Press release of March 6, 2026
Nazi stuff sacred, AI advises the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution?
PEN Berlin is shocked by the investigation against journalist Jan Fleischhauer (…) »The purpose of Section 86a cannot be to sanctify Nazi slogans«, said PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel. (…) »The investigating authorities are acting as if their motto were: ›Nazi stuff is sacred, you don’t joke about the Führer.‹« In this context, a question surrounding the German Bookshop Prize is not so far-fetched. MORE
Press release of March 4, 2026
A few questions about German cultural policy
The programme »Goethe-Institut im Exil« has been suspended with immediate effect. The Minister of State for Culture, Wolfram Weimer, has excluded three left-wing bookshops from the Bookshop Award. We have a few questions about both of these developments. MORE
Press release of February 26, 2026
Do not deliberately destroy the Berlinale!
As our founding member Daniel Kehlmann said: »If Tricia Tuttle were to be dismissed because of things that award winners said and did on stage, it would be the greatest catastrophe in German cultural policy since Heinrich Böll’s home was searched in 1972.« We are certain that the Berlinale would suffer immense damage as an internationally relevant festival. MORE
Press release of February 4, 2026
PEN Berlin series of talks: Hello Rhineland-Palatinate, let’s talk about Heimat
On 27 February, PEN Berlin spokesperson Deniz Yücel and former Federal Minister for Family Affairs Kristina Schröder will discuss the topic »Is this still | already my country?« in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, engaging in a dialogue with each other and the audience. This event will be followed by a further 18 stops across the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Guests include former Minister-President Malu Dreyer, Büchner Prize winner Ursula Krechel, publicist Hamed Abdel-Samad, and winemaker and former wine queen Lena Endesfelder. MORE
Press release of January 16, 2026
Iran: Regime Change Now?
In light of the dramatic situation in Iran, we would like to invite you to a public discussion on Sunday, 18 January at the Neues Haus at the Berliner Ensemble.What is happening in Iran right now, and just how brutal has the repression become? What can Germany do? What must Europe do? What has been neglected so far? And most importantly, what concrete steps can be taken now—politically and through civil society? MORE
Press release of January 14, 2026
PEN Berlin series of talks: Hello Baden-Württemberg, let’s talk about Heimat
PEN Berlin is heading to south-west Germany to host a series of talks in 22 towns and cities in Baden-Württemberg. This is the first in a series of events, with further talks planned for March in Rhineland-Palatinate, and in August and September in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin. The audience is invited to participate in the discussion. MORE
Press release of January 6, 2026
Turkey: An Evening with Ilhan Çomak and Jan Wagner
How does one make it through 30 years in prison? When, at the age of 21, you become the victim of a judicial scandal that is ludicrous even by Turkish standards? In the case of Ilhan Sami Çomak, the answer is poetry. The fact that he did not leave prison in 2024 as a broken and embittered person has a lot to do with the power of literature. On 8 January 2026, we will talk to him about this at the Maxim Gorki Theatre, to celebrate the German publication of his poetry collection »Take Me Away from This Silence«. The evening will be hosted by a poet and Büchner Prize laureate. Jan Wagner. MORE