Pop superstar Dua Lipa has opened a permanent library dedicated to banned and censored books inside Porto’s historic Livraria Lello bookshop, one of Portugal’s most famous literary landmarks.
Named the Manifesto Library, the project debuted during the BABELL – City of Books festival and features around 100 works that have faced censorship or suppression around the world. The collection includes titles by acclaimed authors such as Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, Olga Tokarczuk and Reginald Dwayne Betts.
The initiative builds on Lipa’s Service95 Book Club, which she launched in 2021 to promote reading and diverse voices. In a statement, the singer described the library as a «dream partnership» and said it celebrates books that challenge censorship, exclusion and abuse of power.
Housed permanently inside the 120-year-old Livraria Lello, the Manifesto Library aims to encourage readers to explore literature that has been challenged or banned and to highlight the importance of freedom of expression.
