Slovak Centre of P.E.N. International

Our Centre (SC PEN) was established shortly before the Velvet Revolution in 1989. First decade of its existence it have been closely involved with the political environment in Slovakia.  Under Vladimir Mečiar's authoritarian regime, SC PEN was considered as an enemy of the government as we struggled (ultimately successfully) to become a voice for freedom and democracy.  After Mečiar's defeat in elections of 1998, SC PEN became less active, not only because of the change in political climate, but also because some of its representatives became involved with national politics. With these changes, the Board lost its strength and direction and SC PEN almost ceased to exist.
Fortunately however, the General Assemblies in February and June 2000 voted for a new Board, headed by new President Gustáv Murín, which soon revitalized a whole organization.  As past members returned and new members joined, SC PEN start to write a new history.
Thus within following four years SC PEN actively participated  at all Congresses of PEN International in Moscow (Russia, 2000), London (U.K., 2001), Ohrid (Macedonia, 2002) and Mexico City (Mexico, 2003). From the first one in Moscow President of SC PEN was elected and worked as member of the Search Committee for the election of new members of the Executive Board.
Since year 2000 our members participated at nine regional PEN conferences - Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2000), Bled (Slovenia, 2000, 2001), Prague (Czech Republic, 2000, 2004), Zagreb (Croatia, 2001), Compiano (Italy, 2003), Erevan  (Armenia, 2003) and Nicosia (Cyprus, 2004).
Revitalized SC PEN organized three and co-organized four international literary conferences - Visegrad Literary Forum (Bratislava + Budmerice; 2002, 2003), Young PEN/UNESCO conference (Bratislava + Budmerice, 2003), conference „Back to Europe“ (Bratislava, 2001), Festival of Ján Smrek (Bratislava, 2002), Litoměřice (Czech Republic; 2002, 2003) and A. Márai conference (Košice, 2003).
Apart of these main events we were able to host our colleagues at collective as well as individual literary presentations such as - Celebration of the world (Bratislava, 2001, reading with Czech colleagues), Evening of small languages (Bratislava, 2001), lecture of Prof. A. Wachtel (Bratislava, 2001), lectures of Prof. R. Schleifer (Bratislava, Nitra and Žilina; 2001), reading of E. Schoulgin in Cafe Regina (Bratislava, 2001), reading of R. M. Davis in Apponyi Café (2001), reading of Bulgarian poets (2003) + activities around Global PEN Library. It means that only in one year (2003) we had pleasure to host and present to Slovak literary audience 30 guests from 11 countries. This record may be reached by single event during celebrations of 3rd Anniversary of Global PEN Library and 15th Anniversary of Slovak PEN Centre in March, 22nd till 25th, 2004 when we expected colleagues from fifteen countries.
Our unique project of the Global P.E.N. Library bring more than 2000 titles from 53 countries as a book donations from our colleagues from all of the world. For more read a special report at this web-site.
In this same four years period 29 members of SC PEN had used opportunity for fourteen collective readings and literary presentations abroad - in Prague (2000, 2001, 2003),  St. Polten and Krems (2000), Vienna (2001, 2003), Uherské Hradište (2001), Buchlovice (2002, 2003), Litoměřice (2002, 2003), Budapest and Sarvash (2003), Stockholm (2003) and Warszaw (2003)
Our members had readings also in Slovakia – like in Banská Štiavnica (2001, 2002), Bratislava (Cultural summer, 2001, 2003x2) and others, however really innovative approach was organization of collective literary trips – to Lučenec (2002), Oravská Lesná + Námestovo (2002), Michalovce + Trebišov + Humenné + Medzilaborce (2003) and Hviezdoslavov Kubín (2003). These trips were very well received by students and readers in Slovakia.
A significant number of our members are well-known authors of literature for children.  Their texts were presented to the children's audience in a special theatre-show production called “Christmastime with PEN” (2000, 2001) for School of talented students in Bratislava.  The program was held in conjunction with UNICEF, Studio L+S and Mladé Letá Publishing House and featured the beneficial appearances of pop singers, popular band, actors and dancers. Another public event was during International Day of Children when we, in co-operation with International House of Children Bibiana in Bratislava, commemorated a famous actor and writer, our member, Július Satinský (2003).
Our activities towards actual political situation in Slovakia were expressed in series of resolutions first for freedom of expression (during Mečiar´s era) and than against misuse of freedom of expression (e.g. by feminists campaigns) according Charter of PEN. In co-operation with Marshall Fund our Centre participated at publication “Writers for elections” in 2002, when direction of Slovak Republic towards democracy and membership in European structures was secured.
Our work for Writers in Prison Committee become important part of our mission. We actively participated at WiPC conference in  Kathmandu (2000, Nepal),  responded to international petition for peace in Medellin (Colombia) and organized successful campaign for release from prison of blinded poet Eşber Yağmurdereli. Our WiPC has record of fifteen WiPC honorary members, majority of them finally liberated - Li Xiaohua (China), Pablo Reyes Martinez (Cuba), Nguyen Xuan Tu (Vietnam), Pham Duc Kham (Vietnam), Wei Jingsheng  (China), Doan Viet Hoat (Vietnam), Dr. Nguyen Dan Que (Vietnam), Nguyen Van Thuan (Vietnam), Khalil Buyarez (Syria), Eşber Yağmurdereli (Turkey), Nizar Nayyuf (Syria), Prof. Doan Viet Hoat (Vietnam), Dr. Nguyen Dan Que (Vietnam), Nguyen Van Thuan (Vietnam) and Girgorij Pasko (Russia).  As we were for long time focused especially to Vietnam cases, in Christmas time 2001 we organized public campaign “Spark of the hope” by collecting signs from Slovak citizens for release from prison of our colleagues Nguyen Dinh Huy, Thich Huyen Quang and Thich Hue Dang. This action in the streets of Bratislava and Žilina (followed by signing of special Christmas cards in České Budějovice) was personally supervised by International Chair of WiPC Mr. Eugene Schoulgin. In the same year our member Zdenka Becker fundraised a significant sum for WiPC activities organized by HQ in London.
Our Committee for Translation and Linguistic Rights successfully accomplished its work with the translation of the Declaration of Linguistic Rights into Slovak language and publishing it fully in our Bulletin.
Since year 2000 we had published five Bulletins + two extra issues to present our mission in Slovakia and abroad to our members, colleagues, media and broad public. More than 27 domestic and 16 foreign writers and poets were presented with their CVs, examples of their writing and information about their readings and lectures.
SC PEN participated in 2003 at international project of presentation of poetry at billboards in nine cities of Central Europe titled “Time for poetry” by presenting verses of Ján Buzássy and Igor Hochel lately.
After all this we did not forget to organize even a tennis tournament (Bratislava, 2001) for our members, guests and selected journalists.
Only in the year 2003 we have honor to co-operate with 15 Centers of PEN International and 30 cultural institutions, foreign Embassies and their institutions and foreign as well as domestic publishing houses. Apart of all those mentioned previously they were: Section for human rights of Ministry of foreign affairs of Slovak Republic, Ministry of foreign affairs of Polish Republic, Foundation Harmony of Peter Dvorský, City Cultural Centre of Bratislava, Multiart Wien, Austrian Forum, Slovak institute in Warszaw, Slovak institute in Prague, Slovak institute in Budpest, Theater Brett in Wienna, Museum of Andy Warhol in Medzilaborce, Gymnasium in Banská Bystrica, Zemplín Library in Trebišov, Gymnasium in Michalovce, Gymnasium in Humenné, State library in Banská Bystrica etc.
Thanks to our activities SC PEN has also Club of friends of SC PEN in Žilina (established 2001) and Slovak Literary Club in Prague (2003) has the same status. We are giving space also to special literary genres by join activities with sci-fi journal Fantasy since 2002.
All this was reflected in Slovak and foreign media such as:  TASR, STV, Slovak Radio, Radio Twist, FUN-Radio, Radio East, magazines Moment, SME-Magazine, Kultúrny život (Culture life), newspapers SME, Pravda, Práca, Národná Obroda etc. + Start (Macedonia), Magyar Rádió, T.V. Cluj-Napoca, Russian cultural TV channel, Armenian T.V., Mexico TV Canal 22 etc.
With regular weekly meetings of our members, new logo of SC PEN and well designed web-site visited by thousands of visitors from all over the world our organization is most active writers organization in Slovakia. Within last four years we were able to achieve our democratic mission for the basic human right of freedom of expression better than within first decade of existence of SC PEN. This all thanks to our Board members and regular members.

Gustáv Murín, President of SC PEN 2000-2004

Z histórie

Po prvej svetovej vojne v roku 1925 vznikol Československý PEN v Prahe a predsedom sa stal Karel Čapek. V roku 1938 sa v Prahe konal medzinárodný kongres PEN a vyzýval na odpor proti fašizmu.

Slovenská sekcia čs. PEN vznikla v roku 1932 v Bratislave. Podrobnosti o zakladateľoch sa zatiaľ nepodarilo zistiť.

V roku 1933 vtedajší prezident Medzinárodného PEN Herbert George Wells na kongrese v Dubrovniku odsúdil totalitné režimy nacistického Nemecka stalinského sovietskeho Ruska.

V čase druhej svetovej vojny PEN nepracoval. V bývalom komunistickom Československu bol PEN nežiadúcou organizáciou. Podľa stanov z roku 1956 formálne síce existoval, ale jeho činnosť bola limitovaná. V rokoch normalizácie 1968-1989 nemohol vyvíjať nijakú činnosť. Ministerstvo vnútra sa usilovalo PEN aj formálne rozpustiť a včleniť ho do oficiálneho Zväzu spisovateľov. K obnove činnosti PEN v Prahe došlo až na jeseň 1989.

Je symbolické, že viacerí slobodymilovní slovenskí spisovatelia temer pol roka pred pádom totalitného režimu sa zišli 16. júna 1989 v Bratislave a podnikli kroky na vznik (vlastne obnovenie) slovenského centra PEN.

Slovenské PEN centrum bolo založené na ustanovujúcej schôdzi 31. októbra 1989 v Bratislave (v klube Bibiany), kde slovenský preklad Charty PEN podpísalo 31 spisovateľov rôznych generácií a názorov (napr. Ladislav Ballek, Martin Bútora, László Dobos, Dušan Dušek, Ľubomír Feldek, Andrej Ferko, Lajos Grendel, Daniel Hevier, Anton Hykisch, Rudolf Chmel, Klára Jarunková, Vincent Šikula, Ján Štrasser, Martin M. Šimečka, Pavel Vilikovský, Peter Zajac, Štefan Žáry, Miloš Žiak a ďalší)

V rokoch 1994-96 bol predsedom SC PEN M. Bútora, v rokoch 1996-1998 bol predsedom Lajos Grendel. Gustáv Murín bol predsedom SC PEN v rokoch 2000-2004. V rokoch 2004-2006 bol predsedom A. Hykisch, v rokoch 2006-2008 Mária Bátorová a v septembri 2008 bol Valným zhromaždením SC PEN do funkcie predsedu zvolený Ireney Baláž.

V októbri 2009 bol za predsedu SC PEN opätovne zvolený Gustáv Murín.

Founders who signed PEN Charter in June, 20th, 1989

BALÁŽ Anton
BALLEK Ladislav
BOOR Ján
BUZÁSSY Ján
DOBOS Lásló
DUBA Gyula
DUŠEK Dušan
FELDEK Ľubomír
FERKO Andrej
GLOCKO Peter
GRENDEL Lájos
HEVIER Daniel
HYKISCH Anton
CHMEL Rudolf
JARUNKOVÁ Klára
JURÁŇOVÁ Jana
KARVAŠ Peter
KOVÁČIK Marián
LASICA Milan
LENČO Ján
MITANA Dušan
SATINSKÝ Július
ŠIKULA Vincent
ŠÚTOVEC Milan
TÁNSKÁ Nataša
TÖZSÉR Árpád
VILIKOVSKÝ Pavel
ZAJAC Peter
ŽÁRY Štefan
ŽIAK Miloš

New members since May 1994

ANDRUŠKA Peter
BÚTORA Martin
FARKAŠOVÁ Etela
GREGOR Peter
GROCH Erik
GRZNÁROVÁ Marianna
HAMADA Milan
HAUGOVÁ Mila
HOCHEL Braňo
HOCHEL Igor
HRÚZ Pavol
JANOVIC Tomáš
JAROŠ Peter
JOHANIDES Ján
KADLEČIK Ivan
KUSÝ Miroslav
LAUČÍK Ivan
LIPKA František
MOJÍK Ivan
MURÍN Gustáv
PÍŠŤANEK Peter
PODRACKÁ Dana
RICHTER Milan
STRAŽAY Štefan
ŠIMEČKA Martin
ŠTRASSER Ján
WLACHOVSKÝ Karol
ZAMBOR Ján

New members since May 1997

BAGALA Koloman Kertés
BECKER Zdenka
CVIKOVÁ Jana
DRGONEC Ján
FRANEK Jaroslav
KASARDA Martin
LICHNEROVÁ Rút
POPOVIČ Ivan
SZIGETI Lásló
ŠIMKO Dušan
ŠTRPKA Ivan
ŠUPLATA Václav

New members since May 2000

BANÁŠ Jozef
BANČEJ Maroš
BÁTOROVÁ Mária
BREŽNÁ Irena
ČOMAJ Ján
DZÚRIK Michal
FILAN Boris
FŰLLE Ján
GRUPAČ Marian
HARATÍK Vladimír
HOVORKA Jan
HRÍB Štefan
JESENSKÝ Miloš
KERLIK Peter
KOŘÍNEK Otto
LITVÁK Ján
MILČÁK Peter
ONDREJOVIČ Slavomír
OTČENÁŠ Igor
PALONDER František
PORUBJAK Martin
RANKOV Pavol
REINER Andrej
REPKA Peter
SZALAY Ladislav
ŠVEHLÁK Boris
ŠULEJ Peter
ULIČIANSKY Ján
VALTER Ján
VADAS Marek

New members since May 2005

BRENDZA Boris
BRENKUS Radovan
KITTA Richard
KOČÍK Tibor
LEKOSKI Stojan
ONDREJIČKA Erik
ROTHMAYEROVÁ Gabriela
STANO Dalimír
ŠEBESTA Juraj
ŠVENKOVÁ Viera
VLADO Martin
ZIMKOVÁ Milka

New members since May 2009

CÍGER Ján
HEREC Ondrej
CHMELÁR Eduard
PIŠKO Rasťo
SKALSKÝ Vladimír




(Not all listed members are still active in Slovak PEN Centre. As in other Centres number of currently active members vary in dependence from the activity of the Centre in the current time, their own age and literary status.)