PEN Honors Courage

A Mexican newspaper and a Nigerian magazine editor will be honored for their courage when PEN Center USA West presents its annual literary awards Saturday at Universal Studios.

The organization of professional writers will bestow its Freedom-to-Write Award on the Tijuana weekly Zeta and on editor Dapo Olorunyomi of Nigeria’s The News. This award recognizes writers who have defended freedom of expression in the face of extreme adversity.

For 16 years, Zeta has covered the border area with muckraking journalism and outspoken commentary, despite advertising boycotts, a machine-gun attack on its offices and even the assassination of its founder in 1988. In a country where the government controls much of the media, Zeta provides an important opposition view.

Olorunyomi was forced to flee Nigeria in February after his publication challenged the government’s claims that it had foiled a coup plot, calling the bogus coup an excuse to silence internal opposition. The reporters and editors were targeted for arrest and their offices were firebombed.

The other awards, honoring 1995’s best writing in the western United States, will be presented to:

* Lifetime Achievement in Nonfiction: Betty Friedan.

* Body of Work in Criticism: Pauline Kael.

* Fiction: Pete Dexter, for “The Paperboy” (Random House)

* Nonfiction: Al Young, for “Drowning in the Sea of Love” (Ecco Press)

* Poetry: Carl Rakosi, for “Poems 1923-1941” (Sun & Moon Press)

* Translation: Red Pine, for “Guide to Capturing a Plum Blossom” (Mercury House)

* Children’s Literature: Cynthia Rylant, for “The Van Gogh Cafe” (Harcourt Brace)

* Journalism: George Cothran, for “Shut Up, Little Man” (San Francisco Weekly)

* Drama: Tie between Philip Kan Gotanda, for “Ballad of Yachiyo” and Simon Levy, for “Tender Is the Night.”

* Screenplay: William Broyles Jr. and Al Reinert, for “Apollo 13.”

* Teleplay: Tie between Charles Fuller, for “Zooman” and John Hopkins, for “Hiroshima.”

For tickets or further information, call (213) 365-8500.