Banned Books week
By loudcry
@loudcry (1043)
India
September 22, 2009 5:43am CST
The last week of september is celebrated as Banned books week in the US, as an antidote against censorship .
I think censorship is a form of imposing one's thoughts or way of life on another.
I am reminded here of quote by Salman Rushdie. "There can be no freedom of speech without the freedom to offend"
Lets do our bit here and name some banned books.
I can think of a marathi play by Pradeep Dalvi called 'Mee Nathuram Godse Boltoy'. It means "It's me Nathuram Godse speaking'. Nathuram Godse was the assasin of Mahatma Gandhi. I do not wish to express any political views regarding Gandhi or his assasin here. I just wish somebody else did not decide what I read. This play, however, is available on the net in english.
What do you fellow mylotter think about censoeship? Do mention any banned books you can remember.
Another quote comes to my mind, do not remember who said it though. 'Men who burn books will eventually burn men'
You can also check out wordsmith.org. It is featuring words related to censorship this week.
1 person likes this
5 responses
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
22 Sep 09
My best friend and neighbor when I was a little girl had a father who was a writer. I cannot remember the titles of the books he wrote but I do remember when they were banned from the United States.
It turned out that her father was supposedly a Communist supporter. I don't know exactly how it became known or even if it was true, but he was deported from this country. His books were all banned from sale here. This was back in the 1950's when this country was scared silly about Communists in our midst. All I know is that my friend, her siblings and mother all moved to France to be with her father and I missed her terribly!
I'm not sure if her father's books ever became uncensored but I do know that they were not about Communism. I remember my friend pointing out a book that her father had written that was in our school library. It was a novel and had nothing to do with Communism. Why it was censored is beyond my ability to comprehend.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Sep 09
I don't know his first name but his last name was Buchanan. He was deported in the late 1950's and moved to France. That is all I can remember. I tried looking him up on the internet but couldn't find anything. I guess it would help if I could remember his first name but I'm afraid I never knew what it was.
Thank you for the BR! It has brightened up a rather dreary day here. 
1 person likes this
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
23 Sep 09
i know. i think censorship is stupid. everyone who writes books, write what they write for a reason, and it is to educate others on their experiences, even though the book is fiction. if someone is not interested in any book for a reason, then they shouldnt read it. no one is shoving the book down the person's throat and forcing people to read stuff they dont like.
2 people like this
@harshadod (858)
• India
22 Sep 09
Let us celebrate the Banned Books Week. Even i was inclined to start a discussion on this after reading about the same on wordsmith.
Banning books is retrograde in nature. Ideas, thoughts and writings not conforming to the majority will always have difficulty in acceptance. Being liberal is not an easy task. It is an evolutionary, tribal need to censor. There is a threat to "obedience" if free speech or free thinking is encouraged.
From M F Hussain's paintings, Salman Rushdie's writings many a thing are banned.
Books as varied as Alice's Adventure in Wonderland to Bible and Quran have been banned. The former book in a province of China.
1 person likes this
@harshadod (858)
• India
27 Sep 09
Is the play 'me Nathuram Gods Boltoy' only of 10 pages, I just downloaded and read it. If you have different version, email me.
If not for Lady Chatterley's Lover, i don't think i have read any so called banned book.
1 person likes this
