Free the Word: Times in Transition
12 Oct 2011. 13:00 - 14:00
Frankfurt Book Fair, Frankfurt, Germany
On the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest book and media fair in the world, PEN International will celebrate its Publishers’ Circle with a panel discussion about the current challenges posed to literature and freedom of expression.
At Free the Word: Times in Transition, John Ralston Saul, PEN International President, will be joined by leading figures from the worlds of writing and publishing to discuss the social, political and technological transitions which are the evolving the challenges to freedom of expression and literature. Speakers include Ronald Blunden, Head of Communications at Hachette; Eva Bonnier, CEO of Swedish Publishing House Forlag AB; and Anders Heger, Norwegian writer , editor, publisher, and President of Norwegian PEN.
Juergen Boos, Director of the Frankfurt Book Fair, commented on the planned event: “For many years, the PEN International stand has been a fixed part of the Frankfurt Book Fair. This year we are especially pleased to be able to welcome its president, John Ralston Saul, as the speaker for the opening of the Weltempfang Centre. Freedoms of speech, of press and of opinion have to be fought for anew, every day. These freedoms are the foundation of our whole industry. They are what PEN International stands for, and that is why we support PEN International.”
For further information about Free the Word: Times in Transition visit our Media Centre or contact press@pen-international.org. Read more about the Publishers Circle here. You can keep up to date with PEN’s activities at Frankfurt Book Fair via Twitter.
