Repressive governments recognize writers as a potent threat to their tight systems of social control. The ability of great writing to unleash empathy, challenge orthodoxies, and mobilize movements, frightens those seeking a monopoly on power.
The brutality of governments in China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere toward their writers underscores the urgency of the work we do. If writers didn't matter, governments would not risk their international reputations to muzzle them.
