10 censored books around the world

Although in the West we believe that the publishing offer is more democratic than anywhere else in the world, the truth is somewhat different, with several states or countries in the world that have closed the borders to certain works, sometimes for more than logical reasons and , in others, not so much.

Books that well at a certain point in history challenged a certain conservatism, although others have been banned for being too sexual or even for reasons that we have not yet fully shared (or understood).

Some other surprise sneaks into this list of 10 censored books around the world.

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

In 1931, China's Hunan Province censored Lewis Carroll's book by presenting anthropomorphic animals that acted like humans, which, according to local authorities, contributed to "disaster and confusion" among the little ones.

American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis

Published in 1990, the bloody novel starring millionaire Patrick Bateman was censored in Germany until 2000 due to its explicit violence and macho tone. In the Australian state of Queensland, it continues to be censored for similar reasons.

Mein Kampf, by Adolft Hitler

70 years of censorship later, My Fight, written by the Führer in 1925, was made available to the public domain in Germany, selling up to 50 thousand copies.. A tricky publication emulated by other countries such as the United States or Spain, although the Netherlands continues to consider the publication of the Nazi manifesto as illegal.

The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie

The price of Rushdie's head increased to $ 3 million recently almost two decades after the publication of The Satanic Verses, a novel that reduced the Muslim faith to a mere agreement of power in the ancient city of Jahilia, led to the persecution of the author of Hindu origin by the Iranian authorities. The book obviously continues to be the meat of censorship in at least 14 Muslim countries.

Everything falls apart, by Chinua Achebe

Published in 1958, Nigerian Achebe's most famous novel covers life in the first African peoples evangelized by the Anglican Church in the early XNUMXth century through the eyes of the warrior Okonkwo. Considered as one of the best novels about the influence of the West on the African continentCountries like Malaysia did not hesitate to condemn him for treating colonialism in a negative way.

Ana Frank's diary

One of the most influential books of the XNUMXth century, written by the innocent Jewish girl locked up awaiting the arrival of the Nazis, was censored in Lebanon in 2009 for benefiting support for Jews. At an Alabama college it was also omitted as "too depressing" for students.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

After its publication in 2003, Dan Brown's best-seller became a scandal in places like The Vatican by turning many of the Catholic beliefs around the birth of Jesus or the nature of Mary Magdalene upside down. Opposition in certain quarters reached such a point that Christian circles in Lebanon censored it in September 2004.

50 Shades of Gray by ELJames

The erotic novel with which more than one woman tried to satisfy her sexual fantasies during the last five years was banned in Malaysia together with the other installments of the trilogy for its sexuality and fostering "sadistic" practices.

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Writing the story of a mature man in love with a 12-year-old girl in 1955 was, perhaps, trying to get too far ahead of a time that did not forgive the publication of Nabokov's work, which was censored in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand or Argentina.

Ulysses, by James Joyce

Joyce's novel, published in 1922, was banned in the UK until the 30s due to its high sexual content. For its part, Australia censored it from 1929 to 1953, segmenting the reading audience to those over 18 years of age.

These 10 censored books around the world They are due to religious, social, political motives or, simply, to a time that perhaps was not sufficiently prepared to address certain arguments. In the case of others, conservatism continues to be the main reason for instant censorship, while some (yes, China) directly sin of being too susceptible.

What other censored books do you know about?