The American Pen Association ceremony was canceled due to protests by writers opposed to the Gaza war

The ceremony of the PEN America Association was canceled due to the protest of writers opposing the Gaza war.

PEN America Association canceled its prestigious 2024 awards ceremony after nearly half of the nominated writers withdrew their works in protest against the organization’s stance on the Gaza war.

The association, dedicated to freedom of expression, announced the cancellation of the awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 29 in New York City.

This year, about 28 out of 61 writers and translators who were nominated for the award withdrew their books due to PEN America’s lack of support for Palestinian writers.

According to reports, out of every ten writers nominated for the $75,000 Stein Award, the most prestigious honorary award of this event, nine withdrew their works from the judging process.

The sanction against this association by these writers comes amid growing dissatisfaction in the literary field due to PEN America’s reaction to Israel’s continuous bombardment of Gaza.