Dangerous Books

When Trump entered the White House in 2016, two dystopias shot to the top of the bestseller lists: George Orwell's 1984 (1949) and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932). During Trump's second presidency, both books are now banned in several American states - a sign that books can be dangerous when they articulate something those in power do not wish to hear.

The lecture discusses the two novels' possible prophetic qualities, drawing on Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), in which Postman examines whether it was Huxley's dystopia, not Orwell's, that proved right.

The speaker is Charlotte Engberg, cand.phil., lic.phil., lecturer at the Institute for Communication and Humanistic Science at Roskilde University. She researches aesthetic culture, including literature, humanities, and artificial intelligence.

The event takes place on the 1st floor with access via stairs and elevator. Parking is available on Storgade and the square (time-limited), handicap parking on Storgade - including two spaces at the Library Gate - as well as parking at Munkevænget and Holbergarkaden with entrance from Rolighedsvej. If the event is sold out, you can join the waiting list via Place2book. If you have purchased a ticket and are unable to attend, please cancel so the space can be offered to someone else.