Publishing landmarks Index on Censorship

philip spender, jo glanville, michael scammell



logo until 2012

other landmark publications include ken saro-wiwa s writings prison (issue 3/1997) , translation of czechoslovak charter 77 manifesto drafted václav havel , others. index published first english translation of alexander solzhenitsyn s nobel prize acceptance speech. index on censorship published stories of disappeared in argentina , work of banned poets in cuba; work of chinese poets escaped massacres ended tiananmen square protests of 1989. index on censorship has long history of publishing writers in translation, including bernard-henri lévy, ivan klima, ma jian , nobel laureate shirin ebadi, , news reports including anna politkovskaia s coverage of war in chechnya (issue 2/2002).

sir tom stoppard s play every boy deserves favour (1977), set in soviet mental institution, performed london symphony orchestra, inspired personal account of former detainee victor fainberg , clayton yeo s expose of use of psychiatric abuse in ussr, published in index on censorship (issue 2, 1975). stoppard became member of advisory board of index on censorship in 1978 , remains connected publication patron of index.

index on censorship published world statement international committee defence of salman rushdie in support of right of people express ideas , beliefs , discuss them critics on basis of mutual tolerance, free censorship, intimidation , violence. 6 months later, index published hunger strike declaration 4 student leaders of tiananmen square protests of 1989, liu xiaobo, zhou duo, hou dejian , gao xin.

index index, round-up of abuses of freedom of expression worldwide, continued published in each edition of magazine until december 2008, when function transferred website. offences against free expression documented in first issue s index index listing included censorship in greece , spain, dictatorships, , brazil, had banned film zabriskie point on grounds insulted friendly power – united states, had been made , freely shown.

index on censorship paid special attention situation in czechoslovakia between soviet invasion of 1968 , velvet revolution of 1989, devoting entire issue country 8 years after prague spring (issue 3/1976). included several pieces václav havel, including first translation of 1 act play conversation, , letter czech officials on police censorship of december 1975 production of beggar s opera john gay. avel magazine carried articles on state of czech theatre , list of so-called padlock publications, 50 banned books circulated in typescript. index published english version of havel s play mistake, dedicated samuel beckett in gratitude beckett s own dedication of play catastrophe havel. both short plays performed @ free word centre mark launch of index s special issue looking @ changes of 1989 (issue 4, 2009).