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Swiss German Centre

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The Swiss German PEN Centre was created at the beginning of 1979 from the merger of the previously separate PEN Clubs, ‘Basel Group’ and ‘Zurich Group’. In order to rid itself of the reputation as an exclusive men’s club that had clung to its predecessors, the new association no longer called itself a ‘Club’, but a ‘Centre’.

Centre suisse allemand

Le Centre PEN suisse-allemand (Deutsch Schweizer PEN-Zentrum – DSPZ) est né début 1979 de la fusion des Centres PEN de Bâle (Gruppe Basel) et de Zurich (Gruppe Zürich) qui formaient jusqu’alors deux Centres PEN distincts. Afin de se défaire de la réputation de club masculin exclusif qui collait à ses prédécesseurs, la nouvelle association choisit de s’appeler « Centre » et non plus « Club ».

Centro Suizo Alemán

El Centro PEN Suizo Alemán surgió a principios de 1979 de la fusión de los Centros PEN Grupo Basilea y Grupo Zúrich, hasta entonces independientes. Con el fin de liberarse de su fama de círculo exclusivo y reservado que persiguió a sus predecesores, la organización pasó a denominarse «Centro», en lugar de «Club».

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Selection from the Swiss German Centre

1 Disappearance of Václav Havel

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2 Die Holocaust-Travestie by Daniel Ganzfried

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3 Uncensored Voices by Eritrean writers in exile

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4 Writers in Prison Day Event at the Literaturhaus

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5 Swiss PEN Centre’s Anthology

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6 Two poems from “Rapid Action”

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7 Traber’s speech on Ken Saro-Wiwa

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8 Elisabeth Wandeler-Deck’s press release on Women’s Day 2000

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9 Swiss German Centre’s first General Assembly

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10 Literary call out to protest Iraq War

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11 Imprisonment of Václav Havel

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12 A Walk in the Prison Yard translated by Barbara Traber

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13 Swiss writers supporting Sarajevo

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1 At the frontier of hope: Ganimete Leka, born on 16 December 1977 in Gjilan, Kosovo
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