Dangerous Books: An Evening of Prohibition, Censorship and Seizures

Dangerous and forbidden! Although art and the word are free in Denmark, we also have a long and colourful tradition of binding writers by mouth and hand.

Come and hear the LIBRARY's literary editor Felix Rothstein narrates some of the best censorship stories on everything from Herman Bang to porn novels to penible cases of modern bailiff prohibition.

Ban on books spreads globalDanish PEN is part of PEN International, a literary organization that defends the freedom of expression of writers of all kinds: writers, playwrights, journalists, disseminators of knowledge, librarians, translators, editors, etc. The organization writes about the #ForbudteBøger campaign:

“Measures that limit what people are allowed to read and know are growing rapidly around the world. The number of censored books is growing. In the United States, about 23,000 books have been removed from schools since 2021. Especially titles on LGBTQ+ themes and African American history. Authors and librarians experience increased pressure and/or persecution. A trend that is also seen in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Europe.”

That is why PEN and the LIBRARY focus on freedom of expression and the right to read without censorship.

The event is free but requires registration at billto.dk