Amanuel Asrat

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Abesa Kuinat

Abesa Kuinat is a collection of poems by Amanuel Asrat who is one of the 12 Eritrean journalists and editors of independent newspapers who has been held in unknown detention place in Eritrea since September 2001 without due process of law. This collection became a reality after collective efforts of friends, colleagues and family members. Most of the poems were previously published in different newspapers in pen name and have never been published in a book format. One of his poems has been translated first into English and then into at least 15 languages through collaborative efforts of PEN Eritrean and PEN International. Amanuel won a number of prizes for his poems before and after his detention. In 2016, he got awarded Oxfam and PEN International Freedom Expression Award which is accorded to those who fall victims of imprisonment of their courageous writing. In 2020 he became the co-winner along with Linton Kwesi Johnson of The PEN Pinter Prize which is an annual award by English PEN, honouring playwright Harold Pinter who demonstrates an "unflinching, unswerving gaze" on truth and society, similar to Pinter's own Nobel-winning spirit.