X-Nico

unusual facts about International PEN



Günter de Bruyn

From 1965 to 1978, he was a member of the Zentralvorstandes des Schriftstellerverbandes der DDR (Central Executive Committee of the Literary Association of East Germany); he was a member of the presidency of the PEN Centre of East Germany from 1974 to 1982.

Heinrich Eduard Jacob

At the 11th international congress of the literary organization P.E.N., held in Dubrovnik, Jacob joined fellow writers Raoul Auernheimer and Paul Frischaue in vocal opposition to Nazism, and contributed to the fracturing of the Austrian chapter of P.E.N. His books were banned under the Nazi regime, but remained in print via Swiss and Dutch exile publishers.

Lawrence Joseph

He has been a member of the board of directors of Poets House, Poetry Society of America, and The Writer's Voice, and served on the International PEN Events Committee.

Magnesia Litera

The prize is awarded by an independent association Litera which associates members of all Czech literary or book-market organizations: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Association of Booksellers and Publishers, Czech Centre of International PEN, Czech section of IBBY, Society of Czech Writers, Czech Translators’ Guild.

Samir El-Youssef

In 2005, the Swedish branch of the organisation International PEN granted El-Youssef the Tucholsky award, named after Kurt Tucholsky and given each year to a writer or publisher who is either being persecuted or threatened, or living in exile.

Tama Morita

In 1954, she was selected as the Japanese delegate to the International PEN meeting in Amsterdam.


see also

Charles Mungoshi

Two of his novels, one in Shona and the other in English, both published in 1975, won the International PEN Awards.