After the turbulent PEN conference in May, at which Deniz Yücel resigned as President, a new PEN Berlin was founded. A press release states: “We want a new PEN. A contemporary and diverse PEN in which writers and translators of all literary and journalistic genres who write in German or live in Germany come together.”
One wants to campaign for freedom of expression and an open discourse – “without presidents and other titles, with a parity board at the top”. PEN Berlin sees itself as an NGO that stands for overcoming borders.
A total of 232 people are among the founders of PEN Berlin. In addition to Deniz Yücel, these include Seyran Ateş, Imran Ayata, Jens Bisky, Diedrich Diederichsen, Svenja Flasspöhler, Michel Friedman, Linus Giese, Katja Lange-Müller, Şermin Langhoff, Sibylle Lewitscharoff, Terezia Mora, Armin Nassehi, Moritz Rinke, Mithu M .Sanyal, Peter Wawerzinek, Hanns Zischler and Feridun Zaimoglu.
