Banned Books Week Sverige at the library

The University Library stands up for freedom of expression by participating in Banned Books Week Sverige 2023. Between 9 and 15 October, questions about free speech and everyone's right to read are raised in various places in the country. We have an exhibition where you can see examples of books that are or have been banned in various parts of the world for political, religious or moral reasons.

About Banned Books Week Sverige

This year, Swedish PEN and the Dawit Isaak library in Malmö are organising Banned Books Week Sverige for the first time. The network is part of the Banned Books Week Coalition, where several international organisations collaborate to draw attention to and spread knowledge about banned literature. In the United States, Banned Books Week has been organised since 1982.

Banned books

The issue of banned literature is very much alive today. In the fall of 2022 alone, 1,477 books were banned in various parts of the United States. In Hungary, a law was introduced in 2021 saying that children under 18 must be protected from books whose content touches on LGBTQ+ issues. However, important counterforces exist worldwide. Both large organisations such as PEN America and professional groups such as teachers and librarians work together with members of the general public to protect free speech.

In Sweden, we even have a freedom of expression library. The Dawit Isaak library in Malmö collects books that have been banned, burned or censored in different parts of the world. The idea is to create a place where threatened books can be collected and important conversations can take place.

The library's exhibition

In the library's exhibition, we present books that are or have been banned in various parts of the world. Each book in the exhibition has a note with some information about where and why it has been banned. You may of course borrow books from the exhibition, but please wait until the end of the week so as many people as possible have time to see the books first.

In social media, you will also be able to see examples of banned books, make sure to follow us on Instagram or Facebook.