Dua Lipa, who in 2023 launched her Service95 Book Club, has now partnered with Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, to open a physical library. Opening June 27th, The Manifesto Library is dedicated to books “that challenge power, censorship, exclusion, and dominant narratives.”
“When I founded the Service95 Book Club, my ambition was for it to become a home for writers and readers, wherever they are and whatever their circumstances. Reading the world brings us closer – but sadly, not everyone is in favour of that,” Lipa explained in a statement.
“Here you will find one hundred books that ask questions, or have been questioned. Some have been banned by school districts for themes of race or sexuality. Others, written for LGBTQIA+ readers, have been restricted from display. In some cases, the author has paid for their words with their life,” she added.
“This library is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control, and to readers who refuse to be told what book they are allowed to read. You are invited to visit and decide for yourself what belongs on these shelves. Because sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is read a book and then talk about it.”
Wait, there are banned books in Portugal ?
i don’t think she could open it, and loudly announce it if they were banned there
They were fascist until the mid 70s. But it looks like after the carnation rebellion they unbanned all the books they had banned and they still struggle with the balance between their history and culture of censorship and their freedom of expression granted in their post rebellion constitution. One book was banned after liberalization, but was unbanned later.
She is a real one. She’s a surprisingly good interviewer of authors too, something she does as part of her book club.
I read Hernan Diaz’s Trust because I heard that she was a surprisingly great interviewer and I wanted to watch that interview. It’s an excellent book but her interview is better and the author is almost giddy as she consistently brings up angles and references that he didn’t even know about himself. So much research and thought behind her questions and comments.
Yeah that happens a lot from the handful that I’ve watched. I’ve seen her bring a few authors up short and express surprise and gratitude for the depth of her question. You can also see their whole engagement change when they realize this isn’t just a fluff thing. It’s neat to see.
Had no idea anything about her personal life. I thought she was a vapid guilty pleasure I enjoyed on the freeway. This is dope to learn.
I try to avoid admiring celebrities too much, but Dua is my very non-guilty pleasure, and she seems to be a better pop star role model than many I can think of. In addition to this advocacy for literacy and free speech, she was critical of Israel even before the October 7th attacks, when it was much less common sentiment, and probably cost her fans. Stuff like that; her wikipedia is littered with examples of her being on the right side of history.
And her music is legit great. Future Nostalgia is incredible.
Love to hear good news on my city. 🖤
