Beyond Bars

50 Years of the PEN Writers in Prison Committee

From Russia to Burma to Mexico, writers are silenced for expressing their views. To mark fifty years of solidarity with imprisoned and persecuted writers around the world, English PEN and Index on Censorship are collaborating on a special issue of the magazine, asking journalists, novelists, playwrights, poets and translators to assess what unique role writers can play in supporting their colleagues around the world. We'll look at the impact that imprisonment and persecution has on literature -- and ask what challenges writers continue to face today. Contributors include Margaret Atwood, Lydia Cacho and Maureen Freely.

Index on Censorship is an award-winning magazine, devoted to protecting and promoting free expression. International in outlook, outspoken in comment, Index on Censorship reports on free expression violations around the world, publishes banned writing and shines a light on vital free expression issues through original, challenging and intelligent commentary and analysis, publishing some of the world's finest writers.

Winner 2008 Amnesty International Consumer Magazine of the Year