PEN International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
PEN International

Formation	1921; 104 years ago (1921)
Type	NGO
Purpose	Promote literature and defend freedom of expression worldwide.
Headquarters	London
Region served	International
President	Burhan Sönmez

Catherine Amy Dawson Scott, who helped start PEN International

PEN International is a global group for writers. It was started in London in 1921. Its main goal is to help writers around the world become friends and work together.

PEN International also wants to show how important books and stories are for understanding different cultures. They fight for freedom of expression, which means everyone should be able to share their ideas. They also speak up for writers who are bothered, put in jail, or even hurt because of what they write.

History of PEN International

The very first PEN Club began in London on October 5, 1921. It was started by Catherine Amy Dawson Scott. A famous writer named John Galsworthy was its first president. Some of the first members were well-known writers like Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells.

At first, PEN stood for "Poets, Essayists, Novelists." But now, it means "Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists." It includes writers of all kinds, like journalists and historians.

The club set out to do these important things:

• To help writers work together and understand each other.
• To create a worldwide group of writers. This group would show how literature helps develop world culture.
• To protect literature from anything that threatens it in the modern world.

Today, the president of PEN International is Burhan Sönmez. Many famous writers have been president before him, like E. M. Forster and Arthur Miller.

How PEN International Works

PEN International has its main office in London. It has many smaller groups called PEN Centres in over 100 countries. These local centers are open to writers, journalists, translators, and anyone else who works with literature.

PEN International is a non-governmental organization (NGO). This means it's not run by a government. It works closely with important groups like UNESCO and the United Nations.

PEN International's Main Ideas

PEN has a special set of rules called its Charter. These rules are based on decisions made at their big meetings. Here are some of their main ideas:

• Literature has no borders. Stories and books should be shared by everyone, no matter what political problems are happening.
• Art should always be safe, even during wars. It belongs to all people and should not be harmed by national feelings.
• PEN members should always try to help different countries and people understand and respect each other. They promise to work hard to stop hatred and support the idea of one peaceful world where everyone is equal.
• PEN believes that ideas should be shared freely within and between all countries. Members promise to fight against anything that stops freedom of expression. This includes stopping censorship when there is peace. They believe that governments and leaders need to be open to criticism. But freedom also means being responsible. So, members promise to fight against fake news and lies spread for bad reasons.

Writers in Prison Committee

The PEN International Writers in Prison Committee helps writers all over the world who are in danger. This committee started in 1960. It was created because more and more writers were being put in jail for sharing their ideas.

The committee keeps track of about 900 writers each year. These writers might be jailed, hurt, threatened, or even killed just for doing their job peacefully. The committee publishes a list twice a year. This list shows how writers' freedom of expression is being stopped around the world.

This committee also helps organize campaigns. These campaigns aim to stop attacks on writers and protect freedom of expression everywhere.

The Writers in Prison Committee is a founding member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX). IFEX is a global group of 90 non-governmental organizations. They watch for censorship and protect journalists, writers, and others who are punished for speaking freely.

The committee is also part of IFEX's Tunisia Monitoring Group (TMG). This group works to improve human rights in Tunisia.

Salil Tripathi is the current leader of this important committee.

PEN Literary Awards

PEN groups around the world give out many different awards for literature.

Memorials for Freedom

Memorial grove in Canberra, Australia

Witness sculpture by Antony Gormley in London

There is a special grove of trees near Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia. It is a memorial for PEN International. A sign there says: "The spirit dies in all of us who keep silent in the face of tyranny." It was opened on November 17, 1997.

In London, there is a cast-iron sculpture called Witness. It was made by Antony Gormley for English PEN's 90th birthday. The sculpture shows an empty chair. This chair is a symbol that English PEN has used for 30 years to represent writers who are in prison around the world. It was shown to the public on December 13, 2011.

Famous Members of PEN International

Presidents of PEN International

See also

In Spanish: PEN Club Internacional para niños

• Day of the Imprisoned Writer
• International Freedom of Expression Exchange
• International PEN centers – Over 145 PEN centers around the world.
  • English PEN – The first PEN center, located in London.
  • PEN America – Located in New York City.
  • PEN Canada – Located in Toronto, Canada.
• PEN literary awards – Awards given by PEN centers.
• Tunisia Monitoring Group