New Digital Resources Launch Online for Study of Human Rights (The University of Texas at Austin)

Thousands of digitized records reflecting major historical events of the 20th century related to PEN International, a global writers’ organization, are available online beginning this month. A project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and completed by the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin has resulted in a new online finding aid for researchers, as well as access to teaching guides and nearly 5,000 digitized records.

PEN, an acronym for Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists, has member centers in more than 100 countries. Founded in London in 1921 by Catherine Amy Dawson Scott, PEN began as a simple dinner club meant to bring writers together to socialize and share ideas. Later, it evolved into an international advocacy group for human rights and freedom of expression as reflected in the opening words of its charter, “Literature knows no frontiers and must remain common currency among people in spite of political or international upheavals.”

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