DITTE WIESE: Forbidden Books

Banned books are not a thing of the past and do not only happen in distant countries. They are not just texts calling for the overthrow of regimes, nor are they necessarily written by revolutionaries.

English school libraries are under pressure from organizations and politicians to remove books with queer characters. Danish children's book authors appear on PEN's list of banned books - for example, Kim Fupz Aakeson's Vitello, allegedly because Vitello is a cheeky child who does not obey adults. Danish authors also experience their texts being edited without their knowledge in translations, so for instance sexual content between two people of the same sex disappears from the book.

Censorship also happens here, close to us. #ForbiddenBooks is a campaign by Danish PEN that focuses on censorship and literature.

The event is free but requires registration. Registration opens on August 14 at 10:00.