On 15 November 2015, PEN Sydney will mark the 34th anniversary of the annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer with a special lecture from internationally acclaimed Australian author, David Malouf.
The Day of the Imprisoned Writer is a day commemorated around the world to recognise all writers who have suffered persecution as a result of exercising their right to freedom of expression. It is about raising awareness of the unjust imprisonment, harassment, murder and other forms of attack, against writers around the globe, to remember those who have been killed, and stand in solidarity with imprisoned and threatened authors and journalists.
David will speak about how the digitally connected world and cultural changes towards a more global society has created a need for writers to reform the way they express themselves in public and private discourse, and the pressures and constraints this has on freedom of expression.
David was awarded the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2000, his 1993 novelRemembering Babylon won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, he won the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008, and he was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.