Gaza Playwright Ali Abu Yasin Honoured with English PEN Award for Courage

Gaza playwright Ali Abu Yasin, 62, has won the prestigious "Writer of Courage 2026" award from the literary group English PEN in London. Despite facing the devastation of conflict and writing under constant bombardment, Abu Yasin continued to create art and document the realities of life in Gaza.

Reflecting on the honour, Abu Yasin told Al Jazeera that the prize is a significant recognition not just for him, but for Gaza, Palestine, and all Palestinian people. Beginning his artistic journey as a teenager in al-Shati refugee camp, he shifted his focus after October 2023 to documenting survival, displacement, and the harrowing conditions under Israeli military action.

Working with actors who rehearsed in makeshift tents amidst the sound of gunfire, Abu Yasin sought to preserve the voices of those affected. His recent play, 50 Minutes, addresses themes of conflict and mourning. Nominated by British academic and cultural critic Jacqueline Rose, who won the 2026 PEN Pinter Prize, Abu Yasin's work was praised as a call for justice and an enduring chronicle of Palestinian existence.

Having recently left Gaza through an artist residency programme in France, Abu Yasin remarked that the experience of the conflict remains with him. English PEN, operating independently as the UK branch of PEN International, continues to advocate for freedom of expression and has condemned the violence faced by writers in the region.