Books, censorship and freedom of speech  

Together with Ytringsfrihetsbyen Stavanger, we are marking 80 years since the liberation and the continued struggle for what they fought for - democracy and freedom of speech. Censorship of books has long traditions, but has changed form. Previously, it was those in power and the church who banned books, but now the demands come from many quarters.  

In 2023, 4240 book titles were attempted to be removed from public libraries in the US, a sharp increase from the previous year. Many of the books are about LGBT+ and minority issues. In Hungary, books with LGBT+ content must be plastic-wrapped before they are put on the shelves. In Norway, such tendencies have been rare, but the debate flared up last year when a school in Arendal tried to remove ‘Gender Queer’ from the library. Is book censorship on the way here too? What kind of space should Norwegian libraries be?  

The Canning Museum invites you to a conversation with:  
- Andreas Hatlevik (Norwegian PEN)  
- Randi Cathinka Neverdal (UiO, Forbidden Books Week)  
- Anne Torill Stensberg (Sølvberget)  
- Jan Zahl (Stavanger Aftenblad, moderator)  

Welcome to an important discussion about books, censorship and democracy at IDDIS Norsk grafisk museum og Norsk hermetikkmuseum. Your ticket also gives you free entrance to the museums, which are open 11-20 on this day.

This lecture will be presented in Norwegian