Press release of 16 December 2023
New members, resolutions against anti-Semitism and for artistic freedom
The writers association PEN Berlin held its second in-person General Assembly on Friday at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
The spokespeople Eva Menasse and Deniz Yücel regretted the resignations of some members who, in recent weeks, had attracted media attention in the course of the debate over the Middle East conflict, but reaffirmed their commitment to political diversity: »We take the – very diverse, even opposing – criticism from parts of the membership seriously. And I think that the constructive debate at the General Assembly was a big step toward dealing better with internal differences of opinion in future than we have of late«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. »PEN Berlin never wanted to be a community of like-minded people. We stand by that. And we remind everyone that this association lives on the commitment of its members, for which we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have supported us in recent weeks.«
The General Assembly elected 68 new members, 43 of them women. Among those admitted as members were, among others, the writers Nava Ebrahimi, Deborah Feldman, Charlotte Gneuß, Navid Kermani and Fiston Mwanza Mujila, the dramatist Sivan Ben Yishai, the poet Martin Piekar, the publicists Hamed Abdel-Samad, Bernd Stegemann and Sophie Passmann, the historian Per Leo and the philosopher Omri Boehm. This brings the association to around 650 members, with women making up 49 percent.
To the Board, the association’s governing body, the General Assembly elected, to replace the departing writers Ronya Othmann and Julya Rabinowich, the journalist Doris Akrap (taz) and the writer Dana Grigorcea (»Die nicht sterben«).
At the same time, the General Assembly adopted two resolutions by a large majority.
Under the title »Solidarity with Jews in Germany, Israel and everywhere«, PEN International, the umbrella organization, is criticized, among other things, for having, after the terrorist attack of 7 October 2023 by Hamas, »shown no empathy for the Israeli victims«. PEN Berlin stands »for the free, fair, pluralistic, open exchange of different, even irreconcilable positions«, which does not mean any »right to spread hatred and to call for violence«.
In the other resolution, titled »Against social polarization and illiberal tendencies in the cultural sector«, there is an admonition to hold fast to the »diverse art and science scene«, which must also allow projects and research that do not please everyone. Freedom of opinion and artistic freedom do not mean a right to freedom from contradiction; however, there is »a categorical difference between criticism and cancellation«.
»Both resolutions, with slightly different emphases, stress what we have in common rather than what divides us«, said spokesperson Eva Menasse, »above all, they are a strong commitment to the diversity of opinions, within the association as well as for our society – and thus precisely what cannot be repeated often enough right now.«
This Saturday, PEN Berlin’s second public congress will take place (from 1 p.m., Festsaal Kreuzberg). At the panel events, the focus will be as much on literary topics such as »Me, Mysefl and I: In The Hell Of Autofiction« and »Poetry As a Way Of Life« as on social and political ones. One discussion round will include Israelis and Palestinians; another will address anti-Semitism and racism in the immigration society. The activist Sareh from Iran, against whose imprisonment and death sentence PEN Berlin protested, will speak in Berlin for the first time since her release. In the evening there will be a Poetry Slam »Mensch gegen KI«; in addition, the dissident and internationally known writer Sasha Filipenko will speak about the situation in his home country Belarus.
After the writer and president of PEN America, Ayad Akhtar last year, the Scottish star author A.L. Kennedy was to deliver the keynote address. With the greatest regret, we must now announce at short notice that A.L. Kennedy will not be present in person, but only via livestream. Until late last night, PEN Berlin, together with the author, tried to make her trip to Berlin possible – her backpack with all valuables, including her travel documents, was stolen in London. It was not possible to obtain provisional travel documents in the short time – this is something like a bitter confirmation for the outspoken critic of Brexit.
You can find the detailed program here.
PEN Berlin. We stand by our word.