July 7, 2026
Shhh… the comments are louder
Dua Lipa opens library for banned and censored books in Portugal
Dua’s banned-books library sparks cheers, eye-rolls, and a ‘wait, are these even banned?’ pile-on
TLDR: Dua Lipa opened a permanent library of banned and censored books in Porto, pitching it as a stand for free reading. Commenters immediately argued over whether the books are truly “banned,” with some mocking the list as obvious and others saying censorship in schools and institutions is still very real.
Dua Lipa has opened the Manifesto Library inside Porto’s famous Livraria Lello, filling it with nearly 100 banned or censored books tied to power, control, voice, and memory. On paper, it’s a glamorous culture moment: pop star bride, book-club boss, and now defender of controversial literature. But online, the real action wasn’t on the shelves — it was in the comments, where people instantly split into Team “important stand for free reading” and Team “be serious, I can buy this on Amazon today.”
That clash got spicy fast. One of the loudest eye-rolls came from readers mocking the idea that Margaret Atwood is some terrifying underground rebel, with one commenter basically sneering, wow, so dangerous. Others kept asking the same pointed question: banned where, exactly? Portugal? Europe? Schools? Prisons? Military bases? The thread turned into a fact-check party, with skeptics demanding receipts and even asking for a full list of titles and examples of authors who “paid for their words with their life.”
But defenders pushed back hard, saying the cynicism was missing the point. Just because a book is easy to buy in the US doesn’t mean it isn’t restricted somewhere else, especially in schools or institutions. That sparked the thread’s main drama: is this a meaningful stand against censorship, or a celebrity-curated display of books that are famous precisely because they’re already mainstream? Either way, the internet did what it does best: turned a quiet library opening into a noisy culture war with side servings of sarcasm.
Key Points
- •Dua Lipa opened the Manifesto Library, a permanent library of banned and censored books, at Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal.
- •The library was launched as part of the international book festival BABELL – City of Books.
- •According to the article, the collection contains nearly 100 books organized around four themes: power, control, voice, and memory.
- •Named works in the collection include *The Handmaid’s Tale* by Margaret Atwood, *Felon* by Reginald Dwayne Betts, and selected works by Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk.
- •The article also states that Dua Lipa is due to curate the Southbank Centre’s 2026 London Literature Festival from 21 October to 1 November.