PEN International

PEN International
Formation1921; 103 years ago (1921)
TypeNGO
PurposePromote literature and defend freedom of expression worldwide.
HeadquartersLondon
Region served
International
President
Burhan Sönmez
Websitewww.pen-international.org
Catherine Amy Dawson Scott, co-founder of PEN International

PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010)[1] is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921[2] to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous International PEN centres in more than 100 countries.

Other goals included: to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views.

  1. ^ "Our History". PEN International. 10 November 1995. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  2. ^ Robert Halsband (10 January 1968). "LeRoi Jones Sentence – Free Preview". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 November 2011.