Egg on Face: PEN apologises for disinviting Russian writers to event after US journo quit in protest

A Moscow-born US journalist and vice president of the board of PEN America, Masha Gessen tendered her resignation following the disinvitation of two Russian writers from a PEN event. The decision to exclude the writers was made in response to complaints lodged by Ukrainians. In explaining her resignation, Gessen, who contributes to The New Yorker, expressed her belief in PEN’s mission but felt compelled to step down from her leadership position to avoid association with what she considered an ‘erroneous’ judgment. The incident occurred as part of PEN’s annual World Voices Festival, where Gessen was scheduled to moderate a panel featuring Ilya Venyavkin and Anna Nemzer, both Russian writers who had left the country after Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine nearly a year ago. These individuals had been labeled as “dissidents” in the West. The issue arose when Ukrainian writers and active-duty soldiers, Artyom Chapay and Artyom Chekh, who were originally set to participate in a separate panel, refused to attend the festival altogether unless Russians were excluded entirely. The organizers mistakenly interpreted their statement as pertaining solely to their own panel and not the entire festival, which consisted of over 40 events at various venues. PEN released a statement acknowledging the error of interpretation and characterizing the situation as a misunderstanding. “Once the Ukrainians arrived in New York and learned that the Russian dissident writers were part of the festival, they informed us that they would be unable to participate, explaining that had both events proceeded, the soldiers could face an emergency situation involving significant political, legal and compliance repercussions and risks,” the statement read. The organizers expressed sincere regret to the Russian writers and expressed their willingness to reschedule the event. In response to Masha Gessen’s resignation, PEN America expressed sadness regarding her decision. PEN Ukraine, on the other hand, issued a statement asserting that it would have been morally wrong and contradictory to their values to allow Ukrainian participants to share a platform with the Russian writers. Masha Gessen, who left Russia a decade ago, is a prominent critic of the Russian government and has consistently condemned the military intervention in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for the widespread exclusion of individuals associated with Russia and Russian culture as a whole. Recently, the Prima Vista literary festival in Tartu, Estonia canceled the participation of Russian-Israeli author and translator Linor Goralik following the withdrawal of Ukrainian poets Olena Guseynova and Anna Gruver. Guseynova justified their decision by stating that it would be impossible to engage in discussions concerning Russian culture while the conflict between Russia and Ukraine remains unresolved. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.