GetWiki

{{Short description|English writers association (founded 1921)}}

factoids

| former name =}}Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and among the first international bodies advocating for human rights.International Human Rights: PEN Teaching Guides English PEN was the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' association with 145 centres in more than 100 countries.PEN (Organization): An Inventory of its Records at the Harry Ransom Center The President of English PEN is Margaret Busby, succeeding Philippe Sands in April 2023.Page, Benedicte (5 January 2018), "Philippe Sands to take on English PEN Presidency", The Bookseller."Margaret Busby appointed President of English PEN", English PEN, 19 April 2023. The Director is Daniel Gorman.Chandler, Mark (27 March 2019), "Gorman made English PEN director as Byatt joins First Story", The Bookseller. The Chair is Ruth Borthwick.Board of Trustees - English PEN.English PEN celebrates the diversity of literature and envisions a world with free expression and equity of opportunity for all by supporting writers at risk and campaigning for freedom of expression nationally and internationally."What we stand for" - English PEN. English PEN also hosts events and prizes to champion international literature, showcase the diversity of writing, and celebrate literary courage.Prizes | PEN Prizes - English PEN. By supporting literature in translation into English and developing opportunities for publishers, translators and translated voices, English PEN aims to encourage diversity in the literary landscape.Translation | Writers in Translation - English PEN.

History

English PEN was founded in London by novelist Catherine Amy Dawson Scott in 1921, with John Galsworthy as president, and May Sinclair, Radclyffe Hall, Vera Brittain, Bertrand Russell, E. M. Forster, W. B. Yeats, Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells as founding members.PEN International | Writers and Free ExpressionThe acronym behind the P.E.N. Club, as it was then known, stood for: Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists. Dawson Scott envisioned a club that would connect writers worldwide to create a common meeting ground in every country for all writers.Dawson Scott's hopes of establishing an international network of writers were swiftly realised. Within three years, there were 19 PEN clubs around the world. The first meeting of what would become the annual PEN Congress was held in London in May 1923, and was attended by representatives from 11 countries."The PEN Story", PEN International", 9 June 2013, issuu. With an ever-growing number of members worldwide, it became necessary to establish some guiding principles for the organisation, and the first version of the PEN CharterWEB,weblink The PEN Charter {{!, Our guiding and unifying principles|website=English PEN}} principles was passed at the 1927 Congress in Brussels.In 1940, English PEN published its "Appeal to the Conscience of the World" letter, a plea for the protection of freedom of expression written by English PEN's first woman president, Storm Jameson, and co-signed by English writers including Vita Sackville-West, E. M. Forster, H. G. Wells, Vera Brittain, and Rebecca West."Appeal to the Conscience of the World," letter from PEN London Centre. June 1940. Harry Ransom Center.Following the World War II, English PEN played a significant role in the emerging discourse around human rights, and was the first organisation to frame freedom of expression as a necessary precondition to literary creation.The history of English PEN - English PEN. PEN International gained advisory status to the United Nations and worked with UNESCO on various initiatives. It continued to expand with new centres opening across the world, and continued to fight for the rights of imprisoned writers, writers in exile, and censored writers.English PEN celebrated its centenary in 2021. "Common Currency", the title of the centenary events, is taken from the PEN Charter: "Literature knows no frontiers and must remain a common currency among people in spite of political or national upheavals.""English PEN Announce Centenary Programme", Writers and Free Expression, 2 October 2020. The centenary programme includes events, residencies and workshops online and across the UK, culminating with a three-day festival of free thinking at London's Southbank Centre in September 2021.English PEN - Common CurrencyIn December 2021, having served as a trustee of English PEN since 2019, Ruth Borthwick was named as its chair,MAGAZINE,weblink Borthwick named new chair of English PEN, Heloise, Wood, The Bookseller, 7 December 2021, 16 February 2023, taking over the position from Maureen Freely, with Aki Schilz as vice-chair, taking over from Claire Armitstead.WEB,weblink English PEN announces new Chair Ruth Borthwick and Vice Chair Aki Schilz, English PEN, 7 December 2021, 16 February 2023,

The PEN Charter

The PEN Charter has guided PEN members for over 60 years, since it was approved at the 1948 PEN Congress in Copenhagen."P.E.N. Charter", from the 20th International PEN Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark. 1948. Like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the PEN Charter was forged amidst the harsh realities of World War II.Harry Ransom Center (27 March 2017), "Writers without borders: The power of PEN", Ransom Center Magazine.The Charter was amended at the 83rd PEN Congress in Lviv in 2017 for the first time since it was adopted 90 years earlier. The Assembly voted for a wider formulation, namely counteracting hate and not only based on race, class or nationality but also gender, religion and other categories of identity. Consequently, Article 3 of the Charter reads as follows: "PEN members should at all times use their impact for mutual understanding and respect between nations; they commit to do everything to dispel all types of hate and support the ideal of unified humanity living in peace.""2017 Lviv: Reclaiming Truths in Times of Propaganda", PEN International.

Membership

English PEN is a membership organisation, with a community of more than 1,000 members including novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, human rights activists, and readers.PEN International - Our HistoryEnglish PEN membership is open to all who subscribe to the aims outlined in the PEN Charter.English PEN Introduces Concessionary Membership

Board of trustees

English PEN is governed by a board of trustees that is elected from and by members, and chaired by Ruth Borthwick, former chief executive and artistic director of the Arvon Foundation.Current trustees include:

• Aki Schilz, Director of The Literary Consultancy
• Dan Miller, communications professional
• Shazea Quraishi, poet, playwright and translator
• Cathy Galvin, poet, journalist and editor
• Georgina Godwin, broadcast journalist
• Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature and Spoken Word at Southbank Centre
• Milena Büyüm, Senior Campaigner at Amnesty International
• Guy Gunaratne, journalist, filmmaker and novelist
• Can Yeginsu, barrister and Deputy Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom
• Arifa Akbar, chief theatre critic for The Guardian
• Joanna Stocks

Past Presidents of English PEN

{| class="wikitable" margin:auto; margin:0 0 1em 1em; font-size:95%;"!colspan="2"|English PEN Centre presidentsJohn Galsworthy>| 1921–32H. G. Wells>| 1932–36J. B. Priestley>| 1937Henry W. Nevinson>| 1938Margaret Storm Jameson>| 1939–44Desmond MacCarthy>| 1945–50Veronica Wedgwood>| 1951–57Richard Church (poet)>Richard Church 1958Alan Pryce-Jones>| 1959–61Rosamond Lehmann>| 1962–66L. P. Hartley>| 1967–70V. S. Pritchett>| 1971–75Kathleen Nott>| 1975Stephen Spender>| 1976–77Lettice Cooper>| 1977–78Francis King>| 1979–85Michael Holroyd>| 1986–87Antonia Fraser>| 1988–90Ronald Harwood>| 1990–93Josephine Pullein-Thompson>| 1994–97Rachel Billington>| 1998–2000Victoria Glendinning>| 2001–03Alastair Niven>| 2003–07Lisa Appignanesi>| 2008–10Gillian Slovo>| 2010–13| 2013–14Maureen Freely>| 2014–2018Philippe Sands>| 2018–2023Margaret Busby>| 2023–

Memorial

File:Antony Gormley Witness.JPG|thumb|right|Antony Gormley's Witness, on the piazza of the British LibraryBritish LibraryA cast-iron sculpture entitled Witness, commissioned by English PEN to mark their 90th anniversary and created by Antony Gormley, stands outside the British Library in London. It depicts an empty chair, and is inspired by the symbol used for thirty years by English PEN to represent imprisoned writers around the world. The memorial was unveiled on 13 December 2011.WEB,weblink The British Library unveils new Antony Gormley sculpture to commemorate English PEN's 90th anniversary, Pressandpolicy.bl.uk, 13 December 2011, 16 April 2015,

Prizes

English PEN runs three annual awards – the PEN Pinter Prize, the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize, and the PEN/Ackerley Prize. Funded by and in honour of former PEN members and significant literary figures, these prizes recognise excellence in historical nonfiction, literary autobiography, and a courageous and unflinching approach to the written word.

PEN Pinter Prize

Established in 2009 in memory of Nobel Laureate playwright Harold Pinter, the PEN Pinter Prize is awarded annually to a writer from Britain, the Republic of Ireland, or the Commonwealth who, in the words of Harold Pinter's Nobel speech, casts an "unflinching, unswerving" gaze upon the world, and shows a "fierce intellectual determination ... to define the real truth of our lives and our societies".Hare, David, Unflinching, Unswerving - The PEN/Pinter Prize Lecture 2011The prize is shared with an international writer of courage selected by the winner in association with English PEN's Writers at Risk programme.PEN Pinter Prize - English PEN.Winners of the PEN Pinter Prize: Tony Harrison (2009),Flood, Allison (22 September 2009), "Tony Harrison wins inaugural PEN/Pinter prize", The Guardian. Hanif Kureishi (2010),"Hanif Kureishi wins Pinter literary prize", BBC News, 20 October 2010. Sir David Hare (2011),Baghdjian, Alice (26 August 2011), "Playwright David Hare scoops PEN/Pinter Prize", Reuters. Carol Ann Duffy (2012),"Carol Ann Duffy awarded Pen Pinter prize", BBC News, 13 July 2012. Tom Stoppard (2013),Sabur, Rozina (31 July 2013), "Tom Stoppard wins PEN/Pinter prize", The Telegraph. Salman Rushdie (2014),"Salman Rushdie wins 2014 PEN Pinter prize for outstanding literary achievement", The Independent, 20 June 2014. James Fenton (2015), "James Fenton: Pen Pinter prize winner reads Blood and Lead", BBC News, 23 June 2015. Margaret Atwood (2016),Flood, Allison (15 June 2017), "Margaret Atwood wins 2016 PEN Pinter prize", The Guardian. Michael Longley (2017),Kean, Danuta (1 June 2017), "Michael Longley wins PEN Pinter prize for 'unflinching, unswerving' poetry", The Guardian. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2018),Cowdrey, Katherine (12 June 2018), "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2018", The Bookseller. Lemn Sissay (2019),Press Association (2 June 2019), "Poet and playwright Lemn Sissay wins the PEN Pinter prize", The Guardian. Linton Kwesi Johnson (2020),Snow, Jon (12 October 2020), {{"'}}When we arrived here we wanted to become British, but because of racism we weren't allowed' – Linton Kwesi Johnson", Channel 4 News. Tsitsi Dangarembga (2021),MAGAZINE,weblink Zimbabwean novelist Dangarembga wins PEN Pinter Prize 2021, Sian, Bayley, The Bookseller, 8 June 2021, 18 September 2023, Malorie Blackman (2022),NEWS, Malorie Blackman’s 'dynamic imaginary worlds' win her the PEN Pinter prize,weblink Sarah, Shaffi, 22 June 2022, The Guardian, 21 June 2022, and Michael Rosen (2023).NEWS,weblink Author Michael Rosen wins 2023 PEN Pinter prize for 'fearless' body of work, The Guardian, Ella, Creamer, 28 June 2023, International Writers of Courage: "Zarganar" Maung Thura (2009),Campbell, Joel (13 October 2020), "Linton Kwesi Johnson shares PEN Pinter Prize with Amanuel Asrat", The Voice Online UK. Lydia Cacho (2010),16 September 2010 "Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho receives PEN prize", The Hindu. Roberto Saviano (2011),10 October 2011 "Mafia writer Saviano awarded PEN/Pinter prize in UK" Reuters. Samar Yazbek (2012),8 October 2012, "Syrian writer Samar Yazbek to share Pinter prize", BBC News. Iryna Khalip (2013),Bury, Liz (9 October 2013), "Irina Khalip wins PEN Pinter prize for international writer of courage", The Guardian. Mazen Darwish (2014),Flood, Allison (10 October 2014), "Salman Rushdie to share PEN Pinter prize with Mazen Darwish", The Guardian. Raif Badawi (2015),Iyengar, Rishi (7 October 2015), "Jailed Saudi Blogger Raif Badawi Will Share a Top Literary Award", Time. Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury (Tutul) (2016),13 October 2016 "Tutul receives PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage Prize 2016 with Margaret Atwood", Icorn. Mahvash Sabet (2017),Wood, Heloise (11 October 2017), "Mahvash Sabet named PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage", The Bookseller. Waleed Abulkhair (2018),Cowdrey, Katherine (10 October 2018), "Waleed Abulkhair named PEN Pinter International Writer of Courage", The Bookseller. Befeqadu Hailu (2019),Flood, Allison (11 October 2019), "Lemn Sissay and Befeqadu Hailu share 2019 PEN Pinter prize", The Guardian. Amanuel Asrat (2020),Flood, Allison (13 October 2020), "Eritrean poet Amanuel Asrat named International Writer of Courage", The Guardian. Kakwenza Rukirabashaija (2021),WEB, Ugandan novelist Rukirabashaija named 2021 International Writer of Courage {{!, The Bookseller |date=October 11, 2021 |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/ugandan-novelist-rukirabashaija-named-2021s-international-writer-courage-1282981 |access-date=12 October 2023 |first=Sian |last=Bayley |website=The Bookseller}} Abduljalil al-Singace (2022),WEB, Malorie Blackman shares PEN Pinter Prize 2022 with Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace,weblink 10 October 2022, 18 September 2023, English Pen, en-GB, and Rahile Dawut.NEWS,weblink Imprisoned Uyghur academic named 2023 PEN international writer of courage, Lucy, Knight, The Guardian, 11 October 2023,

PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize

The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize of £2,000 is awarded annually for a non-fiction book of specifically historical content.PEN Hessel-Tiltman Prize, English PEN.Past winners include: Anita Anand's The Patient Assassin (2020),PTI (2 December 2020), "British Indian author Anita Anand's Jallianwala Bagh story wins history prize" The New Indian Express. Edward Wilson-Lee's The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books (2019),"Fellow's book awarded 2019 Hessell-Tiltman Prize", Sidney Sussex College News, 7 February 2020. S. A. Smith's Russia in Revolution (2018),24 June 2018, "S.A. Smith wins PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2018", English PEN. David Olusoga's Black and British (2017),Wood, Heloise (11 July 2017), "Olusoga scoops PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize" The Bookseller. Nicholas Stargardt's The German War (2016),Onwuemezi, Natasha (1 April 2016), "Stargardt wins the PEN Hessell Tiltman Prize 2016", The Bookseller. Jessie Child's God's Traitors (2015),Carpenter, Caroline (9 April 2015), "Childs wins PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize", The Bookseller. David Reynolds' The Long Shadow (2014),Chilton, Martin (3 April 2014), "David Reynolds wins 2014 PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize", The Telegraph. Keith Lowe's Savage Continent (2013),Capon, Felicity (8 April 2013), "Keith Lowe awarded the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for history", The Telegraph. James Gleick's The Information (2012),"James Gleick | Biography", Britannica. Toby Wilkinson's The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt (2011),Toby Wilkinson, Penguin Random House Canada. Diarmaid MacCulloch's A History of Christianity (2010),Judge - Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Wolfson History Prize. Mark Thompson's The White War (2009),The White War - Research Database The University of East Anglia. Clair Wills' That Neutral Island (2008),The Neutral Island - Clair Wills, Harvard University Press. Vic Gatrell's City of Laughter (2007),5 May 2007 City of Laughter, ..History Today. Bryan Ward Perkins' The Fall of Rome (2006),27 March 2006 "Bryan Ward Perkins: Hessell-Tiltman History Prize winner", History News Network. Paul Fussell's The Boys' Crusade (2005), Richard Overy's The Dictators (2005),Richard Overy, RCW Literary Agency. Tom Holland's Rubicon (2004),Rubicon by Tom Holland | Hachette UK Jenny Uglow's The Lunar Men (2003),The Lunar Men, Faber & Faber. and Margaret Macmillan's Peacemakers'' (2002).Margaret MacMillan, Thames & Hudson.

PEN/Ackerley Prize

The PEN/Ackerley Prize is awarded in J. R. Ackerley's memory for a literary autobiography of excellence. The prize is judged by the trustees of the J. R. Ackerley Trust.PEN Ackerley Prize, English PEN.Past winners include: Alison Light's A Radical Romance (2020),Chandler, Mark (19 August 2020),"Light's Radical Romance wins PEN Ackerley Prize", The Bookseller. Yrsa Daley-Ward's The Terrible (2019),Chandler, Mark (10 July 2019), "Daley Ward wins PEN Ackerley Prize", The Bookseller. Richard Beard's The Day That Went Missing (2018),11 July 2018, "Richard Beard awarded PEN Ackerley Prize 2018 for 'The Day That Went Missing{{'"}}, English PEN. Amy Liptrot's The Outrun (2017),Onwuemezi, Natasha (6 July 2017), "Liptrot's 'exhilarating' memoir wins PEN Ackerley Prize", The Bookseller. Alice Jolly's Dead Babies and Seaside Towns (2016),Flood, Allison (13 July 2016). "Crowd-funded memoir wins £3,000 PEN Ackerley prize", The Guardian. Henry Marsh's Do No Harm (2015),Page, Benedicte (30 June 2015), "Marsh wins PEN Ackerley Prize", The Bookseller. Sonali Deraniyagala's The Wave (2014),Travis, Ben (15 July 2014), "Sonali Deraniyagala wins the 2014 PEN/Ackerley Prize for tsunami memoir", The Telegraph. Richard Holloway's Leaving Alexandria (2013),Farrington, Joshua (18 July 2013), "Holloway memoir wins PEN/Ackerley Prize", The Bookseller. Duncan Fallowell's How To Disappear (2012),19 July 2012, "Duncan Fallowell wins PEN/Ackerley Prize 2012", English PEN. Michael Frayn's My Father's Fortune (2011),Irvine, Lindesay (22 July 2011), "Michael Frayn's memoir of his father wins autobiography prize ", The Guardian. Gabriel Weston's Direct Red (2010),Trust Me, I'm a Doctor - Miss Gabriel Weston BBC Two Julia Blackburn's The Three of Us (2009),Julia Blackburn | Authors {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028151602weblink |date=28 October 2020 }}, Faber & Faber. Miranda Seymour's In My Father's House (2008),12 June 2008, "Miranda Seymour wins Ackerley Prize", English PEN. Brian Thompson's Keeping Mum (2007),Richardson, Anna (19 July 2007, "Thompson wins PEN/Ackerley prize", The Bookseller. Alan Bennett's Untold Stories (2006), Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy's Half an Arch (2005),Catling, Patrick (4 September 2005), "Too good for Mills & Boon", The Telegraph. Bryan Magee's Clouds of Glory (2004), Jenny Diski's Stranger on a Train (2003), Michael Foss' Out of India (2002), Lorna Sage's Bad Blood (2001), Mark Frankland's Child Of My Time (2000), Margaret Forster's Precious Lives (1999), Katrin Fitzherbet's True To Both My Selves (1998), Tim Lott's The Scent of Dried Roses (1997), Eric Lomax's The Railway Man (1996), Paul Vaughan's Something in Linoleum (1995), Blake Morrison's And When Did You Last See Your Father? (1994), Barry Humphries' More Please (1993), John Osborne's Almost a Gentleman (1992), Paul Binding's St Martin's Ride (1991), Germaine Greer's Daddy, We Hardly Knew You (1990), John Healy's The Grass Arena (1989), Anthony Burgess' Little Wilson and Big God (1988), Diana Athill After a Funeral (1987), Dan Jacobson's Time and Time Again (1986), Angelica Garnett's Deceived with Kindness (1985), Richard Cobb's Still Life (1984), Kathleen Dayus' Her People (1982), Ted Walker's High Path (1983), and Edward Blishen's Shaky Relations (1982).

Writers at Risk

Founded in 1960, English PEN's Writers at Risk Programme (formerly the Writers in Prison Committee) is one of the world's longest running campaigns for freedom of expression.About the Writers in Prison Committee, English PEN. English PEN campaigns on behalf of writers, literary professionals, journalists, artists, cartoonists and musicians who are unjustly persecuted, harassed, imprisoned, and even murdered in violation of their right to freedom of expression.Sands, Phillipe (15 October 2020), "Writers Need PEN More Than Ever", The Guardian.

Residency programme

English PEN's Writers in Residence programme aims to provide international writers facing persecution or censorship with a period of respite.Writers in Residence, English PEN. Former residents include Zehra DoÄŸanWilkins, Charlotte (24 November 2019), "Zehra Dogan's prison paintings fight for the Kurdish cause" France 24. and Nurcan Baysal.29 April 2020 "Turkey must end harassment of Kurdish journalist, PEN says", Ahval News.

Freedom of expression in the UK

Libel reform

In 2009, English PEN and Index on Censorship ran a year-long Libel Inquiry. The phenomenon of libel tourism was chilling the work of investigative journalists around the world, and scientific debate was being stifled.Libel Reform Campaign, English PEN. The final report of the Inquiry, Free Speech Is Not For Sale, identified the central problems with the current libel system, and offered ideas for reform.11 November 2009, "Libel reform: What the papers say", Index on Censorship. This led to the launch of the Libel Reform Campaign with Sense about Science.Libel Reform Campaign - Sense about Science The campaign secured the support of more than 60,000 people and 60 prominent NGOs, Royal Colleges, and associations.NEWS,weblink Libel law reform campaign launched to stop England becoming 'global pariah', The Guardian, Chris, Tryhorn, 10 November 2009, A Defamation Bill was introduced by the coalition government in 2012Horne, Alexander (28 May 2012), "Defamation Bill [Bill no 5 of 2012-13]" House of Commons Library - UK Parliament. and the Defamation Act was given royal assent on 25 April 2013.Defamation Act 2013, Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.

Lady Chatterley's Lover

In 2018, English PEN ran a successful crowdfunding campaign to keep the judge's trial copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover used in the 1960s landmark obscenity trial in the UK.NEWS,weblink Obscenity judge's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover to stay in UK, Alison, Flood, The Guardian, 1 October 2019, It was finally acquired by the University of Bristol in 2019."Lady Chatterley's Lover: Bristol Uni acquires judge's trial copy", BBC News, 30 September 2019.

Translation

PEN Translates

The PEN Translates grant programme was launched in 2012 to encourage UK publishers to acquire more books from other languages. The award is supported by Arts Council England to help UK publishers to meet the costs of translating new works into English – while ensuring that translators are acknowledged and paid properly for their work.PEN Translates – Awarding the best contemporary literature in translation, English PEN. The programme has supported more than 250 books, in 53 languages, and awarded over £1,000,000 of funding.WEB, Heloise, Wood,weblink English PEN marks 250-book milestone in support for translated titles, The Bookseller, 8 March 2019, Titles supported by PEN Translates have featured on the last three International Booker Prize shortlists."Nineteen PEN Translates awards go to titles from fifteen countries and thirteen languages", English PEN, 10 June 2020.

PEN Transmissions

PEN Transmissions is English PEN's online magazine for international and translated voices.PEN Transmissions - a home for international writers It features interviews with and personal essays from established and emerging writers. Contributors include Svetlana Alexievich, Tsitsi Dangarembga, Priyamvada Gopal, Olga Tokarczuk, Irenosen Okojie,"English Pen Transmissions In Conversation with Aki Schilz", Irenosen Okojie, 3 May 2020. and Edmund de Waal.News - Edmund de Waal. PEN Transmissions, 21 May 2020.

Outreach

English PEN's outreach programme, Readers & Writers, is for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, refugees and asylum seekers, and prisoners and young offenders.Outreach, English PEN. It offers vulnerable, often marginalised and unheard people the opportunity to express their voices by taking part in imaginative and transformative creative writing and reading projects. They also have the chance to explore world literature and free speech.Refugees and Asylum Seekers, English PEN.

Brave New Voices

Thanks to funding from John Lyon's Charity and the Limbourne Trust, English PEN ran Brave New Voices 2.0, a three-year creative writing and translation project with young refugees and asylum seekers celebrating multilingualism and self-expression.Brave New Voices 2.0 - English PenIn 2018, English PEN collaborated with the BBC Proms for the Brave New Voices programme, featuring more than 90 concerts over eight-weeks during the Proms.Cowdrey, Katherine (24 July 2018), "BBC Proms and English PEN to showcase refugee talent", The Bookseller.

Response to the Coronavirus pandemic

In March 2020, English PEN with the T. S. Eliot Foundation was among the founding partners of the "Authors' Emergency Fund". led by the Society of Authors, along with the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society, the Royal Literary Fund, and Amazon UK.Mansfield, Katie (20 March 2020), "Trade rallies to launch emergency hardship funds for authors and booksellers", The Bookseller. The fund was set up to support authors and booksellers affected financially as a result of the coronavirus outbreak with a £330,000 emergency fund to be distributed as small grants.Flood, Allison (20 March 2020), {{"'}}This is a scary time': coronavirus emergency fund set up for authors", The Guardian.

Controversy

Anthony Julius and Geraldine Proudler

In May 2018, Private Eye identified two lawyers who were members of English PEN's Board of Trustees but who, in the course of providing legal services to their clients, were accused of being in conflict with English PEN's primary aim to defend and promote freedom of expression.JOURNAL,weblink PEN Palls, Ratbiter, Private Eye, 1470, 18–31 May 2018, Anthony Julius is Deputy Chairman of Mishcon de Reya, a British law firm. The Maltese blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia was accused of libel by Mishcon de Reya "on the instruction of both Malta's prime minister and Henley & Partners", prior to her death in 2017. English PEN's public statement on 1 May 2018 about Caruana Galizia says:WEB,weblink Daphne Caruana Galizia: World Press Freedom Day, English PEN, 25 August 2018, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is also pursuing a libel case against Caruana Galizia's son Matthew Caruana Galizia. The Shift News, an independent media outlet launched after Caruana Galizia's assassination which has pursued a number of her stories, is currently facing the threat of a financially crippling SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) from the Jersey-based firm Henley & Partners, who had taken legal proceedings against Daphne Caruana Galizia prior to her death.PEN is seriously concerned about the fact that senior government officials including Prime Minister Joseph Muscat are insisting on trying 34 libel cases against Daphne Caruana Galizia, which have now been assumed by her family. PEN believes that these proceedings are in direct reprisal for her work in investigating corruption within the current Maltese government.Geraldine Proudler is a lawyer and partner at Olswang, a London-based law firm, where she is Head of the Reputation and Media Litigation practice.WEB,weblink CMS Olswang, Geraldine Proudler, CMS, 27 August 2018, Proudler represented Pavel Karpov, a former Russian Interior Ministry officer, for a 2012 libel action in London against Bill Browder after Browder accused Karpov of involvement in the 2009 death of Sergei Magnitsky. Karpov lost the case and was ordered to pay over £800,000 in costs. In 2016, Karpov was additionally sentenced to three months in prison for contempt of court for non-payment of costs. More than £660,000 of that amount remains unpaid.WEB,weblink UK Judge Sentences ex Russian Police Officer in Magnitsky Case to 3 Months in Prison for Contempt of Court, Law and Order in Russia, 5 September 2016, 25 August 2018, In The Guardian, journalist Nick Cohen wrote:NEWS,weblink The unsavoury alliance between oligarchs and London's top lawyers, Cohen, Nick, 26 May 2018, The Guardian, I know Anthony Julius vaguely and Geraldine Proudler, one of the Olswang lawyers who went for Browder, was on the board of the Scott Trust that oversees the Guardian and Observer. (She is now on the board of an English PEN that never seems to learn.) I'm sure that in private they love investigative journalism, freedom of thought and expression, democracy and the right to hold the powerful to account. Perhaps the firms to which they belong love money more.

Online harassment

On 5 October 2020, English PEN released a joint statement on online harassment (co-signed by 19 PEN centres, including PEN America, and PEN International), stating: "PEN stands firmly against both offline and online harassment" and "We support the right to hold and express strong views, provided that such expression does not undermine the internationally recognised human rights of others, incite hatred, nor engender the threat or use of violence."5 October 2020, "Joint PEN statement on online harassment", English PEN. PEN also stated: "We are listening to and taking seriously those with experience of harassment and working with organisations to better support and protect individuals facing harassment. Additionally we will continue to put pressure on platforms to better protect and support users facing harassment."In the 9–22 October 2020 edition, Private Eye criticised English PEN for not speaking out in defence of J. K. Rowling, after she faced online harassment following her comments about transgender people:Gallagher, Sophie (19 December 2019), "JK ROWLING DEFENDS WOMAN WHO LOST EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL OVER TRANSGENDER TWEETS", The Independent.11 June 2020 "JK Rowling responds to trans tweets criticism", BBC News.JOURNAL, Bookworm, 9-22 October 2020, Poison PENS, Private Eye, 1532, 36, Thousands of Twitter users wish an author dead. Others send her rape-threats. Newsweek reports that burnings of her books are being shared on TikTok ... In 2013, Rowling gave English PEN, which defends freedom of speech, a Harry Potter first edition that was auctioned for £150,000. Last week, the Eye asked PEN repeatedly whether it defended her against the campaign of intimidation. All PEN would say was that it was "following the situation closely".

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Official English PEN website

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}{{Authority control}}