PEN:s internationella kongress
PEN:s internationella kongress ägde rum i Uppsala mellan den 27 september och den 1 oktober. Kongressen arrangerades av Svenska PEN i samarbete med PEN International. Under kongressveckan blev Uppsala centrum för ett högkvalitativt internationellt samtal om litteratur, yttrandefrihet och demokrati. Här möttes författare, översättare, journalister, poeter och förläggare samt internationella delegater från PENs över 150 internationella centran. Temat för kongressen var the “Power of Words – Future Challenges for Freedom of Expression”.
Publikt program
I samband med kongressen arrangeras ett pärlband av publika aktiviteter runt om i Uppsala i samarbete med lokala aktörer. En del av aktiviteterna sker som en del av kongressens huvudförhandlingar medan andra är fristående och äger rum på bokhandlar, teatrar och litteraturhus. Vissa program är möjliga att besöka på plats medan andra finns tillgängliga för allmänheten digitalt. Vad som gäller för varje program kommer annonseras här på hemsidan. Här kommer vi också meddela hur anmälan till respektive program går till.
88th PEN International Congress
Uppsala, Sweden, September 27 – October 1 2022
Swedish PEN is delighted to announce that the 88th PEN International Congress will take place in Uppsala on September 27-October 1st 2022. Representatives from PEN International’s many Centres around the world are invited to work together and develop PEN International’s core issues through discussions, debate, and decisions, sharing practices, experiences, as well as celebrating literature and all forms of writing.
The power of words – future challenges for freedom of expression
Freedom of expression is under pressure across the world, facing a number of new and old threats. Authoritarian forces are gaining control, even in countries that have been regarded as democracies. Nationalists and extremists are challenging political systems. Writers and journalists are being harassed, persecuted, and killed. Governmental control and surveillance are increasing. Hate speech is poisoning public debate, causing growing fear and self-censorship. Those who write about new challenges to humankind, such as climate change and the environment – too often face harassments and threats, even to their life. This is an alarming development since we cannot act or practice our democratic rights without access to information.
When Thomas Mann was invited to give a speech at the PEN International Congress in Sweden in September 1939, the congress was cancelled in the last minute due to the outbreak of war. Mann’s speech The Problem of Freedom was nevertheless published in Sweden, and there Mann argues:
Evil has revealed itself before us in such immensity and intensity that our eyes again have to perceive the dignity and clear beauty of goodness (…) We must again make use of the words truth, freedom and justice; the excess of evilness has deprived us the right to be modest on this point.
At the first Congress after the war, in Stockholm in 1946, momentum was given to the discussions around PEN’s founding principles in the PEN Charter, and PEN became the first worldwide association of writers to point out that freedom of expression and literature are inseparable.
The 88th PEN International Congress aims to address what is yet to be done and determine constructive ways to approach the complex questions of tomorrow. How can we as an organization prepare ourselves for what comes next? The core of the agenda focuses on the acute state for freedom of expression in different parts of the world, and we are inviting you to discuss and challenge our understanding of the specific issues of hate speech, digital surveillance and PEN’s responsibilities in terms of access to environmental information.
Uppsala is located 71 km north of the capital Stockholm. It has 230,000 inhabitants. Founded in 1477, Uppsala University is the oldest center of higher education in Scandinavia. Among many achievements of note, the Celsius scale for temperature was invented here. Uppsala is easily reached by train in just 38 minutes from Stockholm and 18 minutes from Arlanda Airport.
The Congress is organized with support from Stiftelsen Natur & Kultur, Uppsala city, Uppsala University, Region Uppsala, Världsklass Uppsala, Swedish Institute, Swedish Arts Council, Swedish Academy, Annika & Gabriel Urwitz´Stiftelse, Kjell och Märta Beijers stiftelse, The Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and private donors.
For more information contact congress@svenskapen.se
