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It's Banned Books Week! 🚫📖  

We take a stroll down memory lane and cover some of the many titles that have been banned, censored, and/or restricted in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Check out our full collection here, or books that have been banned internationally, and read a book your grandparents probably couldn't have read at your age!

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

Banned in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1959 under the ‘Indecent Publications Act’ of 1910. The Council of Civil Liberties challenged this ban in both the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Only after the ‘Indecent Publications Act’ was updated in 1963 was Lolita unbanned in 1964. 

Lady Chatterley's Lover - D. H. Lawrence

Strangely enough, only the paperback edition of Lady Chatterley’s Lover came under contention in Aotearoa! As the hardback edition was already widely available, the paperback version came under scrutiny from the Indecent Publications Tribunal in regards to ‘mentally immature minors’ not being able to comprehend the language & thematics of the novel. In 1965, the book was officially declared “Not Indecent”.

We Will Not Cease - Archibald Baxter

Briefly banned during World War II for being “pacifist” and “anti-war” by the Indecent Publications Tribunal in 1941 - the author entails his imprisonment in WWI for being an objector. Globally, pacifist and anti-war content was continuously being censored by governments whose troops participated in WW2. After the war, We Will Not Cease was quietly unbanned.

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

Classified as ‘Indecent in the Hands of Persons Under the Age of 18 Years’ at the closing of 1991, American Psycho was only submitted for reconsideration in Aotearoa in 2014. Auckland Libraries successfully won their claim, however the Classifications Office still requires an R18 Label when on public display (and in ubiq Bookshop) to this day!

Henry Miller's Entire Bibliography

All of Henry Miller’s novels were listed on as banned books for 30 years in Aotearoa New Zealand. From 1934 to 1964 (noticing a theme here?) his novels were deemed as “obscene”, with Tropic of Cancer becoming one of the most censored books in history throughout the modern world. In 1967, the Indecent Publications Tribunal finally deemed his books ‘Not Indecent’.

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

Published in 1939 and set in California, The Grapes of Wrath depicted the horrific working conditions of the lower class during The Great Depression in the United States. Banned for obscenity in New Zealand (and several other countries), The Grapes of Wrath was reclassified in - yep, you guessed it - 1964.

Spot any you have read, or surprised at any of these titles? Or are there any other banned books on your radar that we should check out? Let us know!

To learn more about censorship in the publishing industry, we recommend:

• Into the Fog: Literature and Censorship in New Zealand - James Meffan (2016)
• C*ns*rsh*p: A Study of the Censorship of Books, Films and Plays in New Zealand - Bruce McLachlan, W. J. Scott (1973)
• Banned Books
• Censored: A Literary History of Subversion & Control
• Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack

Sources: Christchurch City Libraries, Auckland Libraries, Wikipedia.