About Us

'In time of division between countries, International PEN is one of the rare institutions to keep a bridge constantly open' Mario Vargas Llosa

Originally founded in 1921 to promote literature, today International PEN has 145 Centres in 104 countries across the globe. It recognises that literature is essential to understanding and engaging with other worlds; if you can't hear the voice of another culture how can you understand it?

Our primary goal is to engage with, and empower, societies and communities across cultures and languages, through reading and writing. We believe that writers can play a crucial role in changing and developing civil society. We do this through the promotion of literature, international campaigning on issues such as translation and freedom of expression and improving access to literature at international, regional and national levels.

Our membership is open to all published writers who subscribe to the PEN Charter regardless of nationality, language, race, colour or religion. International PEN is a non-political organisation and has special consultative status at UNESCO and the United Nations.

International PEN is a registered charity number 1117088.

Presidents Emeritus

Homero Aridjis; Ronald Harwood CBE; Francis King CBE; György Konrád; Mario Vargas Llosa; Per Wästberg

Vice Presidents

Margaret Atwood; Niels Barford; Andrei Bitov; Alexandre Blokh; Sook-Hee Chun; J.M. Coetzee; Georges Emmanual Clancier; Moris Farhi CBE; Gloria Guardia; Nadine Gordimer; Nancy Ing; Kata Kulavkova; Lucina Kathmann; Joanne Leedom-Ackermann; Predrag Matvejevic; Toni Morrison; Boris A. Novak; Michael Scammell; Thomas von Vegesack

Author Advocates

Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE; Bill Bryson; John le Carré; Carol Ann Duffy OBE, CBE; Arthur Golden; Sir David Hare; Ronald Harwood CBE; Ian McEwan CBE; Azar Nafisi; Sir Tom Stoppard OM, OBE

International PEN is supported by

Bloomberg LP, Clifford Chance, The John S. Cohen Foundation, FONT International, Iberian American Foundation of International PEN, ICORN, Japan PEN, The Neil Krietman Foundation, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fritt Ord Institute, Oxfam Novib, PEN American Center, Pentagram, The Sigrid Rausing Trust, The Sulzberger Foundation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Temple Translations, TrustAfrica, UNESCO and other donors who wish to remain anonymous.