
News: Monthly letter from John Ralston Saul, International President – February 2012</h2>
17 February 2012<br />
Dear PEN Members, Dear friends,<br />
By now many of you will have read about our PEN International mission
to Mexico. There is a great deal on the website. Please have a look.<br />
This mission was important for two reasons. First, the situation in
Mexico is getting worse, with over eighty writers killed already.
Newspapers and broadcaster offices are being bombed. In several states
freedom of expression has effectively been shut down. Writers know the
consequences of speaking up in many circumstances. And this cannot help
but have a chilling effect on the ability of publishers to publish what
they wish.<br />
Second, we took a new approach to the mission itself. The idea is to
develop a flexible model that can be adjusted and applied to future
missions – Turkey and China, to take just two possibilities. We were a
large delegation: fourteen , including the three Mexico PEC
participants. The organizational strategy was to include the full
international executive – probably a first; and all seven of the North
American PEN Centres – again probably a first. We had hoped to have
some Latin American centres, but that didn’t work out. In any case, the
approach was both international and regional. With the chair of WiPC,
as well as Japan PEN and English PEN added to the group, plus a legal
expert, it was a very strong delegation. We had a legal expert – again a
new initiative – because we have been working on Mexico with a leading
law school (the University of Toronto). We developed a very succinct
policy position, easy to distribute and communicate. (Read the paper <a href="http://www.pen-international.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/One-pager-ES.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
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<div style="color: #666666; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">
PEN International calls for an end to the war on Mexico’s<br />
journalists, writers and bloggers.<br />
Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist. Since 2000, there<br />
have been at least 67 journalists, writers and bloggers killed; 12 disappeared; countless threatened and<br />
harassed; and frequent attacks on media outlets with explosives and firearms.<br />
Despite its Constitutional and international human rights obligations, Mexico continues to violate<br />
journalists’ and writers’ basic human rights. The rights violated include the right to life, right to live<br />
free of torture, right to work, and right to freedom of expression.<br />
Crimes against journalists are not properly investigated and authorities have failed to<br />
successfully prosecute over 90% of cases. Despite its name, the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the<br />
Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression does not have jurisdiction to investigate<br />
crimes, lay charges, or tackle cases involving drug trafficking organizations. Crimes allegedly committed<br />
by members of the armed forces fall under military jurisdiction where impunity is nearly absolute.<br />
There is a web of laws that limits expression and exposure of corruption. Fourteen Mexican states<br />
have laws that criminalize freedom of expression. Civil defamation laws are used to harass journalists<br />
who uncover corruption. Regulatory frameworks impede media diversification.<br />
THE SITUATION IS URGENT AND DEMANDS AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. THE MEXICAN<br />
GOVERNMENT MUST:<br />
1. Ensure that the Committee to Protect and Prevent Aggressions against Journalists is<br />
transparent and accessible, has appropriate technical expertise and resources, and is able to<br />
adopt and implement binding protection orders.<br />
2. Ensure prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation and prosecution of all perpetrators<br />
within federal jurisdiction, and commit appropriate resources to allow the same.<br />
3. Reform laws and policies to ensure that journalists and diverse forms of media are able to<br />
operate without threat of legal sanction.<br />
4. Amend laws to ensure that abuses allegedly committed by members of the armed forces are<br />
investigated and prosecuted by civilian authorities.<br />
THE GOVERNMENTS OF CANADA, THE UNITED STATES, AND THE EUROPEAN UNION MUST:<br />
5. Place this issue on the foreign policy agenda by insisting that the above recommendations be<br />
implemented.<br />
6. Condition future counternarcotics aid on the government taking genuine and effective action<br />
to redress serious human rights violations against journalists.<br />
To learn more, download a copy of the PEN Canada and the International Human Rights Program at the<br />
University of Toronto Faculty of Law’s report, Corruption, Impunity, Silence: The War on Mexico’s<br />
Journalists at: http://bit.ly/ycdXYP</div>
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<br />
<br />
We also took an approach which reflects the reality of PEN. That is,
we made full use of our expertise and put forward a clear program for
change. But we equally spoke and acted from the full reality of PEN.
We are writers – writers of every sort and publishers and lovers of the
word. We are people of the word. Our greatest strength lies in our
ability to use those words and to do so publicly. We are thousands of
writers around the world with an uncountable public. We can go to
meetings with ministers and officials and argue our case for free
expression very effectively. We do this and must continue to do it.
But our weight, our force, our influence, comes from our voice and our
readers and listeners and viewers. As the Delegation began its work on
the ground, we published a full page ad in Mexico City – a letter to
Mexican writers from writers around the world. It is on the website and
we want all of you to add your names. Meanwhile, several members of
the delegation have already written publicly about what they saw and
heard and what they sense can be done. I am attaching them. More are
coming. Please write your own articles or republish those already
written; place them where you can, including on your website.<br />
Finally, PEN Mexico, led by Jennifer Clement, organized a remarkable
public event in which fifty-two writers spoke – Mexicans and the
Delegation, famous novelists, leading columnists and small town
journalists at risk. Each person spoke for one minute. It was
beautiful, disturbing, moving. There was a large audience and every
form off coverage. The message passed to the broad public and to the
officials. It was a moment when our existence as a great literary
organization and a freedom of expression leader produced a perfectly
integrated voice<br />
The outcome is that we have succeeded in putting the issue of
writer/journalist safety on the public agenda. Now we have to help keep
it there. But we also helped to push the public policy agenda in the
right direction. Again, we must now be persistent, all of us, in
supporting our friends in Mexico and the other organizations that work
in this area.<br />
*********<br />
By the time you read this I’ll be in Korea with Gil-won Lee and our
Centre there. Hori Takeaki is also coming, as are Markéta Hejkalová and
Laura McVeigh. We’ll be talking about the upcoming congress. After
that I will go on to Addis Ababa for the first national meeting of
Ethiopian PEN, and then to Djibouti with both Afar and Somali speaking
PEN Centres. <br />
I can’t help but add that we seem to be entering into an
unpredictable period. You will see from the website that there is a
developing situation in India which raises serious questions about the
legal system and the political will; there are new difficulties in
Saudi Arabia; all of this adding to the already long list of threats to
free expression and, yes, to the full expression of literature.<br />
Please do follow up on the Mexico situation. <br />
And do translate the Girona Manifesto into your language so that we can all make use of it.<br />
Best to all of you,<br />
John Ralston Saul<br />
<br />
<br />
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<img alt="Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during an event where members of a PEN International delegation declare their support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. - Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during an event where members of a PEN International delegation declare their support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. | REUTERS" height="349" src="http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01370/mexico_jpg_1370115cl-8.jpg" width="620" />
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Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during
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<img alt="Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during an event where members of a PEN International delegation declare their support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. - Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during an event where members of a PEN International delegation declare their support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. | REUTERS" height="123" src="http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01370/mexico_jpg_1370115cl-3.jpg" title="Mexican writer Eduardo Lizalde, centre, speaks during an event where members of a PEN International delegation declare their support for a free press and freedom of expression in Mexico. | REUTERS" width="220" />
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<h4 class="heavyseriflbl heavyseriflblbold sm" id="articlelabel">
John Ralston Saul</h4>
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Where words are ‘rags to cover corpses’
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john ralston saul
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<h5 class="sans sm updated">
<span class="articlecreditline">From Saturday's Globe and Mail</span>
</h5>
<h5 class="articledateline sans sm">
Published <time datetime="2012-02-03 16:52 -0500" pubdate="">Friday, Feb. 03, 2012 </time><aside class="articleseealso articleseealsoheader"></aside></h5>
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It was a surprising scene. Fifty-two writers lined up in alphabetical
order in four rows, famous novelists and columnists mixed with
provincial journalists, outdoors in the centre of Mexico City. Facing
them: a bank of cameras, a large crowd of both press and the public.<br />
The
legendary Elena Poniatowska sat near the back in an elegant red suit.
Novelist Russell Banks in the front. Laura Esquivel of <i>Like Water for Chocolate</i>
sat in the middle near Rocio Gallegos, the courageous young woman from
the Juarez newspaper El Diario, which has taken on the drug cartels. Its
front-page statement in the form of a question – What do you want from
us? – has become the Mexican equivalent of Zola's J'Accuse.<br />
With
the Mexicans were a dozen leading writers from the Canadian and Quebec
PEN centres, both American centres and those in Japan and England.<br />
Two
hours later, the crowd had, if anything grown, the cameras were still
rolling. By then, each of us had risen to our feet to condemn the murder
of Mexican journalists, the deaths, the violence, the bombs exploding
in radio, television and newspaper buildings, the disappearance of
freedom of expression in several Mexican states; the death of more than
80 writers since 2000, with the murder rate still rising.<br />
It is a
classic conundrum. Mexico is now one of the most dangerous places in the
world to be a writer. Yet, you fly in with a sophisticated businessman –
Mexican or foreign – on your left; on your right, an eager tourist. You
arrive in one of the world's great cities, which is looking better than
it has for a long time thanks to its mayor, Marcelo Ebrard. The mayor
was the first to receive us, expressing great frustration with what is
happening elsewhere.<br />
Which brings me back to that remarkable
Sunday event. With national elections this year, no one in politics or
government wants freedom of expression to be part of the daily
conversation. There is nothing in it for any of them. Our delegation was
invited to Mexico to help drag free expression into the centre of
public consciousness. Not because the death of writers is more important
than the death of tens of thousands of non-writers. But because freedom
of expression belongs to all of them – writers and readers,
broadcasters and listeners and viewers.<br />
Where the power lies <br />
Out
there on the front line, it is always hard to know where power lies.
When writers are being killed, it often seems as if violence is the real
power. Governments and businessmen now like to say prosperity leads to
democracy. How is it then that the worst violence in Mexico is in the
most prosperous states?<br />
This past week, we made a serious attempt
to remind everyone that freedom of expression is the greatest power –
the muscle of democracy. It began with a full page in the newspaper El
Universal – a letter to Mexican writers signed by 170 writers around the
world – many Nobel Prize winners and all the ex-presidents of PEN. The
message was simple: This situation can't be swept into the silent
corners. The news is spreading around the world – something is seriously
wrong in Mexico. Here is a great civilization that is in trouble.<br />
Virtually
all the grassroots organizations and non-governmental organizations
working on human rights and free expression came together to advise us
on the situation. It isn't an exaggeration to say they see no signs of
change or improvement. As Jennifer Clement, president of PEN Mexico, put
it on Sunday, words have been “reduced to rags to cover corpses.” That
doesn't mean the authorities are doing nothing. The Attorney-General's
Office received us with about 20 officials, including the Special
Prosecutor for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression, Gustavo Salas. Here
you see the intelligence and sophistication of the Mexican elite. This
situation of a virtual civil war is humiliating for them. They are
trying to reform a legal system that was designed for what Mario Vargas
Llosa called the perfect dictatorship – sequential dictators, each with a
six-year term. Since 2000, there has been a choice in presidential
elections and the legal structures are being slowly dragged into the
real world of transparency and responsibility. The special prosecutor
gave a formal recounting of what they were doing. But when you ask
simple questions – How many indictments? How many convictions? – the
answer is none or almost none. Why?<br />
Because the legal pieces
aren't in place. We established this with a study done for PEN by the
University of Toronto's Law Faculty Human Rights Program. The special
prosecutor doesn't have the powers to do his job. The federal system
gets in the way. Much of the power lies in the states, many of which are
incapacitated by corruption. The federal judges could take over many
cases at the request of the federal government. They refuse. Why?<br />
The
primary responsibility of the state is the well-being of citizens. And,
in this case, the state is not fulfilling its obligation.<br />
These
issues of violence against freedom of expression can be dealt with only
through free expression. The public must understand and be engaged. Many
of Mexico's leaders and public servants are devoting their lives to
changing this situation, but they are uncomfortable with the idea of
rallying the public to the cause. They are embarrassed by their lack of
success so far.<br />
And that raises another key problem. The Mexican
government is fixated on its war against organized crime. Good guys
against bad guys. This does not represent reality. When a serious part
of the state – elements of the police, the army, the state governments,
the political parties and so on – is corrupt, there can be no clear war.
The two sides are integrated in a way that can only block those who
want reform.<br />
All countries, all systems, include a level of
corruption, including ours. But when that corruption rises beyond a
certain point, the state cannot function. Battling corruption works only
when it happens in full public light. This is integral to free
expression. That is why journalists are being killed in the states where
corruption is at its worst.<br />
What you begin to see is just how complicated the situation is. But to hide behind this complexity makes the situation worse. <br />
There's no magic bullet <br />
The
president of the Senate, Jose Gonzalez, and key senators received us to
discuss the importance of passing a particular law that would give the
federal government key powers to deal with these crimes. The real point,
we keep saying, is that this law is just one step; but a key step. Pass
it and then apply pressure to ensure that it is enforced. There are no
magic bullets. But there are things that can be done.<br />
On our last
day, there was a packed press conference and then a meeting with the
Minister of the Interior, Alejandro Poiré, the most powerful man in the
system. He hasn't been in the job long: His immediate predecessor died
in a helicopter accident, and his predecessor in a plane crash.<br />
Mr.
Poiré, young, very intelligent, had been well briefed. In place of a
statistic/document-driven meeting, he sat down for an open discussion
and thanked us for our criticism. He said this helped to push the
issues.<br />
He told us in detail how they are attempting to clean up
the police, and the next day he put out a positive press statement, just
as the Attorney-General's Office had.<br />
Mexico is a country in
which the sophistication of the language, the complexity of the system
and the harsh reality of violence make it difficult to know what
progress looks like. They also have to deal with the effects of drug
use, organized crime and arms trafficking elsewhere in North America.<br />
What
we know is this: The violence must stop, key laws must be passed
quickly, the special prosecutor and other justice officials need real
powers and real budgets and real support systems. After that, people can
be judged on whether they are doing their jobs. When it comes to
killing journalists, there is almost perfect impunity. People need to be
investigated, arrested, tried and, if guilty, imprisoned.<br />
If the system is seen to be working, people will believe in it.<br />
In
the meantime, freedom of expression has been dragged out of the silent
corners. Writers around the world are now reporting on this situation.
In recent days, there have been hundreds of reports in Mexico alone.
Free expression and the scandal of impunity have a good chance of
becoming election issues. And if people keep pushing, the Senate will
pass that key law.<br />
Mexico's friends want this as much as our
Mexican friends in Mexico. The message is simple: The government must
bring an end to the violence. And the freedom of writers to write
without being killed is central to this.<br />
John Ralston Saul is the president of PEN International.</div>
</h5>
</div>
<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/where-words-are-rags-to-cover-corpses/article2326072/print/"> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/where-words-are-rags-to-cover-corpses/article2326072/print/</a><br />
<br />
------------------------------------------------o-----------------------------<br />
<div id="main-article-info">
<h1>
'In Mexico, reporters are hunted like rabbits'</h1>
<div class="stand-first-alone" id="stand-first">
It's tied for first place with Pakistan as the world's deadliest country for journalists</div>
</div>
<div id="content">
<ul class="article-attributes b4"><div id="article-wrapper">
<div id="main-content-picture">
<img alt="Mexican police arrest a man wanted for drug trafficking" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/2/2/1328180538461/Mexican-police-arrest-a-m-007.jpg" width="460" />
<br />
<div class="caption">
Mexican police make an arrest in the 'war
on drugs' that has also claimed dozens of journalists' lives.
Photograph: Henry Romero/Reuters</div>
</div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
At the end of January I was at the Royal Courts of Justice to hear Jonathan Heawood, of <a href="http://www.englishpen.org/" title="">English PEN</a>, speak to the <a href="http://blog.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/24/john-kampfner-jonathan-heawood-leveson-libel/" title="">Leveson inquiry about the importance of a free press.</a>
By Friday I had moved continents, going from the unseasonably warm grey
of an English winter to the unseasonably chill blue of a Mexican one. A
strange dislocation but, by the time my week was done, I realised how
strong is the thread joining its beginning to its end.<br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/mexico" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Mexico">Mexico</a>
City is a grand old town. Its magnificent central square, the Zócalo,
built out of the destruction of an earlier civilisation, is sinking
slowly into the marshes from which it had once been claimed. A similar
process has now all but buried free expression: Mexico has the dubious
distinction of being tied for first place with Pakistan as the <a href="http://knightcenter.utexas.edu/blog/mexico-journalisms-most-dangerous-country-starts-2012-killing-reporter-nuevo-leon" title="">world's deadliest country for journalists</a>.<br />
In
Britain we worry about the chilling effect of the over-regulation of
the press: in Mexico they cut to the chase and shoot (or decapitate) the
messenger. Since 2000, 67 Mexican journalists have been killed – a
number that President Calderón's war on drugs has only helped to
increase. In 90% of these cases, no one has been prosecuted, never mind
convicted. Which is why I was there. I was part of a PEN International
delegation that, in collaboration with <a href="http://www.penmexico.org.mx/" title="">Mexican PEN</a>,
aimed to draw worldwide attention to the culture of impunity that
silences not only the people who speak out, but the word itself.<br />
The
trip turned out to be an eye-opener, revealing the way in which
competing drug cartels, inept or corrupt government, the police and
terrified media join together in the suppression of free expression. We
met politicians and prosecutors, writers and journalists, ambassadors
and NGOs, our visit culminating in a public event, "<a href="http://pen-international.org/campaigns/current-campaigns/to-the-journalists-and-writers-of-mexico/pen-protesa-mexico-city-29-january-2012/" title="">PEN Protesta</a>",
where dozens of Mexican writers gave eloquent insight into their
country's malaise. The tone was set by one of the first speakers who,
paraphrasing Mandelstam, told us that "if you kill poets it means you
don't respect poetry but if you kill journalists you don't respect
society." Mexico, said another, is a country that "vomits blood"; a
third described it as "a magical country full of assassinated people and
no apparent assassins". It's a country where, according to one of
Mexico's pre-eminent writers, Elena Poniatowska, "reporters are hunted
like rabbits."<br />
After the event, I was left with a lasting image of
the diminutive, red-clad Poniatowska. While we drank tequila from
champagne glasses, she posed for photographs with a lineup of members of
the <a href="http://www.bandadetlayacapan.mx/" title="">Banda de Tlayacapan</a>.
The band was a mixed bunch – women in poncho-topped long dresses, old
men and boys, their faces almost drowned by large brimmed hats – and
their sound that of strident Mexican brass, strangely slowed. "It's a
dirge," the novelist Jennifer Clement explained. "They play at funerals.
Seemed right, given we are holding a wake for free expression."<br />
Mentions
of funerals were on many lips. Journalists spoke movingly about the
loss of their friends and colleagues and of a resulting powerlessness so
intense that all they could do was bury their dead. Mexico City itself
is relatively safe but at least once a week organisations that protect
journalists are asked to hide people from other parts of the country for
whom the threats have grown particularly serious. And not only are
journalists kidnapped: so are their stories. Airports are turned into
information black holes as stories disappear into them.<br />
Asked
what could be done to help, the requests became eerily familiar:
journalists need training in their craft, various people told us, but
more than anything they need training in how to protect themselves.
Despite the appointment of a special prosecutor to protect journalists,
impunity continues almost completely unchallenged. Of the 55 indictments
brought by the special prosecutor to the federal courts, only five
cases have been allowed to proceed, and from these, not a single person
has yet been convicted. It's almost as bad for community radio
practitioners who act as the voice of social movements: they are
continually harassed or charged with using the airwaves without a
licence, and the law has been designed to prevent them from procuring
the advertising revenues that might make them even half solvent.<br />
Clement,
who is also president of Mexican PEN, had kicked off PEN Protesta by
saying that "words are the rocks we throw at each other". By the end of
my trip I understood what she meant. For when it comes to the practice
of journalism, and to the prosecution of the murderers of journalists,
Mexico is caught in a series of interlocking catch-22s. The government
blames the deaths on organised crime. But, according to the London-based
free expression group <a href="http://www.article19.org/" title="">Article 19</a>,
up to 70% of aggressions against the media are government-inspired.
Most of these can be laid at the door of local and regional government,
about which the national government says it can do little. Added to
this, an inept or corrupted police force joins with a similarly
corrupted media to portray the murders as crimes of passion, which means
they are never properly investigated.<br />
The big media corporations
often lead the charge in denigrating murdered journalists, even accusing
them of being linked to the same cartels they were trying to denounce.
This obliteration of a free press is not surprising: when a cartel
targets a town for take-over it first compromises the mayor with threats
or money and then it takes care of the police. Having taken control, it
cannot let the press talk about the extent of its corruption and so has
to move in on this, the third leg of the stool.<br />
"There is silence
in our country," we were told, "and it is the silence of death." Yet
even now, courageous journalists risk speaking out. As I flew back to a
freezing London, I realised how brave they are and also how much my
visit reinforced my belief in the importance of a free press not just
for journalists but for a whole society.<br />
• Gillian Slovo is the president of English PEN.</div>
</div>
</ul>
</div>
Source : <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/feb/03/author-author-gillian-slovo">The Guardian</a><br />
---------------------------------------------o-----------------------------<br />
<span class="Heading1-Class">News</span><br />
<br />
<b><span class="Heading2-Class">The sobering truth about freedom of expression in Mexico: the killings continue and impunity reigns</span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center">
<i><img alt="PEN Protesta!" height="254" src="http://www.law.utoronto.ca/images/content/news/1202-PEN-Protesta.jpg" width="600" /><br />
UTLaw's Renu Mandhane, far right, first in the second row, attended PEN Protesta! in Mexico City.</i>
</div>
<i>By Renu Mandhane, director, International Human Rights Program (IHRP)</i>
<br />
(Feb. 1, 2012) Yesterday, I arrived home from a week in one of Latin
America’s truly great capitals: Mexico City. While there, I had a
chance to visit marvelous museums, eat fantastic food and develop a love
for “tequila blanco” with a “sangrita” (“little blood”) chaser. I
also had the chance to chat with diplomats, illustrious writers, and a
former governor general of Canada. However, the real reason I was in
Mexico was sobering: Mexico is one of the deadliest places in the world
to practice freedom of expression. Because in the midst of Mexico’s war
on drugs, journalists are being caught in the cross-fire.
<br />
Since 2000, more than 70 journalists have been killed and 12 have
disappeared, with countless more threatened and harassed. Media outlets
as well have been frequently attacked with explosives and firearms.
Despite this dire situation, impunity reigns: crimes against freedom of
expression are not properly investigated and authorities have failed to
successfully prosecute more than 90 percent of cases. These findings
are outlined in last year’s IHRP-PEN Canada report <a href="http://www.utorontoihrp.com/index.php/resources/working-group-reports/doc_download/80-corruption-impunity-silence-the-war-on-mexicos-journalistsofficial-version-english" target="_blank"><i>Corruption, Impunity Silence: The War on Mexico’s Journalists</i></a><i>. </i>The
report was written by two IHRP clinic students, Cara Gibbons and Beth
Spratt, who travelled to Mexico City in October 2010. And, despite a
lot of hot air from the Mexican government since the report’s
publication, the situation remains largely the same. In the past nine
months, four more journalists have been found dead.
<br />
Recognizing the dire situation, PEN International sent an unprecedented
delegation last month to show solidarity with Mexican journalists, and
cast international attention on the issue. I was honoured to be asked
to join the delegation, as the sole lawyer and an expert on the issues.
Along with Jennifer Clement of Mexico PEN, the delegation included
John Ralston Saul, PEN president, former journalist and
governor-general of Canada Adrienne Clarkson, Russell Banks (author of <i>The Sweet Hereafter</i>), Gillian Slovo (president, UK PEN) and Larry Siems (author of The <i>Torture Report</i>) amongst others.
<br />
<div align="center">
<img alt="John Ralston Saul speaks at PEN meeting with Mexican government" height="199" src="http://www.law.utoronto.ca/images/content/news/1202-PEN-Saul.jpg" width="400" /><br />
<i>John Ralston Saul speaks with President of the Senate, Senator José González Morfín</i>
</div>
The mission included two public actions to show solidarity with Mexican journalists. On January 27<sup>th</sup>, an <a href="http://www.utorontoihrp.com/index.php/resources/working-group-reports/doc_download/98-pen-solidary-statement-in-el-universal-jan-27-2012" target="_blank">open letter</a>
signed by 170 of the world’s leading authors, including Margret Atwood,
Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison and others appeared as a full-page ad in
<i>El Universal</i>, one of Mexico’s leading papers. “We stand with
you and all Mexican citizens who are calling out for the killing, the
impunity, the intimidation to stop,” the writers declared. “You have an
absolute right to life and a guaranteed right to practice your
profession without fear.” The powerful message was reported on
countless Spanish-language news sources, as well as by <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57367642/pen-writers-condemn-attacks-on-mexico-journalists/" target="_blank">CBS</a>, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pen-writers-condemn-attacks-mexico-journalists-15457488#.TyQWCcXdl2A" target="_blank">ABC</a>, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/pen-writers-group-condemns-attacks-on-mexican-journalists/2012/01/27/gIQAX9OlVQ_story.html" target="_blank"><i>The Washington Post</i></a>, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16767476" target="_blank">BBC</a>, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/jan/31/journalist-safety-mexico?newsfeed=true" target="_blank"><i>The Guardian</i></a>.
<br />
On January 29<sup>th</sup>, journalists working in some of the country’s
most dangerous cities spoke of their experiences at PEN Protesta!, a
remarkable event where frontline reporters stood side-by-side with the
PEN delegation and many of Mexico’s most prominent writers to demand an
end to the killings. In all, more than 50 writers and journalists read
short statements that alternated between harrowing first-hand accounts
of deadly threats and declarations of outrage and horror. In <a href="http://www.utorontoihrp.com/index.php/resources/working-group-reports/doc_download/97-ihrp-statement-at-pen-protesta-in-mexico-city-jan-9-2012" target="_blank">my statement on behalf of the IHRP</a>,
I emphasized Mexico’s responsibilities under international law to
protect communicators regardless of the source of threats and violence.
The protest was covered by local and international media, including CNN
and the <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/01/writers-from-around-the-world-offer-support-to-mexican-journalists.html" target="_blank"><i>Los Angeles Times</i></a>. I was interviewed by CBS Radio for a feature that will be airing in the coming weeks.
<br />
After meeting with our delegation, the US Ambassador issued a <a href="http://mexico.usembassy.gov/press-releases/us-ambassador-anthony-wayne-meets-with-pen-international-delegation--and-renews-commitment-to-journalists.html" target="_blank">press release</a>
wherein he announced a US$5 million initiative over four years to
“provide support for Mexican efforts to strengthen the capacity to
protect journalists.” We also had the opportunity to meet with key
public officials including <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49513344@N02/6773173633/in/photostream" target="_blank">Marcelo Ebrard, the mayor of Mexico City</a>: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49513344@N02/6776660025/in/photostream" target="_blank">Gustavo Salas, the special prosecutor for crimes against freedom of expression</a>; <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/49513344@N02/6776664371/in/photostream" target="_blank">Jose Gonzalez Morfin, president of the Senate</a>; and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Poir%C3%A9_Romero" target="_blank" title="Alejandro Poiré Romero">Alejandro Poiré Romero</a>, minister of the interior.
<br />
Without exception, the meetings with Mexican government officials
contained the same tired refrains regarding the lack of federal
jurisdiction to act, and blame-shifting to the drug cartels. In one
particularly memorable exchange, the special prosecutor boasted that he
filed 55 indictments related to crimes against journalists in 2011.
When I proceeded to cross-examine him on the numbers, he admitted that
50 of the indictments were thrown out by federal judges due to lack of
jurisdiction, and that in the remaining five cases have not resulted in
convictions. In this moment, I realized the enormity of the problem:
where complete impunity reigns, the violence will not stop.
<br />
Still, we did manage to wrest some key “wins” from policy makers. The
special prosecutor assured us that his office would interpret broadly
“journalist” to include all communicators including bloggers and
community radio announcers. This was a point of some confusion amongst
NGOs, and the special prosecutor reiterated this position publicly in a
press release issued after our meeting.
<br />
The interior minister, arguably the second most powerful man in Mexico
after the president and the “face” of the war on drugs, provided us with
further details regarding the Committee to Protect Journalists which
was set up in 2010. In particular, he provided us with a copy of the
procedural guide for accessing the protection mechanism, which thus far
NGOs had been unable to access. The minister also confirmed that there
would be significant resources (approximately US$2 million) available
for the protection of journalists during this calendar year.
<br />
Despite these modest wins, there were no assurances received in relation
to our main demand: that the government ensure crimes against freedom
of expression are investigated, prosecuted, and punished entirely by
federal authorities. “Federalization” is essential to ending impunity
since state and local authorities are often paid-off by drug cartels
such that no prosecutions take place. Though the president of the
Senate was repeatedly pressed by the delegation to commit to passing
2009 legislation that would federalize crimes against freedom of
expression, he made no promises. It will remain to be seen whether the
Calderon government passes this law prior to the federal election this
summer.
<br />
In the end, while pressure from the international community is
much-needed, change will likely only come when the Mexican people
themselves demand it. For our part, the IHRP looks forward to
continuing to work with PEN International and Mexican NGOs to ensure
that this issue remains on the agenda within Mexico and with its major
trading partners: Canada, the United States, and the European Union.<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://www.law.utoronto.ca/faculty_content.asp?itempath=1/12/0/0/0&specNews=1069&cType=NewsEvents">http://www.law.utoronto.ca/faculty_content.asp?itempath=1/12/0/0/0&specNews=1069&cType=NewsEvents</a><br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------o------------------------------------- </div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-34408039990282620442012-02-22T22:31:00.003-08:002012-02-22T22:31:48.959-08:00News: International Mother Language Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
News: International Mother Language Day</h2>
<br />
21 February.<br />
Today marks International Mother Language Day, a day which recognizes
the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity and promotes the
protection of languages. Celebrated since 2000, the theme of the day
this year is ‘Mother tongue instruction and inclusive education.’<br />
The reasons for the International Mother Language Day are clear.
Language plays a vital role in relation to identity, communication,
social integration, education and development. It is estimated that,
without measures to protect and promote minority and endangered
languages, half of the 6000 plus languages spoken today will disappear
by the end of this century, with 96 percent of these languages spoken by
a mere 4 percent of the world’s population. 29 percent of the world’s
languages are in danger, with a further 10 percent vulnerable, according
to UNESCO. This year’s theme refers to the importance of language in
accessing quality education and encourages UNESCO member states to
promote instruction and education in the mother tongue.<br />
International Mother Language Day originated to recognize the
language movement day in Bangladesh, which has been commemorated in
Bangladesh since 1952 to remember students’ struggle for the right to
use their mother language. The day was declared by the General
Conference of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) on November 1999.<br />
PEN International has been at the forefront of the campaign to ensure the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity. The <a href="http://pen-international.org/who-we-are/translation-linguistic-rights/girona-manifesto/" target="_blank" title="Girona Manifesto on Linguistic Rights">Girona Manifesto</a>,
a tool to aid the dissemination and implementation of the Universal
Declaration on Linguistic Rights (UDLR), was developed by PEN
International’s <a href="http://pen-international.org/who-we-are/translation-linguistic-rights/" target="_blank" title="Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee">Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee</a>
in May 2011, fifteen years after leading a coalition of civil-society
and international organisations (including UNESCO) developed the UDLR at
the 1996 World Conference on Linguistic Rights in Barcelona.<br />
<strong><br />
For more information see the UNESCO International Mother Language Day page <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/languages-in-education/international-mother-language-day/" target="_blank" title="International Mother Language Day">here</a>.</strong><br />
<strong>See the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in danger <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/endangered-languages/atlas-of-languages-in-danger/" target="_blank" title="Atlas of World Languages in Danger">here</a>.</strong><br />
<strong><br />
To read more about the Girona Manifesto and to read the document in over 30 languages click <a href="http://pen-international.org/who-we-are/translation-linguistic-rights/girona-manifesto/" target="_blank" title="Girona Manifesto on Linguistic Rights">here </a>or
visit the ‘In Focus’ section on the Girona Manifesto (left). We
encourage PEN Centres to translate the Manifesto into their own
language(s) – please contact Ruth at <a href="mailto:penoffice@pen-international.org">penoffice@pen-international.org</a> for more information.</strong><br />
<br />
<strong>Source :<a href="http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/international-mother-language-day/"> PEN</a> </strong><br />
<strong>-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-</strong><br />
<h4>
International Mother Language Day, 21 February 2012</h4>
<div class="csc-textpic csc-textpic-intext-left">
<div class="csc-textpic-imagewrap">
<dl class="csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-firstcol csc-textpic-lastcol" style="width: 200px;">
<dt><a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ED/pdf/IMLD2012.pdf" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="283" src="http://wa1.www.unesco.org/new/typo3temp/pics/5a145723d7.jpg;pvfa4c10408118b914" width="200" /></a></dt>
</dl>
</div>
<div class="csc-textpic-text">
<div class="bodytext">
International
Mother Language Day has been celebrated every year since February 2000
to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. This
year the theme of the International Mother Language day is “Mother
tongue instruction and<a class="internal-link" href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/inclusive-education/"> <b>inclusive education</b></a>”. <span lang="FR">UNESCO highlights the importance of mother tongue as part of <a class="internal-link" href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/right-to-education/"><b>the right to education </b></a>and encourages its member states to promote instruction and education in the mother tongue.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<h4>
Five questions</h4>
<div class="tx-irfaq-pi1">
<div class="tx-irfaq-pi1">
<a href="">Show all</a> / <a href="">Hide all</a>
<br />
<dl>
<dt class="tx-irfaq-dynheader">
<img alt="fold faq" id="irfaq_pm_1_91aee" src="http://wa2.www.unesco.org/new/typo3conf/ext/irfaq/res/plus.gif;pv504cdabf5e86127d" /> <div class="bodytext">
Why International Mother Language Day?</div>
</dt>
<dd class="tx-irfaq-dynans-hidden" id="irfaq_a_1_91aee">
<div class="bodytext">
Linguistic and cultural diversity represent
universal values that strengthen the unity and cohesion of societies.
The recognition of the importance of linguistic diversity led to
UNESCO’s decision to celebrate International Mother Language Day.</div>
<div class="additional-info">
</div>
</dd>
<dt class="tx-irfaq-dynheader">
<img alt="fold faq" id="irfaq_pm_2_91aee" src="http://wa2.www.unesco.org/new/typo3conf/ext/irfaq/res/plus.gif;pv504cdabf5e86127d" /> <div class="bodytext">
When was it launched?</div>
</dt>
<dd class="tx-irfaq-dynans-hidden" id="irfaq_a_2_91aee">
<div class="bodytext">
The 30th session of the General Conference of
UNESCO in 1999 decided that the Organization would launch and observe an
International Mother Language Day on 21 February every year throughout
the world.</div>
<div class="additional-info">
</div>
</dd>
<dt class="tx-irfaq-dynheader">
<img alt="fold faq" id="irfaq_pm_3_91aee" src="http://wa2.www.unesco.org/new/typo3conf/ext/irfaq/res/plus.gif;pv504cdabf5e86127d" /> <div class="bodytext">
What does it celebrate?</div>
</dt>
<dd class="tx-irfaq-dynans-hidden" id="irfaq_a_3_91aee">
<div class="bodytext">
International Mother Language Day’s objective is
to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education, and to
develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on
understanding, tolerance and dialogue.</div>
<div class="additional-info">
</div>
</dd>
<dt class="tx-irfaq-dynheader">
<img alt="fold faq" id="irfaq_pm_4_91aee" src="http://wa2.www.unesco.org/new/typo3conf/ext/irfaq/res/plus.gif;pv504cdabf5e86127d" /> <div class="bodytext">
Who is involved?</div>
</dt>
<dd class="tx-irfaq-dynans-hidden" id="irfaq_a_4_91aee">
<div class="bodytext">
UNESCO’s Director-General launches the
celebration and gives the orientation, but it is the Member States
worldwide who are the key players through their national institutions
and associations. As well as widespread media interest, schools,
universities and cultural associations play an active part in promoting
the goals of International Mother Language Day.</div>
<div class="additional-info">
</div>
</dd>
<dt class="tx-irfaq-dynheader">
<img alt="fold faq" id="irfaq_pm_5_91aee" src="http://wa2.www.unesco.org/new/typo3conf/ext/irfaq/res/plus.gif;pv504cdabf5e86127d" /> <div class="bodytext">
What can you do?</div>
</dt>
<dd class="tx-irfaq-dynans-hidden" id="irfaq_a_5_91aee">
<div class="bodytext">
Some practical suggestions for:
</div>
<div class="bodytext">
<b>Schoolteachers:</b> </div>
<ul>
<li>Do pupils know
that many children in their schools may have mother language(s) that are
different from the languages used in their schools? </li>
<li>Teachers
can get these children to introduce themselves and talk about their
families and their cultures, and teach a little of their mother language
to other children. </li>
<li>They can read poetry, tell a story or sing a
song in their mother language. Paintings and drawings with captions in
mother languages can be displayed inside and outside schools. </li>
</ul>
<div class="bodytext">
<b>University students</b>: </div>
<ul>
<li>They
may know that their fellow students come from a different culture and
use a different language but they don’t take the time to find out more.
This is the opportunity to do so. </li>
<li>They can make a survey on
mother languages existing on the campus by interviewing fellow students
and publish the results on internet.</li>
<li>Cultural activities such as films, plays and music that celebrate different languages can be organized. </li>
</ul>
<div class="bodytext">
<b>The media: </b></div>
<ul>
<li>Every year UNESCO produces press information about the Day. </li>
<li>Local and national media can play a part by producing articles on the local languages spoken in their regions and the cultural</li>
</ul>
<div class="additional-info">
</div>
</dd></dl>
</div>
</div>
<h4>
The (M)Other Tongue: Broadcasts on bilingual education today</h4>
<div class="csc-textpic-imagewrap">
<dl class="csc-textpic-image csc-textpic-firstcol csc-textpic-lastcol" style="width: 115px;">
<dt><a href="http://soasradio.org/motherlanguageday" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="130" src="http://wa1.www.unesco.org/new/typo3temp/pics/93551c55fb.jpg;pvb6f563e86198c0f5" width="115" /></a></dt>
</dl>
</div>
Speaking
one’s mother language is a right that not everyone can take for
granted, especially in places where local, mother tongues are threatened
by more dominant languages. Today, bilingual education programmes
worldwide illustrate how discussions about “mother languages” must
include the “other languages”. <a href="http://soasradio.org/motherlanguageday" target="_blank">SOAS Radio,</a> UNESCO’s
partner from the University of London’s School of Oriental &
African Studies provides global perspectives on the debate. <br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/strengthening-education-systems/languages-in-education/international-mother-language-day/">Unesco</a><br />
</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-3307523983377033422012-02-15T22:31:00.000-08:002012-02-15T22:31:35.940-08:00Nominate your favourite piece of women’s writing for International Women’s Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
Call to PEN Members</h2>
<h4 class="date_tab">
February 8 2012</h4>
<h4 class="author_tab">
Written by Karis Eaglestone</h4>
<strong>Nominate your favourite piece of women’s writing for International Women’s Day – 8th March</strong><br />
In celebration of International Women’s Day (8th March) and PEN’s
90th anniversary, PEN International asks PEN members to nominate one
piece of writing by a woman that has moved them, made a deep impression,
or that they greatly admire. Nominations will be featured on our site
as a tapestry of recommendations in recognition of literary achievements
by women. Nominations may include women’s writing of any form,
including poetry, essays, novels, short stories and speeches. Please
email nominations to <a href="mailto:communications@pen-international.org">communications@pen-international.org</a>
stating your name, your PEN Centre, the writer and title of the text
you are nominating, and a brief sentence explaining why you have chosen
this piece of writing. Deadline for nominations 29th February. <br />
And on International Women’s Day 8th March follow #womenwriters when
@pen_int will be featuring quotes and news on women writers.<br />
<br />
source: <a href="http://www.pen-international.org/02/2012/call-to-pen-members/"><i>International PEN</i></a> </div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-26759030247691516322012-02-15T21:58:00.000-08:002012-02-15T21:58:30.146-08:00Free Speech Cafe: Equality for Black British Writers?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 34px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 24px;">No Room At The Table: Making Inclusion a Reality for Black British Writers</span></h1>
<em>with <strong>Courttia Newland</strong>, <strong>Jonathan Heawood</strong> and <strong>Joy Francis</strong></em><br />
<br />
What are the barriers for black British writers working today? Why is it
that not enough black British writers are being published? Are
literature festivals celebrating the diversity of writers in the UK
enough? What is the free speech issue here? What’s the role English PEN
can play to support all writers in the UK?<br />
<br />
For this and more, join us for the latest <strong>Free Speech Café</strong>, where the hottest issues of the day are discussed and debated. We are delighted to partner up with <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=e11f3a9e9e&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_1">Words of Colour Productions</span></a> for this event.<br />
<br />
<img alt="Words of Colour Logo" height="82" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1/files/words_of_colour_logo_withTagline_170px.jpg" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline; height: 82px; line-height: 100%; outline: medium none; text-decoration: none; width: 170px;" width="170" /><br />
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<img alt="" border="0" height="106" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1/images/Free_Speech_Cafe.jpg" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline; height: auto; line-height: 100%; margin: 0pt; max-width: 160px; outline: medium none; padding: 0pt; text-decoration: none;" width="160px" /></div>
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Book Now!</h4>
<strong>English PEN<br />
Free Speech Café</strong><br />
<em>Thursday 1 March, 6.30pm</em><br />
Free Word<br />
60 Farringdon Road<br />
London EC1R 3GA<br />
Tickets: £2, in advance or on the door<br />
<strong><a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=bec746382a&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_7">BOOK YOUR TICKET</span></a></strong><br />
<hr />
<br />
<em>English PEN also supports...</em><br />
<br />
<h2 id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329371335386190" style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 30px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px; text-align: left;">
<span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1329371335386189" style="font-size: 24px;">A Cinema Masterclass with <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_2">Claude Lanzmann</span> at the Institut Francais</span></h2>
<b>Claude Lanzmann</b>, director of the landmark film <i>Shoah</i>, has played a unique role in France's intellectual scene throughout his life. His memoir <strong><i>The Patagonian Hare</i> </strong>(translated
from the French by Frank Wynne) has been a phenomenal success in France
and has been translated into ten languages. The book will be published
in English next month by Atlantic, supported by a grant from <strong>English PEN's Writers in Translation Programme</strong>. To co-incide with the release of the book, Lanzmann has agreed to take part in <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=9f846f0b9a&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_3">a unique masterclass</span></a> dedicated to his cinematographic work, illustrated with film clips. His <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=4e96804dbd&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_4">appearance at Jewish Book Week</span></a>
has already sold out, so don't miss the chance to hear Lanzmann speak
about his inspirational lifetime achievements, passions and commitments!<strong> Claude Lanzmann</strong> will be in conversation with <b>Michael Etherton</b> (UK Jewish Film).</div>
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<img alt="" border="0" height="108" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1/images/Lanzmann_Claude.jpg" style="border: 0pt none; display: inline; height: auto; line-height: 100%; margin: 0pt; max-width: 160px; outline: medium none; padding: 0pt; text-decoration: none;" width="160px" /></div>
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Book Now</h4>
<strong>Cinema Masterclass with Claude Lanzmann</strong><br />
8pm, Monday 20 February<br />
Institut Francais<br />
Price: £12 / concessions £10 / students £5<br />
<a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=bf30ab5664&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329371324_8">Book Online.</span></a> </div>
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<br /></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-43088411574053471272012-02-15T02:35:00.000-08:002012-02-15T02:35:15.897-08:00‘Free Speech and Literature’ night class begins 28 February<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 32px;">‘Free Speech and Literature’ night class begins 28 February</span></h1>
<strong>As Salman Rushdie is prevented from attending the Jaipur
Literary Festival, Shakespeare is banned in Arizona schools, and Chinese
poet Zhu Yufu is sentenced to seven years imprisonment for writing a
poem... English PEN launches its latest series of night classes on
literature and censorship.</strong><br />
<br />
<em>Free Speech and Literature</em>, a collaboration with the <strong>Bishopsgate Institute</strong>,
considers some of the best known and most dramatic challenges to free
speech: attacks on poems, plays and novels. Attendees will consider how
creative freedom operates for different audiences and spaces, and will
have the opportunity to experiment with creative as well as critical
responses to the literature. Guest speakers will guide course-goers
through the current threats to creative freedom and new opportunities to
expand the space for free speech.<br />
<br />
<strong>The six week course costs £89 (£67 concessions) and begins on Tuesday 28th February. You can book your place on the course </strong><a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=0167460cc7&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><strong>via the Bishopsgate Institute website</strong></a><strong> or by calling 020 7392 9200.</strong><br />
<br />
The course will be led by <strong>Dr Sophie Mayer</strong>. In an <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=cfbee351b1&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1329301403_1">article for Free Word</span></a>, she writes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"The history of banning, burning and bowdlerising books ... is also the
history of their survival: the censor’s power is often terrible, but
not final. It can also remind us to treasure the power of the word,
which will always outwit the censor who invests it with power by their
censorship."</blockquote>
<strong>Jonathan Heawood</strong>, Director of English PEN, says:<br />
<br />
<blockquote id="yui_3_2_0_1_13293010623963167">
"In many respects, the history of literature and the history of free
speech are one and the same, and the willingness of those in authority
to censor poems, plays and novels shows just how powerful they are. We
are delighted to be running this course with the Bishopsgate Institute
once again, giving attendees an opportunity to engage deeply with these
essential literary issues."</blockquote>
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-22808792177465609082012-01-24T18:59:00.000-08:002012-01-24T18:59:40.190-08:00English PEN warns Leveson against state regulation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h1 style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 34px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-top: 0; text-align: left;">
English PEN warns Leveson against state regulation</h1>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Heawood: 'We would rather live in a noisy, open society than a quiet and over regulated one.'</span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><br />
Giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, English PEN Director <strong>Jonathan Heawood</strong>
today argued strongly against moves towards statutory press regulation,
describing proposed co-regulation as a veiled form of statutory
regulation, that is subject to political influence.<br />
<br />
He urged immediate reform of libel law and a review of privacy law,
saying: 'It is essential that the underlying law is right, and that it
is accessible to all, not just those with the largest chequebooks.'<br />
<br />
Heawood cautioned against focusing too much on regulation as the panacea
to all problems. He noted that the media industry is changing rapidly
and that some publishers may choose to stay outside the regulator. 'We
shouldn't try to regulate the stable door after the horse has bolted,'
he warned.</span><br />
<br />
<strong>Read more...</strong><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1327459399306156" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">English PEN's written submission to the Leveson Inquiry was submitted in November and is <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=51b06a5361&e=ae42fa7f48" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1327459399306155" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">available to view online here</a>.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1327459401_1"> </span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1327459399306159" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=d9909cf922&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1327459401_1">View a summary</span></a> of the key points of English PEN's evidence session on Storify.</span><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1327459399306159" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">Jonathan
Heawood was giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry with John Kampfner,
Chief Executive of Index on Censorship. A full transcript of their
evidence will be published on the <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=46bbb9595d&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1327459401_2">Leveson Inquiry website</span></a>.</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_1327459399306159" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">English
PEN is part of the Libel Reform Campaign, together with Index on
Censorship and Sense About Science. The campaign calls for major reform
of England & Wales's outdated libel laws, as well as reforms to
procedures and legal costs. Visit <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=760a31c53a&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1327459401_3">www.libelreform.org</span></a> to sign up to the campaign.</span></span><strong> </strong></div>
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-26321059849727759972012-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:002012-01-24T18:25:17.580-08:00Muslim organizations file cases against authors who read from Rushdie's book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
source : <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Muslim-organizations-file-cases-against-authors-who-read-from-Rushdies-book/articleshow/11609430.cms">Times of India</a><br />
<br />
<span class="arttle"></span><br />
<h1>
Muslim organizations file cases against authors who read from Rushdie's book</h1>
<span class="byline"><span class="imghov" style="top: 4px;"><span id="auim"></span></span><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/toireporter/author-Bhanu-Pratap-Singh.cms" rel="author">Bhanu Pratap Singh</a>, TNN <span style="font-size: 9px;">|</span> Jan 24, 2012,</span><br />
<br />
<span id="advenueINTEXT" name="advenueINTEXT"></span><br />
JAIPUR: After the
police complaints lodged a day earlier, at least half-a-dozen court
cases have been filed against four authors and three organisers of the
Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) where extracts from Salman Rushdie's
banned book 'The Satanic Verses' were publicly read on January 20.<br />
In Jaipur, five complaints have been filed by different individuals and organizations, including the All India <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Milli-Council">Milli Council</a> and the BJP minority cell, in a lower court demanding action against four authors Hari Kunzru, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Amitava-Kumar">Amitava Kumar</a>, Jeet Thayil and Ruchir Joshi and festival organizers Sanjoy Roy, Namita Gokhale, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/William">William</a> Dalrymple.<br />
Four of the complaints in Jaipur are scheduled to be heard by different
courts on Tuesday, while the Milli Council's case is slated for a
hearing on January 30. The case in Ajmer court by an individual
allegedly linked to the ruling <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Congress">Congress</a> party would be heard on January 25.<br />
"We did not know that Rushdie would be participating at the literary
event through video conferencing, otherwise we would have requested the
court to order a stay on this too," the Mili Council secretary Abdul
Latif told TOI on Monday.<br />
The Council has sought action under
various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). "The book is banned in
India so, legally, the authors cannot even read from it at a public
event," Latif said. "We have sought action under IPC sections 153, 153A,
295, 295A, 298, 505, 504 and 120B," he added.<br />
IPC Section 153
involves prosecution for wantonly giving provocation with intent to
cause riot, Section 153A relates to punishment for promoting enmity
between different groups on grounds of religion, Section 295A pertains
to deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings
of any class by insulting its religion or religious covers beliefs and
Section 298 is invoked for uttering words with deliberate intent to
wound the religious feelings of any person.<br />
"A series of
complaints have been filed in separate courts, including five at Jaipur
and one at Ajmer against the authors and organizers. One complaint at
Jaipur is by the BJP minority cell's Daulat Khan and the one at Ajmer by
<a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Muzaffar-Bharti">Muzaffar Bharti</a>, who represents a local group, is a primary member of the Congress," alleged <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Kavita-Srivastava">Kavita Srivastava</a>, the civil rights organization PUCL's secretary.<br />
The hardliner Muslim organizations and community leaders have been
opposing Rushdie's participation in the literary event this year even
though the author attended it as one of the speakers in 2007. The Muslim
community protestors maintain that Rushdie's book has hurt its
religious sentiments.<br />
<br />
Source : <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Muslim-organizations-file-cases-against-authors-who-read-from-Rushdies-book/articleshow/11609430.cms">Times of India</a> <br />
<span class="byline"> </span></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-51645360679105637392012-01-23T18:23:00.000-08:002012-01-23T18:27:32.406-08:00English PEN statement of solidarity with Jaipur authors<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a class="" data-action="search" href="http://36ohk6dgmcd1n-c.c.yom.mail.yahoo.net/om/api/1.0/openmail.app.invoke/36ohk6dgmcd1n/9/1.0.35/us/en-US/view.html#bn=1.0.35&.lang=en-US&.intl=us&rtl=0&proxyhost=us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com&sig=701747d1908a336e4a970e31e863c121&vid=om_default_view_id_36ohk6dgmcd1n-message_render_1327371412121&app=36ohk6dgmcd1n&mailver=neo&crumb=ayKTCgp2yBz&cb=1327371412122" title="Click to search for messages with same subject">English PEN statement of solidarity with Jaipur authors</a></h3>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><b>The
board of trustees of English PEN today issue a statement of support in
solidarity with five writers who have faced harassment for defending
free expression in India.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Amitava Kumar</b>, <b>Hari Kunzru</b>, <b>Jeet Thayil</b>, <b>Ruchir Joshi</b> and <b>S. Anand</b>, all attendees at the <b>Jaipur Literary Festival</b>, staged symbolic readings of <i>The Satanic Verses</i> after their fellow writer <b><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1327371403_1">Salman Rushdie</span></b>
was forced to cancel his planned appearance. Soon after, local police
arrived and began making enquiries about ‘illegal conduct’ at the
festival.<br />
<br />
<b>Salil Tripathi</b>, English PEN Trustee and Chair of its Writers in Prison Committee, said:</span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">These
events paint a worrying picture of the state of free expression in
India. The Rajasthan police offered no support to Salman Rushdie when
he was threatened. And instead of protecting authors who take a stand
defending free expression, the police appear to be harassing them
instead. The way the security services have handled this incident falls
way short of India’s aspirations and claims to be a democracy. </span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;"><b>Gillian Slovo</b>, President of English PEN, said:</span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">The
Jaipur Literary Festival should be able to showcase a commitment to
artistic expression. Unfortunately, the threats against Rushdie, and the
subsequent harassment of those who stood up to defend him, demonstrate
how difficult it can be to do this in India.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">The
organisers of the Jaipur Literary Festival issued a statement
distancing the organisers from the actions of the five authors, saying
that “any action by any delegate or anyone else involved with the
Festival that in any manner falls foul of the law will not be tolerated
and all necessary, consequential action will be taken”. Responding to
the statement, Gillian Slovo said:</span></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva,sans-serif;">The ban on <i>The Satanic Verses</i>
is an affront to free expression. It allows the kind of police
harassment we have seen this week in Jaipur, and legitimises the threats
of violence against authors like Salman Rushdie. It is disappointing
that the organisers of the festival did not use their position to
condemn this ban and so support a group of writers who did nothing more
than read from a work of literary fiction.</span></span></blockquote>
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<div id="article-header">
<div id="main-article-info">
<h1>
Why I quoted from The Satanic Verses</h1>
<div class="stand-first-alone" id="stand-first">
I wanted to give a voice to Salman Rushdie, a writer silenced by a death threat, not offend anyone's religious sensibilities</div>
</div>
<ul class="share-links" id="content-actions">
<li class="b3">
<a class="content-comment-count" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/i-quoted-satanic-verses-suport-rushdie#start-of-comments"><span class="comment-count-val"></span></a>
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<ul class="article-attributes b4">
<li>
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/harikunzru" rel="author">
<img alt="Hari Kunzru" class="contributor-pic-small" height="60" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/06/02/hari_kunzru_140x140.jpg" title="Contributor picture" width="60" />
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<div id="main-content-picture">
<img alt="Salman Rushdie" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/1/22/1327254553971/Salman-Rushdie-007.jpg" width="460" />
<br />
<div class="caption">
Salman Rushdie, who decided not attend
the Jaipur Literature Festival in India after he had been told of new
death threats. Photograph: Alberto Estevez/EPA</div>
</div>
<div id="article-body-blocks">
On Friday, over lunch, I heard the news that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2012/jan/22/observer-profile-salman-rushdie?newsfeed=true" title="">Salman Rushdie would not be attending the Jaipur Literature Festival</a>.
His visit had been in doubt for some time. Initially we had been
scheduled to have a conversation on stage that afternoon, but since <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2012/jan/11/salman-rushdie-deobandi-school-of-thought" title="">Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani</a>,
the head of the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband, had called for him to
be prevented from entering India, the festival organisers had been
fighting a storm of manufactured controversy, not unconnected with the
upcoming Uttar Pradesh state elections.<br />
Salman has been visiting
India without incident for many years, and spoke at the JLF in 2007.
Clearly, the sudden eruption of righteous indignation at his presence
was not spontaneous. The manipulation of religious sentiment for
political ends has a long history in India, and this was merely a
particularly cynical example of a traditional election-time activity.<br />
Initially,
the directors of the JLF asked Salman to delay his arrival while they
worked with the authorities to provide security, and attempted to defuse
a planned protest. Our Friday event was moved to Tuesday morning, and
his name was removed from the festival programme. Then came the news,
apparently originating in police intelligence reports seen by the
festival team, that three assassins had been dispatched from Bombay with
orders to murder him. Now there appears to be doubt about the veracity
of these reports – Mumbai police deny that they communicated any such
intelligence, and the Hindu newspaper has reported that the story of the
assassins was concocted by the Rajasthani police. Whatever the truth of
this, it was enough to prevent Salman from travelling to India.<br />
<a href="http://www.amitavakumar.com/" title="">Amitava Kumar</a>
and I were extremely angry. We felt that it was important to show
support for Salman, who is often misrepresented and caricatured as a
sort of folk-devil by people who know little or nothing about his work.
This situation has arisen in India at a time when free speech is under
attack. Recent moves to institute "pre-screening" of internet content,
and kneejerk bans of books such as <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/30/gujarat-bans-gandhi-book-gay-claims" title="">Joseph Lelyveld's masterly biography of Gandhi</a>, show that these are not good times for those who wish to say unpopular things in the world's largest democracy.<br />
We
decided that we would use our afternoon session, in which Amitava was
due to interview me about my novel Gods Without Men to highlight the
situation. We decided (without consulting the festival organisers, or
anyone else) that I would make a statement, and then we would quote from
The Satanic Verses. We knew this little-read and much-burned book was
banned in India, but it was our understanding that this meant it was a
crime to publish, sell or possess a copy. We knew it would be considered
provocative to quote from it, but did not believe it was illegal. A
pirated text exists on the internet, and we downloaded two passages, 179
and 208 words in length respectively.<br />
Our intention was not to
offend anyone's religious sensibilities, but to give a voice to a writer
who had been silenced by a death threat. Reading from another one of
his books would have been meaningless. The Satanic Verses was the cause
of the trouble, so The Satanic Verses it would have to be. We did not
choose passages that have been construed as blasphemous by Muslim
opponents of the book – this would have been pointless, as these
passages have overshadowed the rest of the content of the novel, which
concerns the relationship between faith and doubt, and contains much
that has nothing to do with religion whatsoever. We wanted to demystify
the book. It is, after all, just a book. Not a bomb. Not a knife or a
gun. Just a book.<br />
To the audience in the Durbar Hall, I read the following statement. It is a little rough, as it was written in haste:<br />
<blockquote>
Today, I am sad to say, is a bleak day for Indian literature. We heard earlier from <a href="http://gurcharandas.blogspot.com/" title="">Gurcharan Das</a>,
Alex Watson and Oscar Pujol about the place that doubt, dissent and
argumentation held in the very origins of Indian thought [this is a
reference to an earlier session, which dealt with scepticism in Vedic
philosophy]. Today, one of India's greatest novelists, Salman Rushdie – a
writer whose work enshrines doubt as a necessary and valuable ethical
position – has been prevented from addressing this festival by those
whose certainty leads them to believe that they have the right to kill
anyone who opposes them. This kind of blind, violent certainty is in
opposition to everything the festival stands for – openness,
intellectual growth and the free exchange of ideas. There are many
rights for which we should fight, but the right to protection from
offence is not one of them. Freedom of speech is a foundational freedom,
on which all others depend. Freedom of speech means the freedom to say
unpopular, even shocking things. Without it, writers can have little
impact on the culture. Unless we come out strongly in support of
Rushdie's right to be here, and to speak to us, we might as well shut
the doors of this hall and go home. </blockquote>
Then I read from the novel. I had already finished when <a href="http://dscprize.com/sanjoy-roy/" title="">Sanjoy Roy</a>
came to the side of the stage and told us that we shouldn't continue.
Amitava and I spoke for some time about the influence of Rushdie on my
work, and of the themes of doubt and certainty in Gods Without Men. He
then quoted the second excerpt, a description of what London might be
like if it was "tropicalised", one of many comic passages in The Satanic
Verses which have no religious content. I would link here to the
passages we read, which I maintain are absolutely inoffensive to even
the most delicate religious sensibility, but given my current legal
circumstances, this does not seem wise.<br />
At the end of the session,
I signed books. Quickly a mob scene developed as I was surrounded by
journalists who wanted to know why Amitava and I had made our protest.
Backstage, the festival organisers were upset. This was something about
which they had no foreknowledge, and over which they had no control. The
bad atmosphere was compounded by the news that, completely
independently, two other writers – <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Jaipur/Complaint-against-authors-who-read-from-Satanic-Verses/Article1-800666.aspx" title="">Jeet Thayil and Ruchir Joshi</a>
– had also read from The Satanic Verses. I was not present at that
reading, and I'll leave it to them to give an account of their actions
and intentions.<br />
News of the readings travelled fast. Sanjoy Roy
was soon taking calls from clerics and politicians, including one from
the chief minister of Rajasthan. The Jaipur police commissioner arrived,
interviewed us briefly, and went away, apparently reassured that no law
had in fact been broken.<br />
A lawyer appeared who closeted himself
with the festival organisers. He drafted a statement, which we were
asked to sign, making clear that the festival was not responsible for
our actions. It was left to my friend Sara Chamberlain to find someone
to provide legal advice to me. This advice was blunt: I should leave
India immediately, as otherwise I risked arrest and might well find
myself unable to return home to New York until any resulting cases had
been resolved.<br />
The festival organisers later informed me that they
had been advised that it was unsafe for me to stay in Jaipur, and my
continued presence at the festival would only inflame an already
volatile situation. I left early on Saturday morning, and left India the
same day.<br />
I would like to reiterate that in taking this action I
believed (and continue to believe) that I was not breaking the law, and
had no interest in causing gratuitous offense. I apologise unreservedly
to anyone who feels I have disrespected his or her faith.<br />
I refute absolutely the accusation of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asaduddin_Owaisi" title="">Asaduddin Owaisi</a>,
the Hyderabad MP who has accused me of "Islam-bashing under the guise
of liberalism". I stand on my public record as a defender of the human
rights of Muslims, notably my work for <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/moazzam-begg" title="">Moazzam Begg</a> and other British Muslims detained without trial in Guantánamo Bay.<br />
To
Mr Owaisi, and others who feel that the notion of "freedom of speech"
is just a tool of secular western interests, a license to insult them, I
say that the contrary is true. Freedom of speech is the sole guarantee
of their right to be heard in our complex and plural global culture. It
is the only way of asserting our common life across borders of race,
class and religion. Just as I reach out my hand to Salman Rushdie, I do
so to Mr Owaisi, and to Maulana Abul Qasim Nomani, whose seminary is,
after all, called the "House of Knowledge", in the hope that, as fellow
believers in the vital importance of words, we can resolve our
differences – or at least come to understand them correctly – through
speech and writing, instead of violence and intimidation.<br />
• Comments on this article will be switched off overnight and turned on again at 9am Monday (23 January, UK time)<br />
Source :<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/i-quoted-satanic-verses-suport-rushdie">The Guardian</a> </div>
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<h1>
<a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/writers-take-a-stand-against-rushdie-ban/" rel="bookmark">Writers take a stand against Rushdie ban</a></h1>
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<span class="date">23 Jan 2012</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indexoncensorship.org%2F2012%2F01%2Fwriters-take-a-stand-against-rushdie-ban%2F&t=Writers%20take%20a%20stand%20against%20Rushdie%20ban%20%7C%20Index%20on%20Censorship&src=sp" name="fb_share" style="text-decoration: none;" type="button_count"><span class="fb_share_size_Small "><span class="FBConnectButton FBConnectButton_Small" style="cursor: pointer;"><span class="FBConnectButton_Text"></span></span><span class="fb_share_count fb_share_count_right"><span class="fb_share_count_inner"></span></span></span></a><div class="buttons-wrap clearfix" style="float: left;">
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<a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?attachment_id=32330" rel="attachment wp-att-32330"><img alt="" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-32330" height="192" src="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/amitabh_hari-350_012112095132-300x192.jpg" style="margin: 0px;" title="amitabh_hari-Satanic Verses reading" width="300" /></a><strong>As
the controversy surrounding Salman Rushdie’s withdrawal from the Jaipur
Literary Festival rumbles on, Indian writers are organising against
censorship</strong><br />
<span id="more-32312"></span>Liverpool had its Fab Four, but now
Jaipur in India has its own Fab Five — writers Amitava Kumar, Hari
Kunzru, Jeet Thayil, Ruchir Joshi and Anand.<br />
When the Rajasthan police apparently concocted a <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Salman-Rushdie-Rajasthan-police-lied-to-me/articleshow/11596098.cms" target="_blank" title="Times of India">fictitious assassination</a> plot leading Salman Rushdie to <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/salman-rushdie-pulls-out-of-indian-literary-festival-amid-assassination-fears/" target="_blank" title="Index on Censorship : Salman Rushdie pulls out of Indian literary festival amid assassination fears">stay away</a> from the Jaipur Literature Festival, the mood in Jaipur was glum. Everyone took the plot to be real, until <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2823617.ece" target="_blank" title="The Hindu : Agnivesh for probe into Rajasthan government's ‘duplicity'">The Hindu reported</a> the convoluted manipulation by the police.<br />
Many in India wanted to hear Rushdie, who avoided India during the
fatwa years and has been able to make only a few visits since 2000.
Festival goers were hoping to hear him speak about the filming of
Midnight’s Children and his forthcoming memoir. But <a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/india-must-choose-to-defend-free-speech/" target="_blank" title="Index on Censorship : India must choose to defend free speech">protests</a> from Muslim groups and the plausible threat made him change his mind.<br />
Which is where the Fab Four came in. On Friday, Poughkeepsie,
NY-based Kumar, who teaches at Vassar and who has irritated Hindu
nationalists in the past with his magnificent, in-your-face memoir, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/husband-of-a-fanatic-by-amitava-kumar-6151852.html" target="_blank" title="Independent : Husband of a Fanatic, by Amitava Kumar">Husband of a Fanatic</a> started reading passages from The Satanic Verses. <a href="http://www.harikunzru.com/" target="_blank" title="Hari Kunzru : Words, pictures">Hari Kunzru</a>,
a British-Indian novelist based in New York also took a stand at the
same panel discussion. Both novelists stopped reading after the alarmed
festival organisers pleaded with them.<br />
Kunzru, a former <a href="http://englishpen.org/">English PEN</a>
vice-president, takes freedom of expression seriously. When the
European Writers’ Parliament met in Istanbul and Turkish authors
protested against the presence of VS Naipaul, forcing Naipaul to cancel
his appearance, Kunzru spoke out. Reading from Rushdie’s controversial
novel was no different.<br />
The mood in Jaipur had changed. By Friday afternoon, unexpectedly, the poet and novelist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeet_Thayil">Jeet Thayil </a>picked another passage from The Satanic Verses, and read aloud. Finally, <a href="http://www.granta.com/Contributors/Ruchir-Joshi">Ruchir Joshi</a>, film-maker and novelist, whose magical <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2001/jun/02/fiction.reviews1" target="_blank" title="Guardian : Glorious impurities">The Last Jet-Engine Laugh</a> is an uproarious account of a futuristic India, read from The Satanic Verses. Tensions rose.<br />
Soon thereafter, the police arrived, making inquiries about <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Jaipur/Complaint-against-authors-in-Satanic-Verses-row/Article1-800666.aspx" target="_blank" title="Hindustan Times : Complaint against authors in Satanic Verses row">illegal conduct</a>
at the festival. Importing The Satanic Verses into India is prohibited
but the law is unclear if possessing the novel is a crime, or reading
aloud an extract from it is a crime. A lawyer or the People’s Union of
Civil Liberties, the only local civil society group to support Rushdie
last week, said that as the four authors read extracts from downloads,
and not a book, it may not be a crime. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashi_Tharoor">Shashi Tharoor</a>,
novelist, diplomat, and parliamentarian pointed out he has routinely
quoted and cited from The Satanic Verses and never been troubled.<br />
In any case, the police should not throw around terms terms such as
“guilt” and “crime”, as they have been doing, when they haven’t filed
charges, nor proved their case before a judge.<br />
<a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?attachment_id=32332" rel="attachment wp-att-32332"><img alt="" class="alignright wp-image-32332" height="240" src="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/the_satanic_verses-195x300.jpg" style="margin: 5px;" title="the_satanic_verses" width="156" /></a><br />
The government could claim that by reading from the novel the
authors incited the public. But incited to do what? Demand overturning
the ban, nothing more. In fact, eyewitnesses say that the four authors
were listened to in respectful silence, and warmly applauded. In any
case, if the government wishes to proceed against the authors and is
really mean-spirited, it could do so under S. 295A which gives the state
the power to use criminal law against individuals who may have intended
to cause trouble. But was there criminal intent, or mens rea? Sure,
this is defiance, and it challenges a governmental act but it is
Gandhian in its peaceful nature.<br />
Police are seeking recordings of the reading, which, at the time of writing, the festival organisers are refusing to <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/police-demand-tapes-of-reading-from-rushdies-satanic-verses-some-authors-leave-litfest-169277" target="_blank" title="NDTV : Police demand tapes of reading from Rushdie's Satanic Verses; some authors leave LitFest">hand over</a>. It is clear that the Rajasthan Police’s actions are meant to intimidate the authors and their supporters.<br />
The role of the festival organisers — while their position is
delicate — also requires scrutiny. If an author read from Ma Jian’s
Beijing Coma, or Liu Xiaobo’s poems, or displayed Ai Wei Wei’s art at a
public event in China, one would expect that the police would swoop
down, and the organisers would very likely be forced to hand over the
author to the Chinese security.<br />
But this is India; a nation that holds elections, calls itself a
democracy, and has a constitution that offers some protection for free
speech. The actions of the Indian government in recent days, the
intimidation of the five writers and its pusillanimity over Rushdie’s
visit fall considerably short of India’s aspirations and claims.<br />
While the organisers haven’t yet handed over the tapes, they told the authors to <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Salman-Rushdie-shadow-on-Jaipur-Literature-Festival-4-authors-who-read-from-The-Satanic-Verses-sent-packing/articleshow/11595228.cms" target="_blank" title="Times of India : Salman Rushdie shadow on Jaipur Literature Festival: 4 authors who read from 'The Satanic Verses' sent packing">leave Jaipur</a>
immediately, lest they be arrested. It is not known if they offered
them any protection. Worse, a lawyerly statement was issued, which in
effect blamed the authors for “disturbing the peace”, because they acted
outside the confines of the law. The organisers dissociated themselves
from the action — which they can make a case for, but did not uphold
the four’s right to speak freely, which is harder to justify. They
should have said that even though they disagreed with the action, they’d
defend the principle of free speech. But India isn’t there yet, it
seems.<br />
Future participants, apparently, will have to conform to rules not
yet defined, so that they act within the confines of the law. Such rules
defeat the rationale of a festival of literature, where ideas are
expressed to be argued over and debated; such rules restrict fundamental
freedoms.<br />
On Sunday, the writer Anand —who publishes dalit literature under
the imprint Navayana — joined the protests, reading an eloquent passage
from The Satanic Verses, which underscores the spirit of the protests:<br />
<blockquote>
What kind of idea are you? Are you the kind that
compromises, does deals, accommodates itself to society, aims to find a
niche, to survive: or are you the cussed, bloody-minded, ramrod-backed
type of damnfool notion that would rather break than sway with the
breeze? The kind that will almost certainly, ninety-nine times out of
hundred, be smashed to bits: but, the hundredth time, will change the
world.</blockquote>
On Monday, leading Indian writers began to <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/prime-minister-india-reconsider-the-ban-on-salman-rushdies-the-satanic-verses" target="_blank" title="Change.org: Prime Minister, India: Reconsider the ban on Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses'">circulate a petition</a> to the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, calling for the ban on The Satanic Verses <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/politics/backlash-writers-want-ban-on-rushdies-satanic-verses-lifted-190259.html" target="_blank" title="First Post : Writers want ban on Rushdie’s Satanic Verses lifted">to be lifted</a>. The battle to undo the damage of the past quarter century has begun.<br />
There are no ifs and buts. As Rushdie wrote in The Satanic Verses:<br />
<blockquote>
A Poets work (is) to name the unnamable, to point at
frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from
going to sleep.</blockquote>
It is time for India to wake up.<br />
<br />
Source :<a href="http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2012/01/writers-take-a-stand-against-rushdie-ban/"> Index censorship</a> <br />
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-82688548736015565672012-01-21T16:16:00.000-08:002012-01-21T16:16:43.087-08:00An annual report 2011: The PEN community in West Bengal, India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The PEN West Bengal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>together with
BudhBikel (Wednesday Afternoon) has been holding as usual weekly sittings with
rendering of literary contributions and discussion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">On 26 01 2011 The PEN, West Bengal had arranged a literary programme in
the A/C hall of the Kolkata bookfair<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>organized by the Publishers and Bookselleres Guild. Many poets and
literary personal, besides the members of the PEN participated to make the
programme success.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The Annual literary Evening of the PEN West Bengal was arranged on 25.04
2011 in the hall of Bangla Academy. Eminent poets and literary personal
attended and participated the programme which was presided by Sri Sunil
Gangopadhyay, Chairman of the PEN West Bengal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">A general body meeting of the PEN West Bengal was arranged on 21 08 2011
at the Theosophical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Society Hall. It was
attended by the members in large numbers. The following agenda were discussed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">1.Accounts 2. Membership 3. Publication of the annual literary volume 4.
Election of the new excutive committee members 5. Annual literary awards 6.
Miscellanious</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The PEN West Bengal organized a programme on<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>09. 09. 2011. In the Jibananda Hall of Bangla
Academy where in The Nilima Gupta memorial award for theatre was awarded. To
Smt Usha Ganguly an eminent person of the theatrical<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>world of Kolkata Nilima Gupta memorial
lecture was delivered by Dr. Anirban Roy Chowdhury.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The PEN Westbengal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arranged an
excursion to Digha, on 23. 09 . 2011. On the occasion a literary session on 24
09. 2011 was also arranged which was chaired by Sri Surojit Dasgupta, executive
chairman of PEN. And Fajlul Alam, a well known writer from Bangladesh was
honoured in the programme. He was also the chief guest. The excursion ended on
25.09.2011</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 105%; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Besides members of the PEN West Bengal assembled in the house of Sri
Nisith Roy chowdhury on 18. 08.11 and 05. 10.11 and arranged a literary
programme as usual. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We, PEN community in
West Bengal visit any place or join any literary event anywhere in India if any
organization or individual expresses a sponsorship.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span>Albert Ashok</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span>Spl. </span><span>and communication </span><span>executive </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span>9330858536</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span>Kolkata</span></div>
</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-12714117243391581012012-01-21T15:50:00.001-08:002012-01-21T15:50:38.635-08:00January 12 letter from John Ralston Saul, International President<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2>
News: Monthly letter from John Ralston Saul, International President – January 2012</h2>
January 18, 2012<br />
Dear friends, Dear PEN members,<br />
A few days from now a large delegation – ten of us – will go to
Mexico City. This will be a strong expression of solidarity for Mexican
writers and journalists. It will also be unprecedented, with the
entire Executive going – Hori Takeaki, Eric Lax and myself – as well as
the Chair of the Writers in Prison Committee – Marian Botsford Fraser –
and representatives of all four North American Centres, as well as the
English and Japanese, all going to stand in public with our Mexican
colleagues. Émile Martel, Russell Banks, Adrienne Clarkson, Gillian
Slovo, Larry Siems and Adam Somers, as well as Renu Mandhane, head of
the International Human Rights Program of the University of Toronto’s
Faculty of Law, will join the Executive.<br />
We will be working with the three Mexican PEN Centres – Mexico,
Guadalajara and San Miguel Allende. The culmination of this will be a
public event organized by Jennifer Clement, President of PEN Mexico, and
her members, involving the delegation and some 50 Mexican writers on
Sunday, January 29.<br />
There is also a public letter of solidarity to Mexican writers which I hope you will all sign. It is coming to you separately.<br />
This is not a delegation of experts. It is a delegation of writers
using our public voice. And what we do and say will be quickly
transmitted to you in the hope that you will respond in your own
countries.<br />
This is all part of a sustained Mexican PEN campaign. Recently the
Day of the Dead initiative initiated by Jens Lohman of Danish PEN and
Tony Cohan of San Miguel PEN, spread our concerns about the threats
faced by Mexican journalists throughout our membership. We hope that
these new Mexican initiative will take on our campaign a stage further.<br />
A lot of you are already sending material to the new website. This
is what we need: Centres all over the world telling the rest of PEN
about their work and their risks. Please contribute.<br />
Finally, these last few weeks have been moving and historically
important for Czech writers and for the belief in freedom of expression
that all of us have. First, our former President, Jiří Gruša, one of
the leading dissident writers of the post war period died. Then Václav
Havel, about whom a great deal has rightly been written around the
world. Then Ivan Jirous, whom Paul Wilson called the “leader of the
Cultural Opposition”. Jirous was a poet, essayist and leader of the
psychedelic rock band Plastic People of the Universe. The struggle to
get him out of prison in part inspired the Chapter 77 movement. And
finally, Josef Škvorecký has died, another great writer and leading
dissident. Living in exile in Toronto he created 68 Publishers in 1971
and for two decades published banned Czech and Slovak writers. The
books then made their way illegally back into Czechoslovakia. Of
course, there are many more names, but when four courageous and inspired
writers die almost together it should be marked as an important moment
for all of us in PEN.<br />
Best wishes,<br />
John Ralston Sau</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-90774068532984768962012-01-20T17:26:00.001-08:002012-01-20T17:26:49.338-08:00PEN Statement on Death Threat to Salman Rushdie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="blogEntry" id="post-6743">
<h2>
News: PEN Statement on Death Threat to Salman Rushdie</h2>
PEN International is appalled to learn that the author
Salman Rushdie has once again been the subject of a death threat; we
condemn this criminal attempt to silence an international exponent of
free speech.<br />
Rushdie was warned of the threat to his life shortly before he was
due to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival, Asia’s largest event of its
kind. The author had intended to discuss one of his earlier novels, the
Booker-prize winning Midnight’s Children. The threat caused Rushdie to
withdraw from the festival. <br />
A brief statement was issued by the writer explaining that he had
been warned by intelligence sources that members of Mumbai’s criminal
underworld had put a price on his head. He said that he was unwilling to
risk appearing at the festival, where there would be some risk to his
family and other festival attendees. <br />
Rushdie was the victim of an infamous attack on free speech over the
publication of his book The Satanic Verses (1988), when the Ayatollah
Ruohollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, forcing
him to remain in hiding for many years.<br />
<br />
Source:<a href="http://www.pen-international.org/newsitems/pen-statement-on-death-threat-to-salman-rushdie/"> PEN</a> <br />
</div>
</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-88243872793558945532012-01-19T19:03:00.000-08:002012-01-19T19:03:34.824-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="story-date"><span class="date">17 January 2012</span> <span class="time-text"></span><span class="time"></span>
</span>
<br />
<div class="share-help" id="page-bookmark-links-head">
<br /></div>
<div class="correspondent-byline">
<div class="correspondent-byline-inner">
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/correspondents/soutikbiswas">
<span class="correspondent-portrait"><img alt="Soutik Biswas" height="104" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/52544000/jpg/_52544364_biswas-144x104-grey.jpg" width="144" /></span>
<span class="byline-lead-in">Article written by</span>
<span class="name">Soutik Biswas</span>
</a>
<span class="bbc-role">Delhi correspondent</span>
</div>
</div>
<h1 class="story-header">
Why Salman Rushdie should turn up at Jaipur festival</h1>
<div class="has-icon-comment dna-comment-count-simple">
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16591525#dna-comments"><span class="dna-comment-count-number"></span> <span class="gvl3-icon gvl3-icon-comment"></span></a> </div>
<div class="caption">
<img alt="A cobbler wearing a mask of controversial British author Salman Rushdie polishes shoes outside a mosque during a protest by an Islamic organisation in Mumbai on January 11, 2011" height="299" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57928000/jpg/_57928708_57928706.jpg" width="224" />
<span style="width: 224px;">Muslim groups have protested against Mr Rushdie</span>
</div>
<div class="introduction">
The <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16588835" title="Rushdie's India visit uncertain">uncertainty </a>over Salman Rushdie's participation in the Jaipur <a href="http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/">Literature Festival</a> following protests by an Islamic seminary has a sense of déjà vu about it.</div>
To be sure, the 64-year-old author hasn't officially called
off his trip at the time of writing. The organisers say that he's not
turning up on the first day of the five-day festival, but have removed
his name from the list of speakers. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot has made it abundantly clear he would prefer Mr Rushdie to stay
away.<br />
India swiftly <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/190588.stm" title="Rushdie 'hurt' by India ban">banned</a>
Mr Rushdie's Satanic Verses in 1988 because some clerics said it had
insulted Islam. (The author said he was "hurt and humiliated" by the
decision.) Now Darul Uloom, a leading seminary, has kicked up a storm
saying Mr Rushdie should not be allowed into the country.<br />
<a href="http://www.darululoom-deoband.com/">Darul Uloom</a>
is based in Uttar Pradesh which is going to the polls next month.
Several political parties have said they support the seminary's demand.
None of them want to antagonise Muslims, who make up 18% of the state's
voters. Hosting Mr Rushdie, many in the ruling Congress party privately
believe, would hurt its prospects.<br />
Predictably there's a <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23Rushdie">Twitter storm</a> over the developments.<br />
Keeping Mr Rushdie out, says one tweet, is a "sign of an immature democracy". <br />
There were angrier tweets aplenty. If Mr Rushdie doesn't turn
up, it will be a reflection of "the slimy cowardice of the soft state
bit". "This isn't a society... Not a democracy... But the biggest
hypocrisy in the world !!!", screamed another. "Nothing remains
untouched by politics... not even literature," tweeted an exasperated
journalist. <br />
All of this, unfortunately, appears to be true. India, say
many, has become an opportunistically soft state, unwilling to make its
writ run for narrow political and religious ends. Both Muslim and Hindu
groups have been responsible for launching attacks on freedom of
expression, with the state usually capitulating without offering any
resistance, critics say. They also question whether members of these
groups have actually read the works they are so quick to criticise.<br />
India's record of protecting freedom of speech has been <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15363181" title="Ramayana: An 'epic' controversy">patchy.</a>
Hardline religious groups - sometimes supported by governments - have
burnt books, vandalised paintings, threatened scholars, forced a painter
into exile, and pressurised authorities to ban books and essays.<br />
Many believe Mr Rushdie should make a point by turning up at
the festival, and the organisers and book lovers should force the
government to give him protection. A no-show would be another damning
indictment of a country which never tires of advertising itself as the
world's largest democracy. This is the time to stand up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16591525">BBC </a></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-32833314301462005892012-01-19T05:15:00.000-08:002012-01-19T05:15:17.732-08:00[English PEN] Protect Salman Rushdie at the Jaipur Literary Festival<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<img alt="English PEN Bulletin" border="0" height="132" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1/images/image_13268816164461326881617.jpg" style="border: 0; display: block; height: auto; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 0; margin: 0; outline: none; padding: 0; text-decoration: none;" width="600" /></div>
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<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
<h2 style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 30px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-top: 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 24px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><strong>English PEN calls upon Indian government to protect Salman Rushdie</strong></span></span></h2>
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><br />
<strong>English PEN protests against the failure of the Indian
authorities to offer adequate protection to the author Salman Rushdie,
who is apparently facing pressure to withdraw from the Jaipur Literature
Festival in the wake of extremist threats.</strong><br />
<br />
English PEN understands that, rather than defending Rushdie’s right to
freedom of expression, officials urged the festival organisers to stop
him attending, nominally in order to maintain public order.<br />
<br />
<strong>Gillian Slovo</strong>, author and President of English PEN,
said: ‘Salman Rushdie was born in India and has every right to visit the
country of his birth. The Indian Government had earlier said it would
not stop Rushdie from attending the festival and it should honour its
commitment to freedom of expression.’<br />
<br />
<strong>Salil Tripathi</strong>, author and Chair of English PEN’s
Writers in Prison Committee, said: ‘We urge the Indian Government to
uphold its own laws, and protect artistic freedoms and the rights of
people to read, debate, and argue peacefully so that the country lives
up to the ideals of Rabindranath Tagore: a heaven of freedom where the
mind is without fear and the head is held high.’<br />
<br />
Salman Rushdie participated in the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2007
and is a regular visitor to India. In 2010 he said at a public lecture
in New Delhi: ‘The best way to avoid getting offended is to shut a book.
… The worst thing is that artists are soft targets. … We do not have
armies protecting us.’</span><br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;"><strong>Notes</strong></span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">English PEN is
the founding centre of an international writers’ association with
centres in 104 countries. It is a registered charity (no. 1125610) that
promotes the freedom to write, and the freedom to read, in the UK and
internationally.</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">The Indian
government is committed to upholding freedom of expression under the
Indian Constitution, and under the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, to which India is a signatory.</span></li>
<li>
<span style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">Salman Rushdie
has won the Man Booker Prize and the Booker of Bookers and the James
Joyce Prize. In 2010, English PEN awarded him its highest honour, the <a href="http://englishpen.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=74a56a86a225035bf36e7b4a1&id=732ee8b5c2&e=ae42fa7f48" rel="nofollow" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1326978563_2">Golden PEN award</span></a>, for a lifetime’s achievement. Rushdie’s 1988 novel, <em>The Satanic Verses</em>,
prompted the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini to issue a fatwa. India
was the first country in the world to ban the novel. English PEN
condemned the fatwa then, and vigorously supported Rushdie's freedom to
write.</span></li>
</ul>
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</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-74847772970185728562011-11-30T19:28:00.001-08:002011-11-30T19:30:05.752-08:00Writers in Translation supports the best new literature in translation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"><img alt="pen bulletin 2" height="53" id="yiv54032435Picture_x0020_1" src="http://us.mg1.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f15923%5fAIruXkIAAApZTtX3PQWqVS4MOOA&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1" width="304" /></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"></span></b></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"> </span></b></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Writers
in Translation continues to support the best new literature in translation</span></b></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1322709566_0">29
November 2011</span></span></i></b></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
window into the personal and professional life of highly acclaimed </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">eyewitness journalist
Ryszard Kapuścinśki; </span></i><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">a compelling and powerful story of
Palestinian identity and exile; a riveting novel that is also a powerful
reflection on the life and death of languages; and a poignant collection of
poems from each of the 204 Olympic nations. </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">English
PEN has announced the recipients of their Writers in Translation awards for the
first half of 2012. Announcing the awards, Ros Schwartz, Chair of the Writers
in Translation Committee, said:</span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Once again Writers in Translation is
delighted to support an exciting and eclectic choice of excellent books which
will contribute to the ‘bibliodiversity’ of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1322709566_1">UK</span> book scene.</span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
four titles are:</span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 35.7pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">The
Biography</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";"> by </span></i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">Ryszard Kapu<span style="color: black;">ś</span>cin<span style="color: black;">ś</span>ki, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones (Verso)<i>
</i></span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 35.7pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">The
Lady from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1322709566_2">Tel Aviv</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">
by<b> </b>Rabai al-Madhoun, translated by<b> </b>Elliott Colla<b><i> </i></b>(Telegram
Books)</span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 35.7pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">The
Last of the Vostyaks</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">
</span></b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">by Diego Marani,
translated by Judith Landry (Dedalus Books)<i> </i></span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 35.7pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b><i><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">The
World Record b</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif";">y
various poets and translators (Bloodaxe Books). </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1322709558156243">
<b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You
can read more on each of these titles by visiting the Writers in </span></b><a href="http://www.englishpen.org/writersintranslation/supportedtitles2012/" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1322709558156242" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b id="yui_3_2_0_1_1322709558156241"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1322709558156240" style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Translation Supported
Titles 2012</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">
page on the English PEN website. </span></b></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">English
PEN’s Writers in Translation programme supports between 6-8 books a year,
helping publishers to market, promote, champion and celebrate literature in
translation. </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Established
in 2004, its first supported title was the late Anna Politkovskaya’s <i>Putin’s
<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1322709566_3">Russia</span></i> (translated by Arch Tait) which went on to sell over 20,000 copies.
Since then, more than 40 books have received grants to help bring them to a
wider British audience. </span></div>
<div class="yiv54032435MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
next call for submissions to the Writers in Translation programme (for books
published from July-December 2012) will be in January 2012. For more
information about English PEN’s Writers in Translation programme, contact
Emma Cleave: </span></b><a href="mailto:emma@englishpen.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-family: "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">emma@englishpen.org</span></b></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<h1>
<a href="http://www.englishpen.org/writersintranslation/supportedtitles2012/">Supported Titles 2012</a></h1>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A window into the personal and professional life of highly acclaimed </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">eyewitness journalist Ryszard Kapuścinśki, </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a
compelling and powerful story of Palestinian identity and exile, a
riveting novel that is also a powerful reflection on the life and death
of languages, and </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a poignant collection of poems from each of the 204 Olympic nations. </i><br />
<br />
We are delighted to announce that the following books have received awards for the first half of 2012:<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ryszard Kapuścinśki: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Biography</i>, </b>by Artur Domosławski, translated from the Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones<br />
<br />
This
is the definitive biography of one of the most significant journalists
of the twentieth century. From postcolonial Africa to revolutionary
Iran, from the military dictatorships of Latin America to Soviet Russia,
the Polish journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuścinśki was one of the
most dauntless and important eyewitnesses of his time. In his committed
reporting of the great revolutions of the age, and his resolute
anti-colonialism, Kapuścinśki created a new genre of creative
reporting: one that brought him immense renown in the Western world. In
this biography, Artur Domosławski shines new light on the personal
relationships of this intensely charismatic, highly private man, and the
intractable issue at the heart of Kapuścinśki's life and work: the
question of where journalism ends and literature begins. Close to
Kapuścinśki, and with unparalleled access to his private papers,
Domosławski traces his mentor's footsteps and delves into the files and
archives that Kapuścinśki himself examined. <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To be published by Verso. </i><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lady from Tel Aviv</i></b>, by<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Rabai al-Madhoun, translated from the Arabic by<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Elliott Colla
<br />
In the economy class of a plane bound for Tel Aviv, the lives of two
passengers intersect: Waleed Dahman, a Palestinian novelist returning to
Gaza for the first time in thirty-eight years; and Dana Ahova, a famous
Israeli actress seeking the comforts of home after the disappearance of
her boyfriend. Desperate for consolation, Dana confides in Waleed.
Soon, forgotten fears resurface - Dana's paranoid fear for her own life
and Waleed's suspicions about Mossad. As the night sky hurtles past, the
course of both their lives begins to change, and so too does the novel
that Waleed is working on. By the time Waleed arrives in Gaza, he seems
no more real - and no less imaginary - than his fictional character. <i>The Lady from Tel Aviv</i>
is one of the great achievements of modern Arabic literature. At times a
literary thriller, an exploration about lost family history and a
meditation on the nature of fiction itself, it is, above all, a
reflection on Palestinian identity and exile. <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To be published by Telegram Books.</i><br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last of the Vostyaks</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">, </b>by Diego Marani, translated from the Italian by Judith Landry<br />
<br />
As a child, Ivan and his father worked as forced labourers in a mine
in Siberia, the father having committed some minor offence against the
regime. He is then murdered in front of his young son, after which Ivan -
who is a Vostyak, an imaginary ethnic group of whose language he is the
last remaining speaker - is struck dumb by having witnessed his
father's murder. Some twenty years later the guards desert their posts
and Ivan walks away free, together with the other inmates. Guided by
some mysterious power, he returns to the region he originally came from…
A roller-coaster ride whisking the reader alternatively through zones
of darkness, hilarity, cruelty, tenderness, the near-lubricious, and
pleasingly light-hearted yet telling considerations on the nature and
life and death of languages; and that's without even mentioning the
sub-plots. <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To be published by Dedalus Books. </i><br />
<br />
<i><b>The World Record,</b> </i>by various poets and translators<br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World Record</i> is an
international anthology of work by poets from all the countries taking
part in the 2012 London Olympics, featuring a translated poem from each
of the 204 Olympic nations, from Armenia to Tuvalu, Azerbaijan to
Turkmenistan. With this book you can discover the world through its
keenest observers, political activists and most articulate wordsmiths.
There's something for every taste: new voices as well as world greats,
rappers and spoken-word artists as well as poets and storytellers. The
World Record marks the first time so many living poets from so many
countries have been gathered together in one anthology - and 2012 is the
first time so many poets have been gathered in one place. Up to 204
poets come together in London for Poetry Parnassus, a week-long
celebratory gathering as part of the finale of the Cultural Olympiad,
the Festival of the World and the London 2012 Festival. Poetry Parnassus
is a monumental poetic happening worthy of the spirit and history of
the Olympics. Introduced by the festival's curator, Simon Armitage, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The World Record</i> shows how poetry crosses all international boundaries to speak to readers everywhere. <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To be published by Bloodaxe Books.</i> <br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">'Once again Writers in
Translation is delighted to support an exciting and eclectic choice of
excellent books which will contribute to the 'bibliodiversity' of the UK
book scene.'</i> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ros Schwartz, Chair, Writers in Translation</b> <br />
<br />
<b>We're also looking forward to supporting the delayed publication of these two excellent titles:</b><br />
<br />
<i><b>The Patagonian Hare</b></i> by Claude Lanzmann, translated from the French by Frank Wynne <br />
<br />
Born to a Jewish family in Paris, 1925, Lanzmann's first encounter
with radicalism was as part of the Resistance during the Nazi
occupation. He and his father were soldiers of the underground until the
end of the war, smuggling arms and making raids on the German army.
After the liberation of France, he studied philosophy at the Sorbonne.
In Paris he met Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir and started an
affair with the latter that would last for seven tumultuous years. He
became the editor of her political-literary journal - a position which
he holds to this day - and joined the ranks of the most important
literary and philosophical figures of post-war France. Lanzmann's memoir
is a cry of witness to the 20<sup>th</sup> century that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries. <i>To be Published by Atlantic Books</i><br />
<br />
<b><i>Three Strong Women</i></b> by Marie NDiaye, translated from the French by John Fletcher <br />
<br />
This is the story of three French women of African heritage who
refuse to be bowed by circumstances or submit to expectations.
Forty-year-old Norah leaves Paris, her family and her career as a lawyer
to visit her father in Dakar. It is an uncomfortable reunion - she is
asked to use her skills as a lawyer to get her brother out of prison -
and ultimately the trip endangers her marriage and her relationship with
her daughter, and drives her to the very edge of madness. Fanta, on the
other hand, leaves Dakar to follow her husband Rudy to rural France.
And it is through Rudy's bitter and guilt-ridden perspective that we see
Fanta stagnate with boredom in this alien, narrow environment. Khady is
forced into exile from Senegal because of poverty, because her husband
is dead, because she is lonely and in despair. With other illegal
immigrants, she embarks on a journey which takes her nowhere, but from
which she will never return. <i>To be published by MacLehose Press </i></div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-23626819246733368882011-11-21T02:50:00.001-08:002011-11-21T02:51:40.806-08:00Dawit Isaak death rumours cast dark cloud over Day of the Imprisoned Writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<div class="date">
16 November 2011
</div>
<h1>
Dawit Isaak death rumours cast dark cloud over Day of the Imprisoned Writer </h1>
<br />
<div style="margin: auto; padding: 10px 0 10px 0; text-align: center; width: 532px;">
<img alt="" height="205" src="http://www.ifex.org/international/2011/11/16/dawit_isaak_532.jpg" width="532" /><div class="caption">
<div class="credit">
http://www.freedawit.com</div>
</div>
</div>
Free expression advocates around the world showed solidarity with jailed
and murdered writers on 15 November, International PEN's annual Day of
the Imprisoned Writer.
<br />
<br />
<br />Events included readings, speeches, performances and demonstrations
held to raise awareness of prisoners who have been jailed for their
writings, statements or activism. Among the most pressing cases featured
by PEN Canada was that of Dawit Isaak, the co-founder of "Setit,"
Eritrea's first independent newspaper, who has been held without charges
in Eritrea for 10 years now. Rumours circulating in social and online
media allege Isaak died in prison on 27 October, according to IFEX
members who launched a joint appeal to call for the authorities to
reveal his whereabouts.
<br />
<br />Some of the other political prisoners highlighted by the Writers in
Prison Committee (WiPC) PEN International included Tashi Rabten, a
Tibetan poet and essayist jailed for writing articles about the brutal
suppression of Tibetan independence protests; Abdul-Jalil Al-Singace, a
human rights blogger sentenced to life in Bahrain for his role in
pro-democracy protests; and Reeyot Alemu, an Ethiopian columnist who has
been cut off from all contacts, including lawyers, but is believed to
be detained under repressive antiterrorism laws.
<br />
<br />The day also honoured the 33 writers and journalists killed in the
past year, almost half of who were murdered in Mexico and Pakistan
alone. A Mexican poet and human rights activist, Susana Chavez, was also
one of WiPC feature cases. She was murdered on 6 January this year,
says WiPC, "in an attack many have claimed was the result of her writing
and activism."
<br />
<br />In an event organised by English PEN, Actors for Human Rights
brought to life the comedic writings of persecuted writers, including
Turkish playwright Ali Taygun and Burmese comedian Zarganar.
<br />
<br />Turkish PEN meanwhile held a press conference with journalists and
publishers who drew attention to the recent arrests of professor Ragip
Zarakolu and publisher Busra Ersanli. WiPC also called attention to the
cases of Nadim Sener and Ahmet Shik, who were detained for writing books
and articles that named police and other high level individuals
connected to the Ergenekon case.
<br />
<br />PEN Canada invited pedestrians in Toronto to have their pictures
taken with large portraits of Isaak and Nasrin Sotoudeh and write to the
relevant authorities to demand their release. Sotoudeh is an Iranian
human rights lawyer and journalist serving a six-year journalist in the
notorious Evin prison for "propaganda against the regime."
<br />
<br />Earlier this week, 31 IFEX organisations sent a letter to Eritrea's
president Issayas Afewerki, expressing deep concern about rumours of
Isaak's death. The organisations, led by the World Association of
Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), requested information on
Isaak's location (which is currently unclear) and health condition,
called on authorities to allow the International Committee of the Red
Cross to visit Isaak and demanded that the journalist be immediately
released if he is still alive.
<br />
<br />RSF additionally called on the European Union and Swedish government
to demand information on the whereabouts and health condition of Isaak,
who has dual Eritrean and Swedish nationality. "If they cannot get a
response or if it is confirmed that Dawit died in detention, all
relations between Eritrea and Sweden and the EU will have to be
reviewed," RSF said in a statement.
</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-17109048538054004412011-11-08T19:13:00.000-08:002011-11-21T02:51:43.822-08:00Phone Hacking and the Freedom of the Press<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This fortnight, English PEN
asks tough questions about the future of press freedom in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_0">UK</span> and remembers
writers who have stood up for free speech around the world.</span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">FREE SPEECH CAFE: WHAT
PRICE PRESS FREEDOM?</span></b></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">6.30pm, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_1">Thursday 10
November</span>, Free Word Centre</span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Read more and book tickets
here: <a href="http://bit.ly/ivkCHd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_2">http://bit.ly/ivkCHd</span></a></span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There have been shocking
revelations this week about the use of video surveillance by the <i>News of the
World</i> against lawyers of the phone hacking victims. As the hacking scandal
grows, and James Murdoch prepares to face MPs once more, we ask: <b>‘What
price press freedom?’</b> <a href="http://www.pcc.org.uk/news/newsletter/june/interviewiwthstephenabell.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_3">Stephen
Abell</span></a>, Director of the Press Complaints Commission, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/briancathcart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_4">Brian Cathcart</span></a>,
founder of the Hacked Off campaign, lead <span style="color: black;">an English
PEN debate</span> chaired by journalist and activist <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/rowennadavis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_5">Rowenna Davis</span></a>.</span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">English PEN is developing its
response to the escalating crisis. We want to know what you think. Is it time
to replace self regulation of the press with state regulation? Or is the free
press too important to sacrifice because of one scandal? Is the Press
Complaints Commission at fault for failing to stamp out phone hacking; or is
this a case of one rogue newspaper?</span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Read more and book tickets
here: <a href="http://bit.ly/ivkCHd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/ivkCHd</a></span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">NIGHT OF THE IMPRISONED
WRITER</span></b></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_6">7:30pm</span> (door, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_7">7pm),
Tuesday 15 November</span>, The Tabernacle, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_8">London W11 2AY</span></span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182138">
<i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182137"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182136" style="font-size: 12.0pt;">To read more and book
tickets, <a href="http://www.tabernaclew11.com/whats-on/eventdetails/15-nov-11-night-of-the-imprisoned-writer-tabernacle/" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182135" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_9">click
here</span></a>.</span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182138">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182138">
<i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182137"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182136" style="font-size: 12pt;">zczczczczczczczczczczczczczczzczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczc</span></i></div>
<div class="description description">
<strong>English PEN and ice&fire Theatre present:</strong><br />
<strong>NIGHT OF THE IMPRISONED WRITER</strong><br />
A unique performance evening to mark the 30<sup>th</sup> annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer.<br />
<strong>HELLO MR MILLER, HELLO MR PINTER</strong><br /> <br /> Don’t miss
your chance to see this special one-off performance in which the
powerful words of persecuted writers from Mexico to Bahrain, from Kenya
to Azerbaijan, have been woven together by award-winning playwright
Sonja Linden and English PEN’s Cat Lucas.<br /> <br /> ‘Hello…’ features
letters and other writings by eleven writers that PEN has supported in
the last 30 years, including Turkish playwright Ali Taygun who was in
regular correspondence with the late Harold Pinter and Chinese dissident
Liu Xiaobo, the only Nobel laureate currently in detention. Also
featured are Azerbaijani editor Eynulla Fatullayev, Vietnamese essayist
Tran Khai Thanh Thuy and Burmese comedian and poet Zarganar, all of whom
have been released in the last six months thanks to our combined
efforts.<br /> <br /> Directed by Christine Bacon and performed by Actors
for Human Rights, ‘Hello…’ is both a moving celebration of PEN’s work on
behalf of imprisoned and persecuted writers around the world and a
concrete testament to the bravery of those writers who, often at great
risk to themselves and their families, continue to speak out.<br /> <br /> <strong>STAND UP FOR WRITERS IN PRISON</strong><br /> <br />
And because no-one speaks out quite like a comic, we’re delighted to be
bringing you some of today’s finest acts to illustrate what freedom of
speech is all about…<br /> <br /> <strong>NICK DOODY</strong><br /> <br /> The
fantastic Nick Doody will be bringing his own very special brand of
political comedy and satire to ‘Night of the Imprisoned Writer’. The
creator and head writer of BBC Radio 4′s ‘Bigipedia’, Nick has also
written for ’8 out of 10 cats’ and ‘Armando Ianucci’s Charm Offensive’
and supported the legendary Bill Hicks on his final tour of the UK.
We’re delighted to have him on board!<br /> <br /> For more on Nick, <a href="http://www.comedycv.co.uk/nickdoody/index.htm" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br /> <br /> "All hail Nick Doody…true comedy gold: polished, rich in material and a find among all the fools" Metro<br /> <br /> "Some of the best political material I have heard in a while…comic genius" – The Scotsman<br /> <br /> "very impressive … unfailingly good punchlines … intelligent and funny … comes with the chortle seal of approval" – CHORTLE<br /> <br /> <strong>MARCEL LUCONT</strong><br /> <br />
The hilarious Marcel Lucont is a self-proclaimed ‘flâneur, raconteur,
bon-viveur’ and easily the greatest UK-based French comedian around.
Marcel’s ‘Chat Show’ was voted one of the top 25 Best-Rated Comedy Shows
at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and he won the Spank! Award for Best
Headliner in 2010. We look forward to seeing him in action!<br /> <br /> For more on Marcel, <a href="http://www.marcellucont.com/" target="_blank">click here</a>. <br /> <br /> "Fresh, accessible and hilarious" – The Guardian<br /> <br /> "Wonderful French wit … superb stuff … His elegant, sardonic turns of phrase are an utter joy" – Time Out<br /> <br /> "Deadpan delivery and surreal musings… A stand-up star in the making" – Thelondonpaper<br /> <br /> Show starts: <strong>7.30pm (Doors: 7pm)</strong><br /> <br /> Tickets are <strong>£10</strong> – and all proceeds go directly to English PEN’s Writers in Prison Programme to cover the costs of our campaigning activities. (<a href="http://www.englishpen.org/writersinprison">www.englishpen.org/writersinprison</a>)<br />
<br />
zczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczczc </div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182138">
<i id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182137"><span id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182136" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">English PEN has been marking
the Day of the Imprisoned Writer since 1981. This year we present a
groundbreaking, moving – and surprisingly funny – event at the
Tabernacle in Notting Hill. In collaboration with <a href="http://iceandfire.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_10">ice&fire theatre</span></a> we have devised <b><i>Hello
Mr Miller, Hello Mr Pinter</i></b>, featuring the powerful words of persecuted
writers for whom PEN has campaigned over the decades.</span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">And because no-one speaks </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">quite
as freely as a stand-up comic<span style="color: black;">, we’re proud to
bring you some of today’s finest acts to illustrate what freedom of
speech is all about. The fantastic <b>Nick Doody</b> will be performing his own
very special brand of political comedy. The creator and head writer of BBC
Radio 4′s <i>Bigipedia</i>, Nick has also written for <i>8 out of 10 cats</i>
and <i>Armando Ianucci’s Charm Offensive</i> and supported the legendary
Bill Hicks on his final tour of the UK. Nick will be joined by the hilarious <b>Marcel
Lucont</b>, a self-proclaimed ‘flâneur, raconteur, bon-viveur’ and
easily the greatest UK-based French comedian around. Marcel’s <i>Chat
Show</i> was voted one of the top-25 Best-Rated Comedy Shows at this year’s
<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1320806614_11">Edinburgh</span> Fringe, and he won the Spank! Award for Best Headliner in 2010. </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">"All hail
Nick Doody…true comedy gold: polished, rich in material and a find among
all the fools" <i>Metro</i></span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Wonderful
French wit … superb stuff … His elegant, sardonic turns of phrase
are an utter joy" – <i>Time Out</i></span></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="yiv1158285088MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_1_1320806631182146">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">To read more and book
tickets, <a href="http://www.tabernaclew11.com/whats-on/eventdetails/15-nov-11-night-of-the-imprisoned-writer-tabernacle/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click
here</a>.</span></i></div>
</div>BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-12821927125103267522011-09-19T07:59:00.001-07:002011-09-19T07:59:47.938-07:00Week of Action for Dawit Isaak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: bold;">PEN CALLS FOR A WEEK OF ACTION (19-23
September 2011)</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
<br />
All this week, 19-23 September 2011, PEN members around the world will be
taking part in a week of action for to protest the decade-long imprisonment of
Eritrean-Swedish journalist and author <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dawit
Isaak</span></b> who has been detained incommunicado without charge since 23
September 2001. Dawit is said to be held in appalling conditions and to be in
poor physical and mental health; there are serious concerns for his wellbeing. We
will be calling on the Eritrean authorities to provide details of his
whereabouts and assurances that he is receiving all necessary medical treatment
as a matter of urgency. We will also be calling for his immediate and
unconditional release as well as that of the many other Eritreans imprisoned
for their writings since September 2001. For more information on how to get
involved, please see below.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;"><img height="251" id="yiv878973379_x0000_i1025" src="http://us.f1302.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=1%5f2580%5fAI%2fuXkIAAHbLTnc1ZgZAE2642YI&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1" width="185" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
Dawit Isaak (born 1964), owner of the now defunct weekly newspaper Setit,
playwright and writer, was arrested on 23 September 2001 during the crackdown
on Eritrea's private press that saw all eight independent newspapers closed
down. He is one of nine print journalists who were arrested at the time and to
be held incommunicado, apparently indefinitely, without ever being charged or
tried. The only accusations made against them have been uncorroborated
allegations by the authorities that the journalists were "traitors". <br />
<br />
Information about the detained journalists is scant. However, at least four of
them have reportedly died in custody since 2005 due to harsh conditions and
lack of medical attention. There have also been unconfirmed reports of the
deaths of nine out of 11 former government cabinet ministers also arrested in
September 2001 for publishing a letter criticising the Eritrean government. <br />
<br />
Dawit Isaak and the other surviving journalists are presumed to remain in
detention in secret locations, despite a 2007 ruling by the African Union's Commission
on Human and People's Rights that their detention was arbitrary and unlawful
and that the Eritrean government should release and compensate them. There are
ongoing concerns about severe ill treatment, possible torture, poor health and
lack of access to medical care. <br />
<br />
The most recent reports indicate that Dawit is being held at the Eiraeiro
maximum-security prison camp, 10 miles north of the capital
Asmara , along with a number of the other
detained journalists. They are reportedly not allowed any contact with each
other or the outside world, are routinely shackled and receive almost no
medical care. Some are said to be held in metal containers or underground cells
in temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius.<br />
<br />
Dawit suffers from a diabetic condition that requires medical supervision and
he is said to be in poor psychological health. He has been hospitalised several
times since his imprisonment, including in 2002 for treatment for injuries
sustained through torture. In November 2005, Dawit, who holds dual Eritrean
Swedish citizenship, was briefly released for a medical check-up and to call
his family and friends following pressure by groups in
Sweden . <br />
<br />
In July 2011, Dawit's younger brother, Esayas Isaak, who lives in
Sweden , filed a writ of habeas corpus with
Eritrea 's
Supreme Court calling for information on the journalist's location and a review
of his imprisonment. The habeas corpus writ was reportedly not supported by the
Swedish government; according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Swedish
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has said the country's goal was to have Dawit
released on humanitarian grounds rather than stand trial. In 2010, Esayas Isaak
wrote an open letter to the Swedish government and European Union expressing
concern that they were not doing enough to pressurize the Eritrean government
to release Dawit. <br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Background<br />
<br />
</span></u></b>- Dawit Isaak is an Honorary Member of Finnish PEN and Swedish
PEN. <br />
- He was awarded the 2009 Tucholsky Award by Swedish PEN and the 2011 Golden
Pen of Freedom, the annual press freedom prize of the World Association of
Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA). <br />
- A collection of his writings, entitled Hope- the Tale of Moses and Manna's
Love, was launched at Sweden 's
Gothenburg book fair in September 2010. <br />
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
<u>Useful links</u></span></b><br />
<br />
<u>Information on Isaak</u>:<br />
<br />
- Update from the Committee to Protest Journalists (<a href="http://cpj.org/blog/2011/08/habeas-corpus-writ-seeks-dawit-isaac-jailed-for-36.php%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3 August 2011</a>)<br />
- Update from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (<a href="http://www.cjfe.org/resources/features/eritrea-ten-years-journalists-remain-imprisoned%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">24 May 2011</a>)<br />
- Free Dawit campaign (co-founded by Esayas Isaak) (<a href="http://www.freedawit.com/%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a>) <br />
- PEN International profile (<a href="http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/index.cfm?objectid=22738991-3048-676E-265D5C266126D22F%20%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click here</a>) <br />
<br />
<u>Information on Eritrea</u>: <br />
<br />
- Eritrea has now been the lowest ranking of all the countries included in
RSF's annual Press Freedom Index for four consecutive years (<a href="http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click
here</a>) <br />
- BBC country profile (<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13349078%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click
here</a>)<br />
- Amnesty International's 2011 report on human rights in Eritrea (<a href="http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/eritrea/report-2011%20" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click
here</a>)<br />
<br />
<u>Suggested actions</u>:<br />
<br />
We are asking all of our members to do at least one of the following during the
week leading up to the 10th anniversary of Dawit Isaak's imprisonment (19-23
September 2011): <br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Send protest letters (NB a sample letter
follows):</span></b><br />
<br />
- Protesting the 10-year imprisonment of Dawit Isaak, at least four journalists
and 11 former cabinet members detained incommunicado since September 2001;<br />
- Calling on the Eritrean authorities to release details of his health status,
medical treatment and whereabouts, as well as that of the other
detainees; <br />
- Calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Isaac and the other
surviving journalists, in line with the 2007 African Commission on Human and
People's Rights ruling, as well as that of the former ministers detained for
their writings. <br />
<br />
<u>Appeals to</u>:<br />
<br />
His Excellency Mr. Tesfamicael Gerahtu Ogbaghiorghis<br />
Embassy of the State of Eritrea
<br />
96 White Lion Street ,
<br />
London<br />
N1 9PF <br />
Fax: 020 7713 0096 <br />
Email: tesfamicaelg@eriembauk.com <br />
<br />
President Isaias Afewerki<br />
c/o Embassy of the State of Eritrea <br />
96 White Lion Street, <br />
London<br />
N1 9PF <br />
Fax: 020 7713 0096 <br />
Email: tesfamicaelg@eriembauk.com<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;">2. Write to the British Embassy in
Eritrea , asking
the Ambassador to raise concerns about Isaak and the other detainees. </span></b><br />
<br />
Mrs. Sandra Tyler-Haywood<br />
British Embassy<br />
66-68 Mariam Ghimbi Street<br />
Zip Code 174<br />
PO Box 5584<br />
Asmara<br />
Eritrea<br />
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
3. For Facebook users: Change your profile picture</span></b>.<br />
<br />
For those of you on Facebook, please change your profile picture to one of
Dawit Isaak for the duration of the week of action (19-23 September 2011).<br />
<b><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
4. For Twitter users: Tweet #freedawitisaak</span></b><br />
<br />
Please tweet regularly, and particularly on Fridays, using the hashtag
#freedawitisaak and including links to more information on his case. <br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">***Please keep the
English PEN office informed of your activities and any response you receive
from the authorities by emailing cat@englishpen.org
***</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<b><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">SAMPLE LETTERS<br />
</span></u></b><br />
Please do write more personal letters if you have time; the following are just
examples. <br />
<br />
His Excellency Mr. Tesfamicael Gerahtu Ogbaghiorghis<br />
Embassy of the State of Eritrea <br />
96 White Lion Street, <br />
London<br />
N1 9PF <br />
<br />
[DATE] <br />
<br />
Your Excellency,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you as a member of English PEN, the founding centre of the
worldwide association of writers, to protest the decade-long imprisonment of my
fellow writer Dawit Isaak and a number of other writers detained in Eritrea in
violation of their right to free expression. According to PEN's information,
there are at least a further four journalists and 11 former cabinet members all
of whom have been detained since September 2001.<br />
<br />
Eritrean-Swedish journalist and author Dawit Isaak has been detained
incommunicado without charge since 23 September 2001. He is said to be held in
appalling conditions and to be in poor physical and mental health; there are
serious concerns for his wellbeing. <br />
<br />
I call upon the Eritrean authorities to release Dawit Isaak and all those
detained in Eritrea in violation of their right to free expression immediately
and unconditionally, in line with the 2007 African Commission on Human and People's
Rights ruling that their detention was arbitrary and unlawful and that they
should be released and receive compensation.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I strongly urge Your Excellency to ensure that details of the
health status, medical treatment and whereabouts of Dawit Isaak and the other
detained writers are released as a matter of urgency. <br />
<br />
I would be most grateful if you would forward the enclosed letter of appeal to
His Excellency President Isaias Afewerki and would welcome your comments on my
appeal.<br />
<br />
Yours sincerely, <br />
<br />
[NAME, OCCUPATION, ADDRESS]<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
President Isaias Afewerki<br />
c/o Embassy of the State of Eritrea <br />
96 White Lion Street, <br />
London<br />
N1 9PF <br />
<br />
[DATE] <br />
<br />
Your Excellency,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you as a member of English PEN, the founding centre of the worldwide
association of writers, to protest the decade-long imprisonment of my fellow
writer Dawit Isaak and a number of other writers detained in Eritrea in
violation of their right to free expression. According to PEN's information,
there are at least a further four journalists and 11 former cabinet members all
of whom have been detained since September 2001.<br />
<br />
Eritrean-Swedish journalist and author Dawit Isaak has been detained
incommunicado without charge since 23 September 2001. He is said to be held in
appalling conditions and to be in poor physical and mental health; there are
serious concerns for his wellbeing. <br />
<br />
I call upon the Eritrean authorities to release Dawit Isaak and all those
detained in Eritrea in violation of their right to free expression immediately
and unconditionally, in line with the 2007 African Commission on Human and
People's Rights ruling that their detention was arbitrary and unlawful and that
they should be released and receive compensation.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I strongly urge Your Excellency to ensure that details of the
health status, medical treatment and whereabouts of Dawit Isaak and the other
detained writers are released as a matter of urgency. <br />
<br />
I would welcome your comments on my appeal.<br />
<br />
Yours sincerely, <br />
<br />
[NAME, OCCUPATION, ADDRESS]<br />
<br />
*<br />
<br />
Her Excellency Mrs. Sandra Tyler-Haywood<br />
British Embassy<br />
66-68 Mariam Ghimbi Street<br />
Zip Code 174<br />
PO Box 5584<br />
Asmara<br />
Eritrea<br />
<br />
[DATE]<br />
<br />
Your Excellency,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you as a member of English PEN, the founding centre of the
worldwide association of writers, to protest the decade-long imprisonment of my
fellow writer Dawit Isaak, and a number of other writers detained in Eritrea in
violation of their right to free expression. According to PEN's information,
there are at least a further four journalists and 11 former cabinet members all
of whom have been detained since September 2001.<br />
<br />
Eritrean-Swedish journalist and author Dawit Isaak has been detained
incommunicado without charge since 23 September 2001. He is said to be held in
appalling conditions and to be in poor physical and mental health; there are
serious concerns for his wellbeing. <br />
<br />
I have written to the Eritrean authorities urging them to release Dawit Isaak
and all those detained in Eritrea in violation of their right to free expression
immediately and unconditionally, in line with the 2007 African Commission on
Human and People's Rights ruling that their detention was arbitrary and
unlawful and that the Eritrean government should release and compensate them. I
have urged the authorities to ensure that details of the health status, medical
treatment and whereabouts of Dawit Isaak and the other detained writers are
released as a matter of urgency. <br />
<br />
I would be most grateful if, as the diplomatic representative for the
UK , you would consider raising my concerns about
Dawit Isaak and the other detainees with the relevant authorities in the
Eritrea .
<br />
<br />
I would welcome your comments on my appeal.<br />
<br />
Yours sincerely, <br />
<br />
[NAME, OCCUPATION, ADDRESS]</span></span></div>
</div>
BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-48014996149867363352011-09-16T03:32:00.000-07:002011-09-18T21:45:45.573-07:00John Ralston' speech and Photos from PEN International’s 77th annual Congress in Belgrade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmffMNQ3cscYT7oFarDKXC-Dun3cSVuzOtE7l0NstNI0U1fmiepXhAf2A2tW53fb275ApWEzFmjRjhxAepkP_13vQiWDrYg8nemNZnfTn7NBwM9yz0ky7VCFps_sFgPJzH24f7YizG3nk/s1600/PEN+belgrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">:<img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmffMNQ3cscYT7oFarDKXC-Dun3cSVuzOtE7l0NstNI0U1fmiepXhAf2A2tW53fb275ApWEzFmjRjhxAepkP_13vQiWDrYg8nemNZnfTn7NBwM9yz0ky7VCFps_sFgPJzH24f7YizG3nk/s400/PEN+belgrade.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Photo courtesy and credit :Antonio G. Della Rocca and Facebook
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<h2 class="sectiontitle">
John Ralston Saul delivers the Opening Speech at the 77th PEN International Congress in Belgrade</h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjizE3VOAIYhm60ewZAbwEjEM39wuG489u0J9U_Ka6iuTfe9Dr4fCgQKRRV8FjlAuT7XYsAXzYAP5csbJFbp3kX409uTcqRJ5_YxrWv0NrlVur8kjXQaGoFET6oDmotRzTZEOhNvvGYrQ/s1600/Discussions%252C+13th+sept.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">A Few Photos from PEN International’s 77th annual Congress in Belgrade</a></div>
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<img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjizE3VOAIYhm60ewZAbwEjEM39wuG489u0J9U_Ka6iuTfe9Dr4fCgQKRRV8FjlAuT7XYsAXzYAP5csbJFbp3kX409uTcqRJ5_YxrWv0NrlVur8kjXQaGoFET6oDmotRzTZEOhNvvGYrQ/s400/Discussions%252C+13th+sept.JPG" width="400" /></div>
Discussions, 13th sept<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDNlP7bDA2Phgkg2Ab6MC0H_93-sjSbxZ4u28MgupYA0sW6pKNAkFSqmPU_4IuWl8xONtdisso7AcAwBGlx69iCLZVxkAEITALqOfLNIUenvMvHbrdCcuJ4f0lYp2ZLLuMjtAGEPijME/s1600/Audience%252C+Saul%2527s+book+promotion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlDNlP7bDA2Phgkg2Ab6MC0H_93-sjSbxZ4u28MgupYA0sW6pKNAkFSqmPU_4IuWl8xONtdisso7AcAwBGlx69iCLZVxkAEITALqOfLNIUenvMvHbrdCcuJ4f0lYp2ZLLuMjtAGEPijME/s400/Audience%252C+Saul%2527s+book+promotion.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Audience, Saul's book promotion<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtyWHabWEJlNpi1Lzlyh9hNoTqWSM_nciQAQGWbtk4rWFNLM_gk70tCCq-VFYB1P-LwQueAgd7t1pOuSn_VNI32mFG34vdai7LIAl2XstlUEysmJvppdPBMp06CMatxJ8mZKWeOg2hmw/s1600/Brainstorming%252C+13th+Sept.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtyWHabWEJlNpi1Lzlyh9hNoTqWSM_nciQAQGWbtk4rWFNLM_gk70tCCq-VFYB1P-LwQueAgd7t1pOuSn_VNI32mFG34vdai7LIAl2XstlUEysmJvppdPBMp06CMatxJ8mZKWeOg2hmw/s400/Brainstorming%252C+13th+Sept.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Brainstorming, 13th Sept<br />
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Chatting, 13th Sept<br />
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<h2 class="sectiontitle">
John Ralston Saul delivers the Opening Speech at the 77th PEN International Congress in Belgrade</h2>
<h3 class="sectiondate">
September 13, 2011</h3>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Thank you Serbian PEN! Thank you Vida and thank
you to all of your members. You have organized a wonderful Congress.
People who attend have no idea how much work is involved and how many
hours are taken up that could have been used for writing. So, a very
personal thank you from all of us who have come from other countries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">....</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday, I was asked - quite rightly - what
difference does it make that writers from 89 PEN centres are gathered in
Belgrade. It is the right question.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The first answer is that this Congress is a
public expression of reconciliation. Of course, writers in the Balkans
have never stopped talking to each other. But, this Congress is a formal
evocation of the imagination of the Balkans.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, the leaders of 10 Balkan PEN centres sat
together on a stage and created the Balkans PEN International Network.
The founding members are Bosnian PEN, Bulgarian, Croatian, Kosovar,
Macedonian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian and Turkish. This
is an historic event. It is a message to the world.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Second, the gathering of hundreds of writers
from around the world matters because it is a force for imagination and
transparency. Our charter is clear. We believe in unlimited freedom of
expression. But we also believe that no matter how controversial or
difficult our words are, the ultimate purpose is to bring people
together. The great Serbian Canadian writer, David Albahari, has rightly
written that “knowledge can never catch up with the power of
ignorance”. This is true. But the imagination can catch up. Imagination
can leap over ignorance. Let me give you an example: When a virtually
unknown radio journalist is killed in Mexico – the most dangerous place
in the world today to be a writer – they leave, in Ivo Andrić’s words,
“a memory clearer and more lasting than that of so many other more
important victims”. <br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This year our former President, Mario Vargas
Llosa, won the Nobel Prize for literature. And the founding president of
our Independent Chinese PEN Centre, Liu Xiaobo, won the Nobel Peace
Prize. Two men of courage. Two masters of the imagination. One of whom
remains unjustly in prison. And several of our centres were central to
what is called the Arab Spring. In some cases they are now a key part of
the rebuilding civil society in their country.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The core of what we do is this: imagination and
the transparency that imagination creates, and the acceptance of
complexity – all of this is above politics and below politics. It’s
everything except politics. In a society without this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">democracy of the mind</i>
it becomes possible for lies to install themselves, as if they were
language. And as Danilo Kiš put it, “when everyone lies, no one lies”.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We are in the business of open memories,
memories that do not oppose people, one against the other. We represent
an open idea of how people can live together.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the 77<sup>th</sup> Congress. The
Congress in 1933 in Dubrovnik was organized by this Centre. It was a
complex, but historic moment for PEN. We were faced by the rising forces
of authoritarianism, even within our own centres. The divisions of
European society had become the divisions of PEN. Our President, a great
writer, H. G. Wells, but also an anti-Semite with confused public
views, found himself caught in an atmosphere of impossible divisions.
But, complex thought it was, Wells and the delegates found their way
through in order to stand with the imagination and transparency and
therefore against authoritarianism.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1933 we found an ethical shape - long before
governments took a stand. And at every PEN Congress since 1933, those
ethical standards stand before us as the measure of what we do. I like
to think that in leading with wisdom in Dubrovnik, Wells found his own
way to a personal understanding of PEN’s ethics. It was a noble moment
for him and for PEN.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There are always those who believe that writers
can be dragged away from their independence in the public place. And I
believe that the next few years will be difficult. There are many strong
and negative forces at work. But the meaning of PEN is simple. Our
central ethical force is the independence of our imagination and our
creativity. And we know what this means because for 90 years we have
defended that independence.<br />
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hvala!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2050342070339934946.post-71996908450491653912011-09-16T03:25:00.001-07:002011-09-17T19:15:00.172-07:00PEN International Assembly approves the Girona Manifesto and calls for protection and promotion of linguistic diversity.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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PRESS RELEASE-----------------------------------<br />
<br />
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
15th September 2011<br />
<br />
PEN International Assembly approves the Girona Manifesto and calls for protection and promotion of linguistic diversity.<br />
<br />
Today at PEN International’s 77th annual Congress the PEN General Assembly approved the Girona Manifesto which calls for the protection and promotion of linguistic diversity. This Manifesto developed by PEN’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee is a significant step toward protecting and promoting all world languages, including those in danger of disappearing.<br />
<br />
John Ralston Saul, International President of PEN said, “Many languages are in danger. Many are actually disappearing. The loss of one's language, and through that loss much of one's culture, can be seen as the ultimate removal of freedom of expression“. <br />
<br />
The Girona Manifesto is a ten point document designed to be translated and disseminated widely as a tool to defend linguistic diversity around the world.<br />
<br />
Josep Maria Terricabras, Chair of the Translations and Linguistic Rights Committee of PEN International said, “Language defines us. To lose one’s language is to lose one’s voice, identity and spirit. Languages are the homes we live in“<br />
<br />
---------------------------------------------------<br />
<strong>14th September 2011</strong><br />
<strong>Hundreds of
writers, editors, translators and publishers from across the globe
celebrate the achievement of 2010 Nobel Prizes by Mario Vargas Llosa and
Liu Xiaobo and call for the release of Xiaobo and his wife. </strong><br />
At
PEN International's 77th annual Congress in Belgrade today, delegates
from over 80 PEN Centres worldwide unanimously passed a motion to
congratulate Mario Vargas Llosa, former PEN International President and
2010 Nobel Laureate for Literature, and Liu Xiaobo, founding president
of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre and 2010 Nobel Laureate for Peace.
John Ralston Saul, PEN International President, said: "<em>we follow
the model of writers like Mario Vargas Llosa and Liu Xiaobo. They are
illustrations of PEN International's indivisible commitment to both
literature and freedom of speech</em>."<br />
PEN members also took the opportunity to use their collective voice and call on the Chinese authorities: "<em>We
seize on this historic moment to call for the release from prison of
Liu Xiaobo and the release from house arrest of this wife, Liu Xia</em>."<br />
Liu
Xiaobo, the prominent Chinese dissident writer who was sentenced to 11
years in prison in December 2009, was the founder and first president of
the Independent Chinese PEN Centre. He has since been made honorary
member of nine PEN Centres. Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
absentia in 2010. Marian Botsford Fraser, Chair of the Writers in Prison
PEN Committee, attended the award ceremony. "<em>Members of the PEN community were honoured to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo last December</em>," said Botsford Fraser. "<em>But
not a single member of Liu's family or anyone from mainland China was
allowed to attend, and the award was laid upon an empty chair. The PEN
community will continue to fight for the unconditional release of our
colleague, Liu Xiaobo</em>."<br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Notes to editors:<br />
<br />
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now comprises 144 Centres spanning more than 100 countries. Our programmes, campaigns, events and publications connect writers and readers for global solidarity and cooperation. PEN International is a non-political organization and holds consultative status at the United Nations and UNESCO.<br />
<br />
For more information and to request interviews please contact our press office:<br />
penoffice@pen-international | press@pen-international.org | + 44 (0) 20 7405 0338. <br />
<br />
Or contact our Executive Director Laura McVeigh: +44 (0)7824640527 www.pen-international.org</div>
BLOGGER code 7http://www.blogger.com/profile/04324505500013284419noreply@blogger.com0