Challenging censorship in literature

Collectors
Edition
Challenging censorship in literature

1st Issue • FREE

September 2010

1 BANNED BOOKS 5

Banned Books Week 2010

www.islington.gov.uk
The history of literature is inextricably entwined
with the history of free expression.
Indeed, it might be said that
literature and free expression
are indivisible – two different
labels to describe the act of writing.
George Orwell, in his essay ‘The
Prevention of Literature’, described
how writing without free expression
produces staid, stale and ultimately
meaningless content. Who wants to
read a book that has been produced
and approved by a committee?
Cultures evolve and develop
when artists push at the
boundaries set by society.
Literature is at its best when authors
challenge their readers at these
boundaries. They might confront
their readers with new ideas about
how to tell a story, or call in to
question the assumptions and values
that their readers hold to be beyond
question.
Ever since books have been
printed, people in positions of
power and influence have sought
to suppress, burn and ban the
books that have had the potential
to challenge the official status quo.
Versions of the Bible in English and
other vernacular languages were
deemed too dangerous until the
Reformation, and in the five hundred
1
years since, authors have been
BANNED
continuously condemned for writing
BOOKS
against the Church’s teachings: Dan
5
Brown’s Da Vinci Code joins the
same club as Charles Darwin’s Origin
of the Species. Other religions are
no less censorious than Christianity:
Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses is
the most famous example of the
clash between fundamentalist Islam
and the right of an author to express
himself freely. The history of banned
books is also the history of our
relationship with religion
Banned books also reflect the
history of our sexual morality.
Books such as Gustave Flaubert’s
Madame Bovary, D.H. Lawrence’s
Lady Chatterley’s Lover and even
Parnell & Richardson’s picture-book
And Tango Makes Three all represent
milestones on our journey towards a
more liberal and accepting society.
And of course, the history
of censored books is also a
history of modern politics.
Marx & Engel’s The Communist
Manifesto was suppressed in many
countries, and yet, when their
followers rose to power, books
that critiqued Communism, such as
George Orwell’s Animal Farm and
Nurmuhemmet Yasin’s Wild Pigeon,
were banned in turn. Books with
an anti-racist message, such as
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird
and Nadine Gordimer’s July’s People
also held challenging ideas that
those in power sought to keep from
spreading.
An exhibition of banned books is
an ambitious project, because it
is nothing less than an exhibition of
the progress of thought! When we
read these books, we cannot help
but consider how people thought
before they were published, and
how human thinking has changed
since then. Furthermore, there
is an undeniable allure to reading
such books: the frisson of reading
somet hing that was once forbidden
persists even now, when the books
in question are available in libraries
1 BANNED BOOKS 5
and bookshops. To know that
governments once thought these
words to be dangerous, invests
these books with a certain power
and an undeniable significance.
Robert Sharp
English PEN
www.englishpen.org
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Challenging censorship in literature

by Mark Twain
Huck Finn has been banned at various times in the US,
sometimes for its left wing associations, sometimes
(mistakenly) for its right!.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

by Lewis Carroll
Alice was banned in the province of Hunan, China (1931) for
the portraying animals acting on the same level as humans.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5
All Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Remarque
Banned in Nazi Germany for portraying the Wehrmacht
(German military forces) in a bad light.

American Psycho
by Bret Easton Ellis
The original publishers of this book dropped it and the New
York Times urged people not to buy it because of its extreme
violence. In Germany, Australia and New Zealand it was shrink
wrapped and sold to over 18’s only.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
And Tango Makes Three
Challenging censorship in literature

by Justin Richardson
The book was banned by schools and
libraries in the US in 2009. It’s based on a
true story of two gay penguins hatching an
egg in New Central Park Zoo.

Animal Farm
by George Orwell
In the 1940s, Allied forces found the book critical of the USSR,
and therefore considered too controversial to print during
wartime. A stage version was banned in Kenya in 1991 due to
its criticism of corrupt leaders. In 2002 the novel was banned
in schools of the United Arab Emirates.

Beloved 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s novel about the slave trade may have won
both the Nobel Prize and the Pulitzer Prize, but this has not
prevented it from being censored in various schools in the US.
Reason cited: the book’s use of extreme language.

Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
Banned by the South African government during the Apartheid
era because of the word ‘Black’ in the title.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Blankets
Challenging censorship in literature

by Craig Thompson
Temporarily banned from a library in Missouri after accusations
of containing pornographic material.

Brave New World

by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World was banned in Ireland in 1932, mainly due to
its depiction of drugs, sexuality and suicide.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5 Catch 22

by Joseph Heller
The popular satirical novel is full of black humour and pathos
but was banned in a number of US schools due to offensive
language.

A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
This thought-provoking book was withdrawn from some US
schools on grounds of immorality as it was thought to contain
too much sexual violence. Stanley Kubrick’s film caused even
greater furore, and was withdrawn by the director himself.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Communist Manifesto
Challenging censorship in literature

by Marx and Engels

Since its publication The Communist Manifesto has been
banned, burned and censored in many capitalist countries
because of its political content.

The Country Girls

by Edna O’Brien
Banned in the author’s native Ireland for its sexual content.
Altogether, six of O’Brien’s novels were banned there, and
sometimes burnt.

The Da Vinci Code 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code has been criticized for its historical and
scientific inaccuracy. It has been denounced by many Christian
denominations as an attack on the Roman Catholic Church, and
Christian leaders in the Lebanon went so far as to ban it.

The Dark
John McGahern
Banned in Ireland for its alleged pornographic content and
suggestions of sexual abuse by the clergy.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Death Note 1
Challenging censorship in literature

by Tsugumi Ohba
Banned in several Chinese cities including Beijing to protect the
“physical and mental health” of students from horror material
that “misleads innocent children and distorts their mind and
spirit.”

The Diary of a Young Girl

by Anne Frank
Banned in the Lebanon as it was deemed to portray Jews in too
favourable a light.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemmingway
Banned in Spain during Franco’s rule due to its pro-Republican
views.

Forever
by Judy Blume
One of the most frequently challenged books in the US because
of the use of suggestive language, the detailed depiction of sex,
and because the teenage character, Katherine, goes on the pill.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic
Challenging censorship in literature

by Alison Bechdel
Temporarily banned from a library in Missouri after accusations
of containing pornographic material.

Go Tell It On The Mountain

by James Baldwin
Censored in the U.S. because of recurring themes of sex,
profanity and violence.

The Grapes of Wrath 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by John Steinbeck
When it was published in 1939, this book was banned and
burned in many places in the US for its social and political views.

The Gulf Between Us

Geraldine Bedell
Greeted with enthusiasm by organisers of the first International
Festival of Literature in Dubai because of its setting in the
Middle East. But the mood changed swiftly when they
discovered a gay character, and the book was banned.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Handmaid’s Tale
Challenging censorship in literature

by Margaret Atwood
No.37 on the American Library Association’s 100 most
frequently challenged books 1990 – 2000, due to claims that
it is anti Christian and pornographic.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

by J K Rowling
Banned and burned in many US states for promoting witchcraft,
and also banned in some Christian schools in the UK.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
Banned in some US schools and libraries on grounds of
pornography & violence.

Interventions
by Noam Chomsky
Banned from the Guantanamo Bay prison library.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
July’s People
Challenging censorship in literature

by Nadine Gordimer
Banned in South Africa before the Apartheid as the
government felt that it predicted accurately what might
happen to South Africa.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover

by D. H. Lawrence
When the full unexpurgated edition was published by Penguin
Books in Britain in 1960, the trial of Penguin under the
Obscene Publications Act of 1959 was a major public event
and a test of the new obscenity law.

Last Exit to Brooklyn 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by Herbert Selby
Banned in Britain in 1967 due to its depiction of
homosexuality, prostitution, drug-taking and sexual perversion.

Lolita
Vladimir Nabokov
Turned down by four publishers due to obscenity before it was
published in 1955, Lolita was subsequently banned in the UK,
France, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Lysistrata
Challenging censorship in literature

by Aristophanes
Banned in the US in 1873, and twice in Greece - by the Nazis
in 1942, and by the military junta in 1967.

Madame Bovary
by Gustave Flaubert
Banned in France, Italy and the US for its portrayal of adultery.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5 The Master and Margarita

by Mikhail Bulgakov
This satire on Soviet society was banned in the USSR until
1973.

Naked Lunch
by William Borroughs
Due to its obscene language and extremely controversial
subject matter concerning drug addiction this book was
banned in many regions of the US.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Challenging censorship in literature

by George Orwell
Banned in the USSR until the 1980’s for its allegorical depiction
of socialism and Stalin’s totalitarian regime. Ironically it was
also banned in the US for having communist text in the
introduction.

Not Without My Daughter

by Betty Mahmoody
Book and film of Mahmoody’s tale of escape were banned by
the Iranian government.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by Alexander Solzhensitsyn
Banned in the USSR for political reasons, and the author sent
into exile.

The Origin of Species

Charles Darwin
Banned for a time at Trinity College, Cambridge where Darwin
was a student.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Challenging censorship in literature

by Stephen Chbosky
This book was banned in the US for because of homosexuality,
sexual explicitness, anti-family, offensive language, religious
viewpoint,drugs and suicide.

Persepolis
by Marjan Satrapi
A hit everywhere in the world except Iran, where it is banned.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5 A Prayer for Owen Meany

by John Irving
Banned in some US states for its views on religion and criticism
of the US government for the Vietnam War & Iran-Contra.

The Proof of the Honey

by Salwa al-Neimi
The book has been banned in Oman and other Arab states for
its account of an Arab woman’s sexual encounters and her
philosophy of love.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Satanic Verses
Challenging censorship in literature

by Salman Rushdie
Banned in India and burned in the UK.

Slaughterhouse Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
A regular title on the US Most Banned Books list for years
because of its language, sexual and irreligious themes, use of
outdated terms now deemed offensive and for its criticism of
US forces during WWII.

Spoils of War 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

by John Tirman
In 2005-06 Fatih Taş the owner of Aram publishing house, was
charged with insulting the Turkish military and the memory of
Atatűrk, for the publication of this translation of the 1997 book
by John Tirman.

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
Frequently censored in US schools due to the racial issues
with which it deals and its stereotypical portrayal of a black
character.
 5
September 2010

BOOKS
1 BANNED BOOKS 5

BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
Tropic of Cancer
Challenging censorship in literature

by Henry Miller
Banned in the UK and the USA for its explicit nature.

Ulysses
by James Joyce
One of the most highly regarded English-language novels of
the 20th century. Banned in the UK on obscenity grounds until
the 1930’s.

1 BANNED BOOKS 5

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

by Milan Kundera
Banned in Kundera’s home county of Czechoslovakia until 1989
due to its depiction of life under Communist rule.

We
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
This dystopian novel and satire on state control was banned on
its publication in Russia in 1921 for political reasons.
 5

September 2010
BOOKS
BANNED
Challenging censorship in literature

1
The Well of Loneliness
Challenging censorship in literature

by Radclyffe Hall
Immediately banned in the UK on its publication in 1928,
due to its lesbian theme and was allowed in the United
States only after a long court battle.

Wild Pigeon
by Nurmuhemmet Yasin
Yasin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “inciting
Uighur separatism” for the publication of the book.
Chinese authorities consider the story to be a tacit
criticism of their government in the Xinjiang Uighur 1 BANNED BOOKS 5

Autonomous Region.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L Frank Baum
This book has been banned by many libraries in different
American states for different reasons - in the South
because of witches being referred to as ‘good’ and under
McCarthyism for its perceived socialist values.
 Banned Books Week 2010

Useful Websites
www.banned-books.org
www.childrensbooks.about.com
www.onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html
www.theweeweb.co.uk/public/article_details.php?article_id=45
www.classiclit.about.com/od/bannedliteratur1/tp/aa_bannedbooks.htm
www.factmonster.com/spot/banned-kids-books.html
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_talk:Lists_of_controversial_books
www.abffe.com/bbw-booklist-detailed.htm

If you would like this document in large print or Braille, audiotape or in another
language, please contact 020 7527 2000.

Contact Islington
222 Upper Street, London N1 1XR
E contact@islington.gov.uk
T 020 7527 2000
F 020 7527 5001
Minicom 020 7527 1900
W www.islington.gov.uk

Printed on 100% recycled paper using vegetable based inks. Published September 2010.

Produced by Islington Library and Heritage Services www.islington.gov.uk/libraries