Extracts from the current magazine

Welcome to ‘Heaven and Earth', PEN International's first issue of 2009, inspired by the theme of this year's Free the Word! festival of world literature in London.

Here you'll find poems, short stories, essays, articles and excerpts from longer works, with each contributing writer responding to the theme in his or her own way. Our two special guest writers, who participated in the festival as well, are Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho, with a report from the field on Cambodia's dark places, and Zimbabwean short story writer Petina Gappah, with a tale of a family in exile not just from their homeland but from each other as well.

Other highlights include works by other festival guests, including excerpts from Azar Nafisi's recently published memoir Things I've Been Silent About and from Florian Zeller's novel of cynical sexual obsession, The Fascination of Evil; plus work by Indian poet Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih and by young Nigerian-British performer and poet Inua Ellams.

You'll also find ancient Peruvian mysteries; an American teacher of swimming on land; simmering volcanos; canny, corrupt Nigerian policemen; Moroccan garments with erotic potential; a haunting, decapitated doll; a lyrical homage to a Chinese dissident; and essays on shopping as hell, Vestal virgins, a recent Palestinian film and a worrying trend in contemporary education.

‘Found in Translation,' sponsored by Bloomberg, features works translated from Khasi, Spanish, Russian, English and Icelandic.

To sample content from ‘Heaven and Earth' click on the links below to one of the three pieces featured or download the online edition: