Kuwait relaxes book censorship laws after banning thousands of titles

A 12-person committee previously met twice a month to approve or blacklist all books published in the country, for offences including immorality or insulting IslamAfter banning almost 5,000 books in the last seven years, Kuwait’s government has relaxed its book censorship laws in a move that has been welcomed by writers and free speech activists.Kuwaiti state media reported that the country’s parliament had voted 40 to nine in favour of lifting the Ministry of Information’s control over books imported into the country. Previously, the ministry had blacklisted more than 4,000 books since 2014, with titles including Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez falling foul of its censorship committee. All books published in the country had to receive prior approval from a 12-member committee that met twice a month before they could be released, with offences ranging from insulting Islam to “inciting unrest” and committing “immoral” acts. Related: Dostoevsky book among hundreds banned in Kuwait Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2020-08-25 13:26:49 UTC ]
News tagged with: #hundred years #books imported #insulting islam

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Authors Guild Fights School Book Bans

The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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What It’s Like to Have Your Book Banned by the School Board

An author whose YA novel is getting banned across the country responds to the outrage. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2021-12-13 20:06:19 UTC ]
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AAP Sues to Block Maryland, New York Library E-book Laws

The AAP filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to stop Maryland's library e-book law for taking effect January 1 and also disclosed that it was one of more than 20 organizations to sign a letter to New York governor Kathy Hochul urging her to veto a similar bill. Both pieces of legislation require... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Festival for Working Class Writers calls for book club titles

The Festival for Working-Class Writers' team are on the lookout for books to promote as part of their new book club, which launches in 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-08 23:43:53 UTC ]
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And the Oddest Book Title of the Year goes to . . .

Roy Schwartz’s Is Superman Circumcised?, a look at Superman’s Jewish influences, has won U.K.-based Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, beating out The Life Cycle of Russian Things: From Fish Guts to Fabergé for the honor. Is Superman Circumcised? won in a landslide, taking... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-03 18:03:46 UTC ]
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Librarians, Educators Warn of 'Organized' Book Banning Efforts

While efforts to remove books from schools and library collections are common, freedom to read advocates warn that the current, unprecedented spike in challenges is different. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Camels, curves, circumcised Superman: here are the finalists for the Oddest Book Title of the Year.

The Bookseller has announced the shortlist for the 2021 Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book of Title of the Year, and for the first time, all six shortlisted titles come from university presses. This December, The Bookseller will announce which title has overtaken last year’s A Dog Pissing at the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-05 17:53:02 UTC ]
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Is Superman Circumcised? favourite to win Oddest book title of the year

This year’s Diagram prize also pits Curves for the Mathematically Curious against The Life Cycle of Russian Things and Hats: A Very Unnatural HistoryAn examination of the Jewish origins of the Man of Steel, Is Superman Circumcised?, is vying with an up-to-date look at camel milk and related... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-11-05 11:52:23 UTC ]
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Goosebumps titles for today’s biggest books.

It’s Halloween weekend—time for two powerful concepts: outfits and mischief. The outgoing among us might go out and play some tricks; the more introverted might stay inside and read the unofficial book series of Halloween, Goosebumps. But if you don’t have The Werewolf of Fever Swamp or Night of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-29 18:45:28 UTC ]
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National Teen Book Club aims to expand reach with grant from Law Family

The National Teen Book Club is aiming to reach 50,000 young people in 600 schools in a drive to raise literacy levels and encourage a love of reading. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-29 16:42:42 UTC ]
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How Do You Find a Book When You Can’t Remember the Title or the Author?

Anyone who has worked in a bookstore knows only too well that moment when a customer approaches by saying, “So I don’t remember the title, or the author, but—.” And we’ve all been on the other side of the counter, trying to pinpoint something we can’t quite describe at a bookstore (“It’s a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-10-21 08:55:42 UTC ]
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ALA's Banned Books Week Kicks Off September 26

This year's event is themed "Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us" and comes as LGBTQIA+ books and books that focus on racism and racial justice are being challenged in alarming numbers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Morpurgo, Jackson and Lucas among £1 World Book Day titles

Michael Morpurgo, Sharna Jackson and Matt Lucas are among the authors on the list of World Book Day's £1 books for 2022.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-23 02:12:21 UTC ]
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The Guardian view on changes to copyright law: book lovers beware | Editorial

A government proposal to ease restrictions on the sale of imported cultural works risks harming a world-class industryThe hoopla around the release of Sally Rooney’s new novel on Tuesday – with bookshops opening early, and queues of shoppers eager to lay their hands on Beautiful World, Where Are... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-09-07 18:00:33 UTC ]
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The picture book fighting back against Russia’s LGBT+ propaganda law

A story for children about families with same-sex parents has been published in Russia as part of a campaign to have the country’s ‘gay propaganda’ law repealedA month after a Hungarian bookshop chain was fined for selling a children’s story about a day in the life of a child with same-sex... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-08-17 14:33:19 UTC ]
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Define 'Reasonable': Can Maryland's New E-book Law Help Change the Marketplace?

Maryland's recently passed library e-book law will require any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers in the state to also offer to license the content to public libraries "on reasonable terms." The question now is: what are reasonable terms? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-13 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The titles agencies expect to fly at the virtual London Book Fair

While a lot of the usual LBF rights-trading focused on agencies’ and publishers’ own online ‘fairs’, there are a still a number of hot titles around this summer’s digital event  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-03 12:02:21 UTC ]
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'Books galore' among thousands of unsold items 'destroyed by Amazon each week'

Amazon is destroying tens of thousands of items of unsold stock, including "books galore" in one of its UK warehouses every week, according to an ITV News investigation. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-21 23:55:57 UTC ]
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Bologna Children’s Book Fair: Italy Published 7,289 Kids’ Titles in 2020

The Association of Italian Publishers participates in Monday's Bologna Book Plus conference and shares 2020 book publishing and rights sales data from Italy. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair: Italy Published 7,289 Kids’ Titles in 2020 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-10 18:58:15 UTC ]
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Maryland Library E-book Bill Becomes Law

The new law requires any publisher offering to license "an electronic literary product" to consumers to also offer to license the content to public libraries on "reasonable" terms. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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