Writers Under Siege: Voices of Freedom from Around the World 9780814768433

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1111 WRITERS UNDER SIEGE Voices offreedom from around the world A

pen

ANTHOLOGY

Edited by Lucy Popescu and Carole Seymour-Jones

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS Washington Square,. New York

'The anthology Writers Under Siege is essential reading for anyone who has ever been moved by the written word. The authors of these pieces have one thing in common. They have all been coerced into not writing. This means that not only do they have powerful stories to tell, but that when, thanks very often to the work of organisations like PEN, they are eventually allowed to tell them, the result is spare, powerful writing, which jolts and challenges our prejudices and assumptions. · This is an inspiring and important book. Inspiring because by reading it we learn something new about the power of the written word and important because by writing it, those who have suffered are granted some redress for the brutality they've had to endure. It's also important to realise that without PEN these extraordinary stories may never have seen the light of day. All too often PEN is the last recourse of those demanding that simple freedom which so many of us take for granted. To speak honestly and to be heard.' MICHAEL PALIN 'PEN acts as the voice and conscience of everyone who cares about literature. In telling their stories, the incredible writers in this collection uncover some of the world's darker corners. This extraordinary book shows us once again why literature matters.' ANTONIA FRASER 'This \emarkable book should be a set text in every sixth form in the land, to spread the word that although man's inhumanity to man is boundless, so are the resources of strength and spirit which always challenge it. The truth is, we live under one sky, and so a sense of common destiny is the only hope in the perpetual fight against evil.' BEL MOONEY 'Engrossing. Reza Baraheni's piece is simply electric and others, such as Ken Saro-Wiwa's letters, are deeply moving. More than anything the collection stands as a testament of courage and a clarion call to recognise free expression for what it really is- a basic human right.' MONICA ALI

'I defy readers not to be profoundly moved by this splendid anthology. But I have no doubt they will also be stirred by the extraordinary courage of all these writers to triumph over injustice and cruelty. This book is an inspiration.' RONALD HARWOOD 'These are extraordinary writers who take the reader to the very fault lines where freedom and oppression collide. From Turkey to China, from Russia to Iran, and beyond. Amid the evolving new world disorder these are vital and accessible insights into the issues we fail to address at our peril. Yet none of these writers preaches at us, all of them inform us through their exceptional qualities as story tellers. This is both a literary collection, and a political armament against those who turn a blind eye to human rights abuse.' JON SNOW

English PEN is the founding centre of an international association of writers. With 144 centres worldwide, PEN has three core aims: promoting literature, defending freedom of expression and developing a world community of readers and writers. The Writers in Prison Committee of English PEN sets up relationships between English writers and their imprisoned or persecuted colleagues around the world. These unique relationships, many of which endure over decades, exemplify the spirit of solidarity which underpins PEN's work. has worked with PEN's Writers in Prison Committee for fifteen years and writes a column for Literary Review. LUCY POPESCU

CAROLE SEYMOUR-JONES, chair of the committee, is the biographer of Beatrice Webb and Vivienne Eliot and is now writing a book on Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

First published in the United States of America in 2007 by NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS Washington Square New York, NY 10003 www.nyupress.org Collection copyright© English PEN, 2007 The views expressed in this book are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editors, publishers, or English PEN. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this ]:)ook. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Writers under siege : voices of freedom from around the world : a PEN anthology I edited by Lucy Popescu and Carole SeymourJones ; with an introduction by Tom Stoppard. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-6742-9 (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8147-6742-7 (cloth: alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-6743-6 (pbk.: alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8147-6743-5 (pbk.: alk. paper) 1. Literature~Collections 2. Literature~Translations into English. I. Popescu, Lucy. II. Seymour-jones, Carole. III. PEN (Organization) PN6014.W695 2007 808.8'00511-dc22 2007014892 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper.

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