Some
of the most popular authors today have been banned at one to another. Here is a
short list and a few reasons.
Sl. No.
|
Name of Banned Authors
|
Reason why they are Banned
|
1
|
Maya
Angelou
|
Her
novels preach tolerance of homosexual and pre-marital sex. Many
fundamentalist religious groups want to ban her books.
|
2
|
Aristophanes
|
Even
ancient philosophers are not exempt from censorship His writings 'encourage
atheism and other undesirable avocations.’
|
3
|
Judy
Blume
|
Her
novels (some of them) contain premarital sex and homosexual references. Yes,
the same woman who wrote Are you
there, God? It’s Me Margaret.
|
4
|
Lewis
Carrol
|
The
man who wrote Alice in Wonderland
has endured, over the years, accusations by groups wishing to ban his work
that they 'encourage drug use and child abuse.'
|
5
|
Naom
Chomsky
|
This
classic writer has been said to 'invite anarchy and atheism.’
|
6
|
Anthony
Burgess
|
His
novels contain sexual situations and profanity.
|
7
|
Daniel
Defoe
|
Yes,
he who wrote Robinson Crusoe
has been called "dangerously nurturing of the desire to run away."
|
8
|
The
Marquis De Sade
|
Known
for his pornographic writings, de Sade was locked up in a mental asylum for
his last days. His works live on, and are constantly alleged to be
"insulting, blasphemous and pornographic." They are, but Sade was a
man who did not act upon his actions if he could write them down.
|
9
|
William
Faulkner
|
His
books are "insulting and contain vulgar situations."
|
10
|
F.
Scott Fitzgerald
|
His
novels are degrading and upsetting towards the reader.
|
11
|
Anne
Frank
|
Her
classic diary (the indisputable record of Nazi Holland) has been called 'too
unsettling and inappropriate for classrooms or leisure reading'
|
12
|
Ernest
Hemmingway
|
His
books have been called "blasphemous and frightening."
|
13
|
Aldous
Huxley
|
His
Brave New World has been
called "centred around negative activity" and "an ambassador
for atheism."
|
14
|
James
Joyce
|
The
classic Irish writer of Ulysses
has had his work alleged to be "a mockery of brilliant literature"
and "inviting of evil temptations."
|
15
|
George
Orwell
|
The
author of Animal Farm has
been called "disrespectful to society." (Animal Farm is a
satire/documentation of the Russian Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.)
|
16
|
Sylvia
Plath
|
The
poet has had her work called 'negative centred ‘unsettling’
|
17
|
Anne
Rice
|
Her
novels about vampires and other unsavory things have called "too
frightening, unhappy and evil for teenagers." Nonetheless, her books have sold
millions of copies and have been made into multi-million dollar movies (often
starring Antonio Banderas!)
|
18
|
Salman
Rushdie
|
Has
been censored for his "blasphemous and evil Satanic Verses."
|
19
|
J.D.
Salinger
|
His
books, which contain sexual situations, have been called "inciting of
evil habits."
|
20
|
William
Shakespeare
|
The
King of innuendo, swordplay (and foreplay!). Shakespeare's works have been
called 'disgusting, pathetic, incestuous, evil, blasphemous, terrible,
disturbing, small-minded (!) works of treason. Whew. Not bad for the highest
selling author in history. Fact: a drama teacher in the U.S. was fired from
his job after trying to stage Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew. This play was called anti-Semitic
and sexist, as was the play The
Merchant of Venice
|
21
|
Jonathan
Swift
|
His
Gulliver’s Travels has been
called "disrespectful and obscene."
|
22
|
J.R.R. Tolkein
|
His
Lord of the Rings trilogy
has been called "disrespectful of Christian values."
|
23
|
Mark
Twain
|
An
author whose work is often alleged to be "racist and obscene."
|
24
|
Voltaire
|
This
French philosopher was an atheist and published several pamphlets encouraging
his beliefs.
|
25
|
Walt
Whitman
|
This
poet has been called 'sacrilegious and utterly evil.'
|
26
|
Victor
Hugo
|
Les Miserables, this book
was banned for displaying prostitution, murder, portraying the church as
unimportant and glorifying the French Revolution.
|
27
|
Nadine Gordimer
|
Regarded
as one of South Africa’s greatest writers, Nadine Gordimer’s insights into
human relationships and actions in a society defined by racial tension and
systematic oppression are as extraordinary today as when they were first
written in apartheid-era South Africa. Two of her most famous works, Burger’s Daughter (1979) and July’s People (1981) were condemned
and banned in her home country for their controversial, anti-governmental
themes.
|
28
|
Gustave Flaubert
|
The master of French realism,
Flaubert’s work was met with both critical acclaim and accusations of
immorality during his lifetime. In particular, his novel Madame Bovary (1856) was
surrounded by controversy: telling the tale of the young, pretty and
frustrated Emma, the novel details her disillusionment with marriage and
provincial life, and her tragic downward spiral into infidelity and debt. It
was subsequently banned in France for a short period, and Flaubert was placed
on trial for offenses against public decency.
|
29
|
D.
H. Lawrence
|
His novels have been deemed
pornographic and obscene, and have been banned in multiple countries,
including in the UK until 1960.
|
30
|
Toni Morrison
|
Toni Morrison is no stranger to
censorship. Her novel The Bluest Eye
was ranked as the second most banned book in the United States by the
American Library Association, and has been frequently attacked for its
so-called ‘pornographic’ language and content.
|
31
|
Vladimir
Nobokov
|
French
officials banned Lolita for
being "obscene".
|
32
|
J.K. Rowling
|
According to the
American Library Association, Harry Potter is
the most banned book in the United States, and has also been banned from
private schools in the UAE, and largely criticized by the Iranian
government’s press. The main criticism stems from religious groups, who have
accused the books of promoting occultism and witchcraft.
|
33
|
John
Milton
|
His
essay, “Areopagitica” banned in UK for political reason.
|
34
|
John
Steinbeck
|
His
works have been called “blasphemous and insulting.”
|
Don't forget to share your view regarding this article
~~~~~*~~~~~
