The always-fabulous PEN World Voices Festival launches its fifth annual celebration of global literature at the end of this month, and we're kicking off the party with a sampler of new writing from a selection of the participants. Through narratives grounded in biblical definitions of love and classic Arabic erotic literature, in alphabetical order and mental chaos, writers explore topics local and universal. See how Bernardo Atxaga, Enrique Vila-Matas, Salwa Al Neimi, Meir Shalev, Adrian Tomine, and Paul Verhaeghen create their own worlds in strikingly varied voices. And if you're in New York, do join Words without Borders for our special PEN World Voices event: Saturday, May 2 at 4:30 pm, Revolutionary Writers with Yoshihiro Tatsumi and Adrian Tomine.
Image copyright Stephanie Han Windham