13. Nov 2009

ICORN congratulates Kjell Olaf Jensen on being awarded Norwegian PEN's first Honorary Prize

Jensen will be given the prize at an evening event at the Oslo House of Literature on November 16. Kjell Olaf Jensen was instrumental in the creation of the Norwegian network of Cities of Refuge, and also in the establishment of ICORN. He also served as a member of ICORN's Advisory Group until earlier this year.

Jensen is a translator and critic and former president of Norwegian PEN for more than ten years. For almost two decades he has been at the forefront in the defence of the free word, both in the media and as a lecturer - in dialogue with the authorities and cooperating with other organizations, local and international. During this period he also contributed effectively to the renewal of International PEN. Jensen has served as President of the Norwegian Association of Literature Critics, as Vice President of the Association Internationale des Critiques Littéraires, and on the board of Amnesty International Norway.