I’ve been researching my latest book[1] to read and I came across some posters on books we’ve always heard were banned. Seeing them on these two posters reminded of matters that I was more conscious about when I was more of a free-spirit[2]. All of these books are classics! It amazes me of how censorship does no good, and if anything, it makes us desire the undesirable more! It makes me believe that the ban theory is a hoax just to sell the banned product itself (i.e. Harry Potter). Some way or another, the people behind these so called committees and organizations to band books have to feel some guilt as their constricted mind works on telling authors what they can write; and readers and students what they can read. To ban books such as Ulysses, Leaves of Grass, The Catcher in the Rye, AND come to find out… James and the Giant Peach[3]!!!??? And so many others have been unlawfully vetoed that this, in its own way should be a crime. Looking back to all banned books, it probably held us back literally for years. Who knows what and how many books would have been written. Imagine how many other inspirational songs Morrissey[4] could have written and not to mention the movies that Hollywood would have made. Nonetheless, banned or not, good literature will always prevail, as well as any art form that is scrutinized by censorship and suppression[5].
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Evelyn Beatrice Hall (not Voltaire)
The posters above were designed by the artist Chuck Close, used and posted around New York for the famous Freedom Concert in New York. You can download high resolution PDFs here and here.
[1] Junot Diaz, Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. More on him soon!
[2] Still free-spirited. But belonging to another free-spirit and hoping one day that my little one will encompass mine into her own free-spirit ways.
[3] One of my favorite authors and books, Roald Dahl and his book James and the Giant Peach. I just cannot believe this was banned!
[4] Some books THAT inspired Morrissey (some books inspired BY Morrissey): How Soon is Never? By Marc Spitz, The Wrong Boy by Willy Russell, A Taste of Honey: A Play by Shelagh Delaney, The Lion In Love by Shelagh Delaney, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept by Elizabeth Smart, The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (appears in the Suedehead video), The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, James Dean Is Not Dead by Morrissey and many more.
Even though the books above were not banned, I assure you that enough material in some was sufficient to submit for censorship, i.e. The Well of Loneliness and Trainspotting. Morrissey REALLY didn't need any banned books to inspire him... it just so happened that I remembered Le petit prince and decided to mention Suedehead.
[5] Don’t let me get started in the art and music industry!
Morrissey - Suedhead
The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000
Original Sources for Morrissey’s Lyrics
2 comments:
Wow, was The Catcher In The Rye really banned? Why???!!!
I'm telling, I could not believe it myself!
Post a Comment