Gaza Playwright Ali Abu Yasin Named 2026 PEN Pinter Writer of Courage

Who shares this year's PEN Pinter Prize? Ali Abu Yasin, a playwright, director and actor from Gaza. English PEN named him Writer of Courage 2026 on the evening of Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the British Library in London.

How the Writer of Courage is chosen

The PEN Pinter Prize goes to a writer chosen by English PEN's judges. That winner then selects, in cooperation with English PEN, a Writer of Courage to share the prize: an author who is active in defence of freedom of expression, "often at great risk to their own safety and liberty."

This year's winner is the writer, academic and feminist critic Jacqueline Rose. English PEN announced her prize on July 8, 2026, at its Members' Summer Party at the October Gallery in London, and said she had been chosen in May by judges Ruth Borthwick, chair of English PEN, playwright Tanika Gupta, and writer and poet Will Harris.

Rose announced Abu Yasin as her co-winner in her address at the British Library ceremony. Baroness Helena Kennedy KC delivered an encomium.

Who Ali Abu Yasin is

According to English PEN, Abu Yasin has used theatre since the 1990s as a space to explore the Palestinian experience, daily life under occupation, war, and the power of art to resist violence. English PEN says he has been subject to censorship and has seen some of his plays banned or restricted.

He has also been unable to attend key cultural festivals and events because of restrictions on his travel, English PEN says, including the 2019 Sundance festival premiere of the documentary film Gaza, in which he stars.

Abu Yasin has worked with Ashtar Theatre since 2008. There he developed and directed the first Gaza Monologues, which English PEN says have been performed and translated worldwide. His play was featured in Tomorrow Will Be a Palestinian Day, a collection of nine plays performed at Theatre 503 in London in June 2026.

What Rose said

"A plaint and a call for justice, a cry of outrage and a spiritual quest, the writing, plays and performances of Ali Abu Yasin know no boundary between the world we live and die in, and the words we write and we speak," Rose said.

She called him "the consistent chronicler of the harshness and cruelty of Palestinian existence, and the mentor of young people struggling to pluck meaning from the debris of their lives," and said, "I am bowled over by his courage and tenacity."

What Abu Yasin said

Abu Yasin said the award carries special significance because Rose chose him to share it, and because it bears Harold Pinter's name. "Early in my career, I had the honour of staging his play One for the Road in Palestine," he said.

"I never wrote in pursuit of an award; I wrote because I believe that death is voiceless, but our voices never die," he said. "And yet, I do not feel brave when I consider an entire people who have faced war with steadfast resilience, loss, hunger, and death."

He dedicated the award "to the people of Gaza and to every writer who has chosen to navigate the vast sea of words – no matter how fierce the storm – while holding fast to the compass of freedom and truth."

Why Rose won

When it announced her prize in July, English PEN quoted the judges praising Rose's "luminous precision that makes difficult truths feel newly visible." Borthwick said Rose had embraced the challenge Harold Pinter set out in his 2005 Nobel speech, to define "the real truth of our lives."

Rose said then that the prize would help her "speak out more boldly," at a time when, in her words, violations of international humanitarian law "from Gaza to Ukraine and Sudan" cast their shadow across the planet.

Why it matters for authors

The prize is built around a second writer. The PEN Pinter Prize is unusual in that the winner uses it to raise up someone else, a writer working under real risk. This year that is a theatre maker, a reminder that English PEN's idea of a writer includes plays and performance.

Censorship includes travel. English PEN's account of Abu Yasin's work lists banned and restricted plays, but also missed festivals and premieres because he couldn't travel. For writers in restricted places, being unable to show up is part of the silencing.

Where to read more. English PEN's announcement includes the full statements from Rose and Abu Yasin, and its July release has the judges' citation for Rose.

Sources

• English PEN: Jacqueline Rose shares PEN Pinter Prize 2026 with Ali Abu Yasin (October 8, 2026)
• English PEN: Jacqueline Rose awarded PEN Pinter Prize 2026 (July 8, 2026)