Against All Odds, 1,000 Strong Afghan PEN Survives, Thrives

Publishing Perspectives

Today, despite all odds, Afghan PEN is “progressing in an endless upward curve”, nurturing young Afghan writers and promoting freedom of expression.
In the midst of the war in Afghanistan last decade, Norwegian PEN helped establish an outpost of PEN in Kabul. Today, Afghan PEN has attracted more than 1,000 members, published 50 books, and somehow, amidst the mounting insecurity and threats, survived and even thrived.
Writer and translator Waheed Warasta has served as executive director of Afghan PEN for more than six years. He said, via email, Afghan PEN’s members write in Persian, Pashtu, Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashayi, Baluchi and Nuristani, and are often located in different parts of Afghanistan, including the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat.


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