By Emily Williams CARACAS: In bookstores all over Venezuela the bookshelves are emptying. Readers’ hunger for new and classic titles is as strong as it ever was, but a policy change that the government made over a year ago is gradually choking off the flow of imported books, which make up 80% of the market in Venezuela, resulting, naturally, in …
Is Yale’s Cartoon Controversy Just More Publishing Cowardice?
Sherry Jones, author of The Jewel of Medina, discusses self-censorship and publishers who stand up against threats to freedom of speech and freedom to publish.
The Hunted Evolves Faster than the Hunter: The Problem of Censorship in Iran
By Arash Hejazi My name is Arash Hejazi. I am an Iranian doctor, novelist and founder and editorial director of the Tehran-based Caravan Books Publishing House. Sadly, I’m now better known for my association with the brutal murder of Neda Agha Soltan — as the doctor who tried to save her life and then went out into the world to …
Arabic Publishing News: Iraq to Officially Censor Books
By Chip Rossetti The Iraqi Ministry of Culture has just taken the unexpected step of launching a program of official censorship of books imported from abroad. The new rule also applies to books published within Iraq, as publishers are required to obtain authorization before printing. Needless to say, this has provoked a hostile reaction from Iraqi publishers and booksellers, calling …
Bonus Material: The 2009 Declaration of the Anonymous Netizens
By Edward Nawotka Ai Weiwei’s call for protest coincides with circulation of the 2009 Declaration of the Anonymous Netizens, a protest document that criticizes the Chinese government for having “deprived your netizens of the freedom of speech.” The anonymous group then claims “we are going to launch our attack worldwide on your censorship system starting on July 1st, 2009.” The …