‘Shrine to books that have disappeared’: Dua Lipa has opened a public library, and it’s filled with banned books

Dua Lipa has brought her Service95 book club into the physical world with the launch of the Manifesto Library in Porto, Portugal. The space opened as a central feature of the BABELL City of Books literary festival.

The library sits inside the historic Livraria Lello Bookshop, according to People. It holds a curated collection of 100 modern titles that explore themes of power, memory, identity, and control.

Many of these books have faced censorship or bans in different parts of the world, making the project significant for people who value intellectual freedom.

Books were chosen to spotlight works removed from shelves for their content

Lipa explained her reasons for starting the library in a post on Instagram. She wrote, “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’re allowed.”

The project is meant to respond directly to the effects of book censorship. According to the project announcement, the team behind the library believes that when a book is censored, far more than a story is lost, and that this kind of ban limits the basic right to imagine, question, and understand the world. By bringing together these specific titles, the library aims to encourage critical thinking and reflection.

Lipa started Service95 three years ago to give readers and writers a place of their own. She said her original goal was to create a space for these communities no matter their circumstances. The Manifesto Library grew naturally out of that mission. Such control over information and narrative is a theme explored in works like a new book on Kushner’s power.

The collection includes books that have been restricted by school districts for focusing on race or sexuality, along with works written for LGBTQIA+ readers that have been removed from shelves. Some of the authors featured have faced serious consequences for their writing.

Lipa said that reading helps bring people closer together, though she acknowledged that not everyone agrees with this view. She said the collection is meant to challenge visitors to engage with material that has been questioned or silenced, stating, “You are invited to visit and decide for yourself what belongs on these shelves.”

Her message to anyone interested in the project is straightforward. She believes that reading a book and talking about it afterward can be a subversive and powerful act. The Manifesto Library will remain a permanent part of Livraria Lello, giving anyone who wants to explore these stories a place to do so. This belief in reading as a transformative tool is echoed by other leaders, like MrBeast’s mandatory reading for employees.

The library is meant to preserve literature that has been targeted and to keep these voices available to the public. The project remains a central part of the book club’s effort to promote global stories and important voices.