International
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Upcoming Event: China Inside Out
Thu 29 Mar 2012
9:30amFree Word Lecture Theatre
9.30am - 5.30pm What is the true story of contemporary Chinese literature? What stories do Chinese writers tell about their country - and what stories remain untold? What role do poets and novelists play in representing their country to fellow citizens, and to the outside world? And how accurate are the stories that we tell about China in the West? …
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Past Event: Literary Translation from Arabic into English in the UK and Ireland
Thu 2 Feb 2012
6:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) and Free Word invite you to a presentation of a report by Alice Guthrie and Alexandra Büchler, followed by a panel debate and Q & A. Speakers include translators of Arabic fiction Professor Marilyn Booth and Dr Peter Clark OBE. LAF’s recent report Literary Translation from Arabic in the UK and Ireland…
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Past Event: Livestream: Writers Bloc
Tue 17 Jan 2012
6:45pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
In a Free Word first, the launch of Writers Bloc will be livestreamed direct from the Free Word Centre to your computer. Writers Bloc is a pioneering project established by Zadie Smith, Hari Kunzru, Nick Laird, Rachel Holmes and Kamila Shamsie to investigate education and literacy around the world. In the first stage of the project, ten writers visited ten…
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Past Event: Translating the environment
A panel discussion hosted by Isabel Hilton and Sam Geall
Thu 8 Dec 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Isabel Hilton and Sam Geall run a website in Chinese and English, focusing on a very hot topic - environmental issues in China. Hear about how they find and report the news, and work with their editorial staff in Delhi, San Francisco, London and Beijing, and a team of translators in Beijing. There will be a chance to engage in…
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Past Event: Diplomatic Incidents:
The Pitfalls of Translation with Biljana Scott
Thu 27 Oct 2011
5:38pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Our choice of words (terrorist versus freedom fighter), metaphors (war on poverty) and stories concerning religion, history and myth, all have the power to frame the way in which we see the world, and to determine the way we act upon it. Dr Biljana Scott, a linguist with a special interest in diplomatic language based at Oxford University, will speak…
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Past Event: Battle Satellite: The New International?
Literature in the age of 'globish'
Thu 20 Oct 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Is it ever valid to judge literature with reference to its nationality, linguistic distinctions aside? Is great national literature universal because it's great, or great because it is universal? Join a round-table rumble of writers and critics for a 'no holds barred' public discussion on the place national literature has in a globalised world. Speakers include Diran Adebayo; Michael Caines;…
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Past Event: International Translation Day 2011
Fri 30 Sep 2011
8:00amFree Word Lecture Theatre
How can we popularise literature in translation? Are we getting anywhere? What can we learn from the success of other art forms, such as music? Join English PEN and other leading translation organisations for a full day of events focused on literary translation. We will be hearing about successful initiatives that have flourished since last year’s International Translation Day;…
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Past Event: Connecting Conversations
David Blandy in conversation with Valerie Sinason
Mon 18 Jul 2011
6:00pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Filmmaker David Blandy meets psychoanalyst Valerie Sinason to screen his latest film Child of the Atom and to discuss making the work, memory and family legends in relation to historical traumas. Inspired by Blandy's grandfather's belief that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima saved his life when he was a POW held by the Japanese, Child of the Atom…
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Past Event: The Shubbak Festival- El Problema: Testimony of the Saharawi People
Mon 11 Jul 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
El Problema (The Problem, 53 mins) is a Spanish documentary, produced by Jordi Ferrer and Pablo Vidal, featuring testimonies and documents gathered over four and a half years in Western Sahara – clandestine images, given the Moroccan authorities’ prohibition of filming in the area. Using exceptional archival footage, the documentary tells the story of how hundreds of thousands of Saharawis from Western…
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Past Event: Lunchtime Bites
Sun 10 Apr 2011
5:30pmFree Word Hall
Always a highlight of the festival, the literary lunch returns to offer a showcase of the best that Free the Word! has to offer. Enjoy lunch whilst you savour titbits from authors including Margie Orford, Dubravka Ugresic and Russia’s German Sadulaev as well as work from some of the bright new voices coming out of English PEN&rsquo…
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Past Event: Poetry and the State
Wed 6 Apr 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Some states encourage their poets, others simply ignore them; others imprison and murder them. The latest issue of Modern Poetry in Translation examines the complex relationship between poetry and the state. Does poetry over-privilege individual experience? Can the state ever allow the poet the true autonomy the poem demands? Join readers Stephen Watts, Sasha Dugdale, Martina Thomson, Chris Beckett and…
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Past Event: Shaking Things Up
A Poetry Reading By Jayne Cortez
Wed 30 Mar 2011
5:30pmFree Word Lecture Theatre
Introduced by Lawrence ScottThe George Padmore Institute and the Free Word Centre are delighted to host internationally acclaimed poet and activist Jayne Cortez at her only London event in 2011. Introduced by the prizewinning writer Lawrence Scott, Jayne Cortez will read from a selection of her poetry which spans over four decades, and which tells of the struggle for black social…
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Video: Free Word hosts the launch of Writers Bloc
Writers including Kamila Shamsie and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie discuss education around the world at the launch of pioneering writing and education project Writers Bloc.
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Livestream: Writers Bloc
Free Word presents the launch of Writers Bloc, a new project which sends writers to report on education issues around the world. Tune in right here from 6.45pm on Tuesday 17 January to join the discussion in our first ever Free Word livestream.
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The Counterpoint of Change: Writers Bloc Afterword
Hugh McLean of Open Society Foundations highlights the importance of education in challenging conflict and exclusion.This essay is the afterword to Writers Bloc, a collection of essays by writers about education around the world.
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Kamila Shamsie on Writers Bloc
Writers Bloc is a new writer-led initiative which explores education throughout the world. Ahead of its launch at the Free Word Centre, livestreamed at freewordonline.com, co-founder Kamila Shamsie talks to us about the project and her article on Pakistan's curriculum challenges.
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Video: Rachida Lamrabet & Neel Mukherjee in conversation
Free Word Writer in Residence Rachida Lamrabet and Neel Mukherjee in conversation at Passa Porta literature house, Brussels.
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Olympic ideal puts money before democracy
In this article, Leah Borromeo of Index on Censorship explains how the 2012 games in London could damage free expression in the United Kingdom.
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Martin Riker on Translation and “National Literature”
Martin Riker of Dalkey Archive Press explores International Literature, National Literature, Publishing Translations, and Creative Writing Programs.
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International media mission condemns Hungary
An International Partnership Mission of freedom of expression and media development groups, including Article 19 and Index on Censorship, concluded that Hungary’s new model of media regulation is undermining freedom of expression.
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A letter from Neel Mukherjee to Rachida Lamrabet
Rachida Lamrabet is the Free Word Centre’s Writer in Residence. She has been corresponding with Neel Mukherjee, who is resident at the International House of Literature in Brussels, ‘Passa Porta’.
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A letter from Rachida Lamrabet to Neel Mukherjee
Rachida Lamrabet is the Free Word Centre’s Writer in Residence. She has been corresponding with Neel Mukherjee, who is resident at the International House of Literature in Brussels, ‘Passa Porta’.
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Day of the Dead - London Vigil
Mexico has one of the leading numbers of journalist and media casualties in the world. The drug war has silenced those who threaten its cause, and innocent people are losing their lives. On Tuesday 2 November, PEN International along with English PEN and students from Kings College PEN group held a vigil for the persecuted, murdered and missing journalists of Mexico.
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ARTICLE 19 to join Arab International Media Support delegation
In the wake of a tumultuous civil war, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, Agnes Callamard, along with twelve other Arab and international media support specialists, toured the newly liberated Libya to help citizens understand their rights to free expression. The delegation team met with media practitioners for workshops dealing with issues of media law, audio visual regulation, media safety and free media. This press release details the preceding goals of the tour and its potential implications on Libyan media.
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Mother Tongues promotes bilingualism
Mother Tongues is a new project from the Arvon Foundation, funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation, which encourages young people to write in both English and their mother tongue. Over 300 languages are spoken in London. In Lambeth, the most widely spoken language after English is Portuguese. This short film, taken at Totleigh Barton, one of Arvon's centres, shows 16 Portuguese-speaking young…
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Eynulla Fatullayev is Free
After an international free campaign led by English PEN, Azerbaijani editor Eynulla Fatullayev was pardoned by the government on 26 My 2011. Following his release, Pen said, "We no longer need to campaign for Fatullayev, but hundreds of other writers remain in prison or under threat."