PEN America cancels awards after writers’ Gaza boycott

The prominent literary group and freedom of expression organisation PEN America has cancelled next week’s award ceremony, which was due to take place on April 29 at the Town Hall in New York City. The announcement comes after PEN faced widespread criticism over its responses to Israel’s war on Gaza and its alleged lack of support for Palestinian writers.

Among the 61 authors and translators who were nominated for an award, 28 of them withdrew from consideration according to a statement released on Monday. Nine of the 10 authors nominated for the PEN/Jean Stein book award also withdrew their books, including Maya Binyam and Camonghne Felix.

In the statement, PEN America's Literary Programming Chief Officer, Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, wrote: “We greatly respect that writers have followed their consciences, whether they chose to remain as nominees in their respective categories or not.

"We regret that this unprecedented situation has taken away the spotlight from the extraordinary work selected by esteemed, insightful and hard-working judges across all categories."

PEN America announces the cancellation of its annual Literary Awards ceremony, and releases the names of its 2024 award finalists and winners: https://t.co/vAYX2tAUHH

— PEN America (@PENamerica) April 22, 2024

Last month, a group of prominent writers, including Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander and Zaina Arafat, signed an open letter to PEN America, reading:

“In the context of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, we believe that PEN America has betrayed the organisation’s professed commitment to peace and equality for all, and to freedom and security for writers everywhere.”

PEN responded by saying that it condemned the loss of life in Gaza and has created a $100.000 fund for Palestinian writers.