Porto (Showbiz Desk): Globally renowned pop singer Dua Lipa has announced the establishment of a special library dedicated to banned and censored books in Portugal, one week after her marriage.
The library, to be known as "Manifesto Library," will become a permanent part of Dua Lipa's book club "Service95," which she launched in 2021. The library is being inaugurated today at the historic Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto.
The initiative is part of the celebrations marking the 120th anniversary of Livraria Lello. However, the library will remain permanently at the same location even after the anniversary events conclude.
Dua Lipa said that when she founded the Service95 Book Club, her aim was to create a platform where writers and readers from around the world could freely exchange ideas. According to her, books bring people closer together, although not everyone supports such freedom.
Describing the project as a dream collaboration, she said the library's collection of 100 selected books includes works that either raise important questions or have themselves faced censorship and controversy. She added that many of the authors included in the collection paid a heavy price for expressing their views.
The collection includes works such as The Handmaid's Tale, Trust, and books by renowned writers including Olga Tokarczuk.
Dua Lipa said the library is intended as a tribute to books and authors who exposed systems of power and oppression. According to her, it is also a symbol for readers who reject being told which books they should or should not read.
She invited the public to visit the library, explore the books, and decide for themselves what belongs on its shelves, adding that sometimes the most revolutionary act is simply reading a book and discussing it.
Books have also played an important role in Dua Lipa's personal life. She first met her husband, actor Callum Turner, in a bar where both were reading Trust. Earlier this year, Dua Lipa also delivered a keynote address at the International Booker Prize 10th Anniversary event.