#USI25: When Writing Is Dangerous, Writing is Necessary

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Institute of Communication and Public Policy

Date: 18 November 2021 / 19:00

During the week in which the International Day of the Imprisoned Writer is celebrated, the Institute of Communication and Public Policy of USI, in collaboration with the Centro P.E.N. della Svizzera italiana e retoromancia, is organising a conference with the new President of PEN International, scrittore di lingua turca e di origine curda, e difensore della libertà di espressione Burhan Sönmez.

Burhan Sönmez grew up in Ankara, speaking both Turkish and Kurdish. A human rights lawyer, he lives between Cambridge and Istanbul and teaches literature at ODTU University in Ankara. Injured in a clash with Turkish police in 1996, he was treated in Britain with the support of the Freedom for Torture Foundation. He started writing during the long months of rehabilitation and today his novels are translated in more than twenty countries. He was named President of PEN international at the last PEN Congress in September 2021.

The conference will take place on Thursday, 18 November at 7 pm in room A11, Palazzo Rosso, at USI. It is part of the Master in Public Management and Policy programme.

In compliance with the current rules, access to the event is possible only upon presentation of a Covid certificate (vaccination, recovery or negative result) and a valid ID. The event lineup is subject to change based on the public health recommendations.

The event will also be on streaming at this link: https://vimeo.com/event/1529478/92a2d605b2