International Union of Left Publishers stands in solidarity with Cuban poet Nancy Morejón, condemns attack by French literary festival

The Paris Poetry Market (Marché de la Poésie) withdrew the status of honorary president from Cuban poet, essayist, and intellectual Nancy Morejón. The International Union of Left Publishers said the decision went against all principles of freedom of expression and of ideas

June 02, 2023 by Peoples Dispatch
Nancy Morejón

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On May 31, France’s poetry festival, le Marché de la Poésie, or the Poetry Market announced that it was withdrawing the status of honorary president of the festival from renowned Cuban poet and intellectual Nancy Morejón. The decision has been widely condemned by writers and artists across the world. The International Union of Left Publishers has released a statement condemning Poetry Market’s decision. The full text of the statement is below.

We, the International Union of Left Publishers (IULP), denounce the decision of the organizers of the Paris Poetry Market (Marché de la Poésie) to withdraw the status of honorary president from Cuban poet, essayist, and intellectual Nancy Morejón, who is considered to be one of the most significant voices in contemporary Cuban literature.

Winner of the island’s National Culture Prize and deserving of the highest awards for her work — both inside and outside Cuba — Morejón had been named this year’s honorary president of the Poetry Market, a major literary event that has been held consecutively in the French capital since 1983. However, following the spurious complaints of Jacobo Machover, a well known Cuban-French writer who has used his platform to attack the Cuban Revolution and the achievements of the Cuban people throughout his career, and under pressure from the French Pen Club, the organizers of the event released a statement withdrawing her distinction, claiming this decision is taken in defense of “all forms of liberty, creation, opinion, and expression.”

The stark hypocrisy of the organizers of the Poetry Market is clear. Not only does this decision go against all principles of freedom of expression and of ideas, it also capitulates to right-wing demands for censorship and legitimizes the systemic attacks of the US, Europe, and the interests of global capitalism on Cuban culture and society.

We, the IULP, offer our support and solidarity to the poet Nancy Morejón and to all the Cuban writers and artists who, together with their people, stand strong and with dignity in the face of the systemic attacks of US imperialism and its European partners. We celebrate the example of the Cuban literary tradition, one that is rich with ideas and proposals for a transformed world in which all of humanity can thrive.

1804 Books (US)

Batalla de Ideas (Argentina)

Brigada para Leer en Libertad (México)

Dogma Editorial (México)

Editorial Caminos (Cuba)

Editorial Combatiente (Perú)

Editorial El Colectivo (Argentina)

Editorial Incendiar el océano (México)

EPO (Belgium)

Estrella Roja (Venezuela)

Expressão Popular (São Paulo)

Fondo de Cultura Economica (México)

Fondo Editorial Casa de las Americas (Cuba)

Fundacion Editorial El Perro y la Rana (Venezuela)

Ganoprakashan (Bangladesh)

Instituto Simon Bolivar (Venezuela)

Kriya Madhyama (India)

La Fogata Editorial (Colombia)

Leftword Books (India)

Manifest Libres (Catalunya)

Marjin Kiri (Indonesia)

Monte Avila Editores Latinoamericana (Venezuela)

Naked Punch (Pakistan)

Navatelangana Publishing House (India)

Niña Ediciones (Argentina)

Sociedad de Escritoras y Escritores de Chile (Chile)

Vaam Prakashan (India)

Vadell Hermanos Editores (Venezuela)

Založba/*cf (Slovenia)

Editorial Trinchera (Venezuela)