Books have the ability to entertain and provoke, stirring emotions and opinions people did not even know they felt. Banning, or attempting to ban, works of literature only serves to broaden the appeal.
Whether for political reasons, obscenity or blasphemy, the following books have all provoked discussion, been banned and/or caused offence and respect in equal measure.
Controversial for Political Reasons
Germinal by Emile Zola: Detailing the deplorable conditions of miners in the north of France in the 1860's, Zola was attacked for attempting incite revolution with the publication of this book.
Common Sense and The Rights of Man by Thomas Paine: After being indicted for treason, Thomas Paine was forced to flee to France upon release of this work, which condoned the French Revolution and called for the overthrow of the British Monarchy.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn: The first book published in the USSR to openly denounce Stalinist Russia, the author was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1970.
Controversial for Reasons of Obscenity
Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence: Possibly the most famous banned book of it's time, a much publicised appeal by Penguin in 1960 allowed the book to be published, causing record numbers of sales.
Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall: Criticised for it's open portrayal of lesbianism and plea for social acceptance of female homosexuality, this book was banned following an obscenity trial.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: Another famously banned book, it was described by the editor of the Sunday Express in England as "the filithiest book I have ever read". The vivid portrayal of adult/child sexual relationships led all copies being transported to the UK to be seized. It has since been hailed as one of the best works of literature of the 20th Century.
Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr: Banned after being heavily criticised fo portraying homosexuality, drug use and prostitution, the judge ruled that readers-especially women-would be embarrassed to read this book. However, the reversal of the ruling proved to be a landmark decision for UK censorship laws.
No exploration of banned books would be complete without mentioning The Satanic Verses by Salmon Rushdie. Alleged blasphemy against Islam led to Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa against the author, calling upon Muslims to kill him. Rushdie went into hiding for seven years after publication and no other book has sparked as much uproar as this one.
All the above books should be available to purchase from good book shops.
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