PEN Canada
A Global Literary Community | |
| Formation | 1926 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit Organization, Literary society, Lobbying |
| Legal status | Association |
| Purpose | Publication, Advocacy, Lobbying, Literary Awards |
| Headquarters | London, UK |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 43°38′56″N 79°24′09″W / 43.648819°N 79.402571°W |
Region served | Canada |
Official language | English |
President | Ira Wells |
Key people | Board of Directors |
Parent organization | International PEN |
| Affiliations | International Freedom of Expression Exchange |
| Website | pencanada |
| Remarks | PEN Canada is the representative of International Pen, for whole of Canada |
PEN Canada is one of the 148 centres of PEN International. Founded in 1926, it has a membership of over 1,000 writers and supporters who campaign on behalf of writers around the world who are persecuted, imprisoned and exiled for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Since its founding, various PEN Centers around the world have campaigned on behalf of such acclaimed writers as Czech playwright Václav Havel, Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma, novelist Salman Rushdie and Turkey's 2006 Nobel laureate in literature, Orhan Pamuk. PEN Canada is a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange network.
Over the years, PEN Canada membership has included many of the leading figures in the Canadian literary and cultural establishment, including Margaret Atwood, Adrienne Clarkson, John Ralston Saul, David Cronenberg and Yann Martel.