CHARLIE HEBDO AND THE PEN
It seems that we are having a second #JeSuisCharlie moment this week. So much has been said over the past few days about Charlie Hebdo’s provocative cartoons, about the 11th of January attacks in Paris, and about the letter signed by 145 (then later more) PEN writers denying their support to the project of giving the “Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award” to Charlie Hebdo. We will not add to the pile, but thought it useful to provide a few links here for those who are just back from their bank holiday weekend and trying to understand the whole debate.
- If you only read one thing, read the long translated extract by French illustrator Charb, who died in the Charlie Hebdo attacks, having just finished writing Lettre aux escrocs de l'islamophobie qui font le jeu des racistes [Letter to the Islamophobia Frauds Who Play into the Hands of Racists] – a long extract translated by John Lichfield was published in the Independent last week:
- Then there is Jo Glanville, president of English PEN, on the “Charlie Hebdo Principle” and why she supports the PEN award for Charlie Hebdo:
- Now for the great writers: Salman Rushdie on the same subject
- And on the French side, the very outspoken Alain Mabanckou - about whom we will be talking about quite a lot this month in the UK since he is one of the big names on the shortlist for the Man Booker International Prize - will actually be giving the award:
- Lastly, for a bit of provocative counter-argument, and because his book Qui est Charlie ? is going to be one of the hot books coming out next week in France (and in September in the UK, when we hope to see him in London) Emmanuel Todd’s recent interview
