Ali Abu Yassin, a 62-year-old playwright from Gaza, has received the Writer of Courage award for 2026 from English PEN, a UK-based literary organization. The recognition celebrates his work as a writer who has maintained his commitment to artistic expression despite challenging circumstances. Yassin was nominated by British academic Jacqueline Rose and will receive the award alongside the winner of the 2026 PEN Pinter Prize.
Yassin began his career as a teenager in al-Shati refugee camp, where he developed skills in playwriting and music. His early theatrical work included collaboration with the Said Al-Mishal Theatre beginning in 2004, and he initiated the Gaza Monologues series in 2008, which explored both joyful and difficult aspects of life in the region. Following major disruptions to cultural institutions, Yassin adapted his creative practice to document conditions in his community through various writing forms.
In recent years, Yassin has worked with actors in makeshift performance spaces while facing significant personal hardship and displacement. His recent play, 50 Minutes, depicts themes of genocide and mourning, with performances staged in unconventional venues. Despite these obstacles, he has continued writing screenplays, which he preserved throughout periods of displacement. A few weeks ago, he left Gaza through an artist residency program in France, allowing him to attend the award ceremony in London in person.
English PEN highlighted the organization’s recognition of constraints on freedom of movement and expression faced by writers in Gaza. The award is specifically designated for authors who actively defend freedom of expression, often at considerable personal risk. English PEN operates independently from its US counterpart and has publicly called for arms embargoes and condemned the killing of Palestinian writers in alignment with broader PEN International advocacy efforts.
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