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Pen International's fifth annual World Voices Festival begins April 27 and continues through May 3. This year's theme will be "Evolution and Revolution," featuring 60 writers from 40 countries participating in 60 events in New York City.

New Directions participants' panels (in alphabetical order):

ESTHER ALLEN (Two events)

1.

April 28, 2009 | Resonances: Writers on the Great Works

With Muriel Barbery, Bernard Comment, Salwa Al Neimi, José Manuel Prieto, George Packer, and Antonio Tabucchi; moderated by Esther Allen

When: Tuesday, April 28, 2009: 1-2:30 p.m.

Where: Baruch College, William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus: 55 Lexington Avenue, Room 5-150

"How does literature stay alive? How does writing from the past persist, influence and spark contemporary writers and their work? Join us for a discussion about the voices of the long-dead and how they continue to whisper to readers and writers and exert their presence from the grave."

The acclaimed translator Esther Allen is an assistant professor at Seton Hall University. Her translations include Lands of Memory by Felisberto Hernández, and the Dark Back of Time and the forthcoming Bad Nature, or Elvis in Mexico by Javier Marías .

2.

April 29, 2009 | Women Translating Women

With Esther Allen, Becka McKay, Susan Bernofsky, and Alyson Waters

Three translators and one of their authors discuss the ways gender and sexism come into question in the choices translators make. Participants will include Esther Allen on translating New Yorker writer Alma Guillermoprieto and Mexican novelist Rosario Castellanos; Becka McKay on translating Israeli novelist Suzane Adam; Susan Bernofsky on translating German novelist Jenny Erpenbech; and Alyson Waters on translating various writers from the French.

When: Wednesday, April 29: 6:30 pm
Where: The Mercantile Library Center for Fiction: 17 East 47th Street

Cosponsored by Mercantile Center for Fiction

PAUL AUSTER

May 2, 2009 | Enrique Vila-Matas and Paul Auster in Conversation

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Where: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street

For years Enrique Vila-Matas and Paul Auster have been engaged in an extended literary conversation, spanning continents and several languages. And in the ingenious short story by Eduardo Lago, which borrows its title, "Brooklyn Trilogy," from Auster, the two are even brought together as fictional characters. Two years ago, they met in person for the first time and discovered that they do, indeed, share many common obsessions. Come eavesdrop on this continuation of that first live conversation. Moderated by Eduardo Lago, who will read from the short story that unites these two writers.

Paul Auster is the author of New Directions' The Red Notebook and the translator of A Tomb for Anatole by Mallarme.

SUSAN BERNOFSKY (Two events)

1.

April 29, 2009 | Women Translating Women

With Esther Allen, Becka McKay, Susan Bernofsky, and Alyson Waters

Three translators and one of their authors discuss the ways gender and sexism come into question in the choices translators make. Participants will include Esther Allen on translating New Yorker writer Alma Guillermoprieto and Mexican novelist Rosario Castellanos; Becka McKay on translating Israeli novelist Suzane Adam; Susan Bernofsky on translating German novelist Jenny Erpenbech; and Alyson Waters on translating various writers from the French.

When: Wednesday, April 29: 6:30 pm
Where: The Mercantile Library Center for Fiction: 17 East 47th Street

Cosponsored by Mercantile Center for Fiction

2.

May 1, 2009 | Discovering Unbearable Truths

With Uwe Kolbe and Uljana Wolf; moderated by Susan Bernofsky

When: Friday, May 1, 2009: 5-6 p.m.

Where: Austrian Cultural Forum, 11 East 52nd Street

These two writers from Germany woke up one day to realize that their lives were built on some terrible lies. Uwe Kolbe discovered that his father had been spying on him for the Stasi, and Uljana Wolf had a similar awakening. Find out how they put the truth of their lives back together, came to reinterpret their pasts, and how these understandings influenced their writing.

Susan Bernofsky has translated for New Directions two books by the great Swiss-German modernist author Robert Walser, as well as novels by Jenny Erpenbeck and Yoko Tawada. Forthcoming will be a New Directions/Christine Bergin Gallery edition of Robert Walser's Microscripts.

HORACIO CASTELLANOS MOYA (Two events)

1.

May 2, 2009 | The PEN Cabaret

With Laurie Anderson, Carrie Brownstein, Horacio Castellanos Moya, Steve Connell, David Conrad, Mark Z. Danielewski, James Franco, Peter Hirsch, Nick Laird, Walter Mosley, Parker Posey, Lou Reed, Sekou, and Sean Wilsey

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009: 7:30 p.m.

Where: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street

Join PEN World Voices for its much-celebrated, always-memorable annual cabaret: an evening of music, literature, writers, and performers unlike any other in the city. This year features rock legend Lou Reed and multimedia guru Laurie Anderson, along with an adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's New York piece in "State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America" with Parker Posey, James Franco, Peter Hirsch, Sean Wilsey and Carrie Brownstein. Plus readings by novelist Walter Mosley, Irish poet Nick Laird, author Horacio Castellanos Moya, and actor David Conrad, as well as a wizard of literary pastiche, Mark Z. Danielewski; and a performance by poetry heavy hitters Sekou (Tha Misfit) and Steve Connell.

Horacio Castellanos Moya's novels have been translated into French, German, Italian, and Portuguese. The English translation of Senselessness was published by New Directions in May 2008, and his book The She-Devil in the Mirror will be released in Sepember.

2.

May 2, 2009 | Where Truth Lies: A Conversation on the Art of Fiction

Participants: Marlon James, Jan Kjærstad, Horacio Castellanos Moya, and Roxana Robinson; moderated by Noreen Tomass

This conversation between writers dealing with challenging subject matter explores the human need to tell stories, why fiction seems to be hard-wired into us as a species, and where truth lies in the most compelling stories of our time. It is the first in a series of launch events for the new Center for Fiction in New York City (formerly the Mercantile Library Center for Fiction).

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009: 1­2:30 p.m.

Where: FIAF, Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th Street

Free and open to the public. Cosponsored by the Center for Fiction and FIAF

BARBARA EPLER

April 30, 2009 | Tendencies in Spanish Language Literature

With Bernardo Atxaga, Javier Calvo, Santiago Roncagliolo, and Enrique Vila-Matas; moderated by Barbara Epler

When: Thursday April 30, 2009: 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Where: Instituto Cervantes New York, 211-215 East 49th Street

Descendants of a rich literary tradition, four contemporary writers--Bernardo Atxaga from Basque Country, Javier Calvo from Spain, Santiago Roncagliolo of Peru, and Spain's Enrique Vila-Matas--will discuss new trends in Spanish language fiction with New Directions publisher Barbara Epler.

Barbara Epler is the Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of New Directions.

FORREST GANDER

May 2, 2009 | Writers Who Are Translators

With Brian Evenson, Forrest Gander, Cole Swensen, and Paul Verhaeghen; moderated by Martin Riker

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009:

Where: FIAF, Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th Street

Translators are artists. They do not simply transfer the sentences of a book into a new language, they must truly create a new work of art based upon the original. Join American and foreign writers/translators to discuss the intersection of literary writing and translating, how the two contribute to one another, and the particular value of translating another writer's work, or even one's own.

New Directions author Forrest Gander lives in Rhode Island with poet C.D. Wright and teaches at Brown Universtiy. His books include the poetry collection, Eye Against Eye, and the novel, As a Friend. He has translated the work of Mexican poet Coral Bracho (Firefly Under the Tongue) and Pura Lopez Colome (No Shelter).

ANTONIO TABUCCHI (Three events)

1.

April 28, 2009 | Evolution/Revolution in European Arts and Letters

With Muriel Barbery, Bernard Comment, and Antonio Tabucchi

When: Tuesday, April 28, 2009: 8-9:30 p.m.

Where: State University at Albany Uptown Campus, Recital Hall: 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany NY

Three of Europe's leading literary figures and cultural commentators will discuss the future of the arts in an era of seismic change. Participants include France's Muriel Barbery, novelist and author of the international bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog; fiction writer Antonio Tabucchi, winner of the Premio Campiello for Pereira Declares, and winner of the Prix Médicis Étranger for Indian Nocturne, both published by New Directions; and Swiss-born Bernard Comment, a distinguished author, screenwriter, and art historian.

2.

May 1, 2009 | Readings from Around the Globe

With Bernardo Atxaga, Petina Gappah, Mariken Jongman, Michael Ondaatje, Daniel Sada, Hwang Sok-Yong, Antonio Tabucchi, and Colm Tóibín

When: Friday, May 1, 2009: 7:30 p.m.

Where: 92nd St Y, Unterberg Poetry Center, 1395 Lexington Avenue

Join PEN World Voices for this star-studded "around the globe" adventure--featuring Bernardo Atxaga (Spain), Petina Gappah (Zimbabwe), Mariken Jongman (Netherlands), Michael Ondaatje (Sri Lanka/Canada), Daniel Sada (Mexico), Hwang Sok-Yong (Korea), Antonio Tabucchi (Italy), and Colm Tóibín (Ireland). Come on a whirlwind tour of the best in contemporary literature--no passports required!

3.

Resonances: Writers on the Great Works

April 28, 2009 | Resonances: Writers on the Great Works

With Muriel Barbery, Bernard Comment, Salwa Al Neimi, José Manuel Prieto, George Packer, and Antonio Tabucchi; moderated by Esther Allen

When: Tuesday, April 28, 2009: 1-2:30 p.m.

Where: Baruch College, William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus: 55 Lexington Avenue, Room 5-150

"How does literature stay alive? How does writing from the past persist, influence and spark contemporary writers and their work? Join us for a discussion about the voices of the long-dead and how they continue to whisper to readers and writers and exert their presence from the grave."

Antonio Tabucchi's many books with New Directions include Pereira Declares, Indian Nocturne, and most recently, It's Getting Later all the Time.

ENRIQUE VILA-MATAS (Three events)

1.

April 29, 2009

Anagrama: Celebrating 40 Years of Independent Publishing in Spain

With Francisco Goldman, A.M. Homes, Siri Hustvedt, Daniel Sada, and Enrique Vila-Matas; moderated by Jorge Herralde

When: Wednesday, April 29, 2009: 6-7:30 p.m.

Where: Instituto Cervantes New York, 211-215 East 49th Street

An anagram is a word or a phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase. It's also the name of one of Spain's most distinguished independent book publishers, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year. We're marking this milestone with a discussion about the history of the press featuring some of its most distinguished authors and Anagrama's publisher, Jorge Herralde.

2.

April 30, 2009 | Tendencies in Spanish Language Literature

With Bernardo Atxaga, Javier Calvo, Santiago Roncagliolo, and Enrique Vila-Matas; moderated by Barbara Epler

When: Thursday April 30, 2009: 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

Where: Instituto Cervantes New York, 211-215 East 49th Street

Descendents of a rich literary tradition, four contemporary writers--Bernardo Atxaga from Basque Country, Javier Calvo from Spain, Santiago Roncagliolo of Peru, and Spain's Enrique Vila-Matas--will discuss new trends in Spanish language fiction with New Directions publisher Barbara Epler.

3.

May 2, 2009 | Enrique Vila-Matas and Paul Auster in Conversation

When: Saturday, May 2, 2009: 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Where: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street

For years Enrique Vila-Matas and Paul Auster have been engaged in an extended literary conversation, spanning continents and several languages. And in the ingenious short story by Eduardo Lago, which borrows its title, Brooklyn Trilogy, from Auster, the two are even brought together as fictional characters. Two years ago, they met in person for the first time and discovered that they do, indeed, share many common obsessions. Come eavesdrop on this continuation of that first live conversation. Moderated by Eduardo Lago, who will read from the short story that unites these two writers.

Among Enrique Vila-Matas' many works are Bartleby & Co., published by New Directions, which was selected as the best book of the year by French booksellers and awarded the Ciudad de Barcelona Award and the Fernando Aguirre-Libralire Award; his works have been translated into 27 languages

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE PEN WORLD LITERARY FESTIVAL AND TICKETS, PLEASE VISIT PEN'S WEBSITE.