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“The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him.”
— Anaïs Nin
Throughout world history, the majority of public, educational, and religious institutions have censored certain books for political, religious, or cultural reasons.
This project serves as a place to gather together the writers -- cherished, reviled, or anywhere in-between -- who have had their work hidden from the masses.
For information about the 42nd annual celebration of Banned Books Week, being held September 22 - 28, 2024, please visit the official website.
Banned Authors
This list is, sadly, incomplete.
A
- Richard Adams -- novel Watership Down banned from some schools due to dark themes
- Alfred Adler -- writings on homosexuality banned in much of Europe in the 1940s
- Sherman Alexie -- holds the distinction of being the most challenged modern writer in American public schools
- Dante Alighieri -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Isabel Allende -- The House of the Spirits and Paula challenged by some U.S. schools for sexuality and language
- Julia Alvarez -- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents banned in some U.S. schools
- Martin Amis -- Money banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Rudolfo Anaya -- Bless Me, Ultima among the most commonly banned books in U.S. schools
- Laurie Halse Anderson -- Speak ranked 4th on the American Library Association's 2020 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Miguel Ángel Asturias -- El Señor Presidente banned in Guatemala in 1946
- Maya Angelou -- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jacob M. Appel -- The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up banned in Qatar in 2014 for its depiction of Islam
- Arias -- all writings banned and burned during the Roman Empire; banned again by the Roman Catholic Church into the modern era
- Manlio Argueta -- One Day of Life banned in El Salvador in 1980
- Aristophanes -- Lysistrata banned in Greece in 1967
- Sholem Asch -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jay Asher -- 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why banned by Colorado school district in 2017 due to objections to Netflix adaptation
- H. C. Asterley -- Rowena Goes Too Far banned in Australia in 1931
- Margaret Atwood -- The Handmaid's Tale banned by a large number of American public schools
- Humayun Azad -- Nari banned in Bangladesh in 1995
B
- Natalie Babbitt -- The Devil's Storybook challenged at a Pennsylvania middle school in 2004 due to occult themes
- Isaac Babel -- banned under Soviet rule and purged by Stalin
- Francis Bacon -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- James Baldwin -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Honoré de Balzac -- Droll Stories banned in Canada in 1914; banned in Ireland in 1953
- Helen Bannerman -- Little Black Sambo banned in Japan in 1988
- Henri Barbusse -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. Frank Baum -- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz banned in Chicago in 1928 "for depicting women in strong leadership roles" and in Detroit in 1957 for having "no value for children of today"
- Vicki Baum -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Simone de Beauvoir -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- August Bebel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Samuel Beckett -- Waiting for Godot banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Brendan Behan -- Borstal Boy banned in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in 1958
- R. V. Bhasin -- Islam: A Concept of Political World Invasion banned in Maharashtra, India in 2007
- Steve Biko -- I Write What I Like banned in apartheid South Africa
- Buzz Bissinger -- Friday Night Lights banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jens Bjørneboe -- Uten en tråd banned in Norway in 1966
- Francesca Lia Block -- Baby Be-Bop has been banned or challenged in Canada due to homosexual content
- Judy Blume -- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret banned by a large number of American public schools
- Giovanni Boccaccio -- The Decameron banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Ray Bradbury -- ironically, Fahrenheit 451 -- a book about censorship -- is one of the world's most famously banned books
- Russell Brand -- Booky Wooky Two banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Bertolt Brecht -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- André Brink -- his 1973 novel Kennis van die Aand was the first Afrikaans-language book to be banned by the South African government
- Max Brod -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code banned in Lebanon in 2003
- Giordano Bruno -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Anthony Burgess -- A Clockwork Orange banned by a large number of American public schools
- William S. Burroughs -- Naked Lunch banned in Boston, Massachusetts in 1962 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Arthur Butz -- The Hoax of the Twentieth Century banned in Canada
C
- James Cabell -- Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice opposed in 1919 by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
- John Calvin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Petrus Canisius -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- Truman Capote -- In Cold Blood banned by a large number of American public schools
- Eric Carle -- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? temporarily banned by the Texas State Board of Education in 2010 after co-author Bill Martin, Jr. was confused with philosopher Bill Martin
- Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland banned in New Hampshire in 1900 and Hunan, China in 1931
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra -- specific passage from Don Quixote expurgated by the Inquisition
- Geoffrey Chaucer -- The Canterbury Tales banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower banned by a large number of American public schools
- Noam Chomsky -- What Uncle Sam Really Wants and Year 501: The Conquest Continues banned by the South Korean military in 2008; Interventions banned from Guantanamo Bay by the Pentagon
- Sandra Cisneros -- The House on Mango Street banned in some U.S. schools due to themes of poverty, sexuality, and racism
- Tom Clancy -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- John Cleland -- Fanny Hill banned in the United States in 1821; re-banned in the united States in 1963
- Jackie Collins -- The World Is Full of Married Men banned in Australia in 1968; The Stud banned in Australia in 1969
- Joan Collins -- memoir Past Imperfect initially subject to band in the United Kingdom and the United States
- Auguste Comte -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Nora Connolly -- The Unbroken Tradition banned in the U.S. during World War I for being "anti-British"
- Joseph Conrad -- Heart of Darkness banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nicolaus Copernicus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Aleksandar Cvetković -- A Message to Man and Humanity banned in Yugoslavia in 1967
D
- Milovan Đilas -- New Class banned in Yugoslavia in 1957
- Roald Dahl -- James and the Giant Peach banned by a large number of American public schools; The Witches banned by a large number of American public schools and Christian schools
- Charles Darwin -- banned by various American school systems and private Christian schools
- Erasmus Darwin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Ted Dawe -- Into the River banned in 2015 by New Zealand's Film and Literature Board of Review
- James Dawson -- entire young adult non-fiction collection removed from children's department of Wasilla, Alaska library in December 2015 due to complaint over This Book Is Gay
- Daniel Defoe -- Moll Flanders banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alan Dershowitz -- Blasphemy: How the Religious Right Is Hijacking our Declaration of Independence banned at Guantanamo Bay
- René Descartes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Robin DiAngelo -- anti-racism book White Fragility banned by Fort Walton, Florida school board in 2020
- Denis Diderot -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- John Dos Passos -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Fyodor Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Frederick Douglass -- A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Theodore Dreiser -- The Genius forced off the market by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1916; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Alexandre Dumas, Sr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alexandre Dumas, Jr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Lawrence Durrell -- The Black Book (1938) was banned from publication in England until 1973
E
- Simone Elkeles -- Perfect Chemistry banned by Colorado Springs, Colorado school system in July 2017
- Summer Locke Elliott -- Rusty Bugles banned in Australia in 1948 due to "raw barracks language"
- Bret Easton Ellis -- American Psycho banned in Queensland, Australia in 1991
- Havelock Ellis -- banned in the United Kingdom in 1897 for medical writings on sexuality and gender
- Ralph Ellison -- Invisible Man banned by a large number of American public schools
- Friedrich Engels -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Desiderius Erasmus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
F
- Ronan Farrow -- Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators banned by Australian retailers in 2019
- William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying banned by a large number of American public schools
- Saint Faustina -- writings banned by the Vatican for "false devotions" to Divine Mercy
- Lion Feuchtwanger -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby banned by a large number of American public schools
- Gustave Flaubert -- Madame Bovary banned in France in 1956
- Desert Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Eliezer Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Ken Follett -- The Pillars of the Earth banned by a large number of American public schools
- Frederick Forsyth -- The Kill List banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Anatole France -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Anne Frank -- The Diary of Anne Frank banned in Lebanon in 1947 and in Virginia public schools in 2010
- Frederick II of Prussia -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Paulo Freire -- Pedagogy of the Oppressed banned in Arizona schools in 2010
- Sigmund Freud -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
G
- Galileo Galilei -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- George Galloway -- I'm Not the Only One banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Gabriel García Márquez -- One Hundred Years of Solitude banned by some U.S. schools for language and sexuality
- Ian Gibson -- The Death of Lorca banned in Spain in 1971
- André Gide -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alex Gino -- children's novel George banned by Wichita, Kansas schools for not reflecting "the values of our community"
- Allen Ginsberg -- Howl banned by United States Customs in 1957; poetry reading banned in 2015 by South Windsor (Conn.) High School
- Ernst Glaeser -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Oliver St. John Gogarty -- banned in Ireland in 1942
- William Golding -- Lord of the Flies banned by a large number of American public schools
- Gorampa Sonam Sengge -- writings banned in Tibet by the 5th Dalai Lama
- Nadine Gordimer -- Burger's Daughter banned in South Africa in 1979; July's People banned in South Africa in 1981
- Graham Greene -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zane Grey -- censored by a Downey, California public school
- John Grisham -- The Innocent Man banned at Guantanamo Bay until a critical New York Times op-ed from Grisham was published
- Claude Guillon -- Suicide mode d'emploi banned in France in 1982
H
- Ha-Joon Chang -- Bad Samaritans banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Haidar Haidar -- A Feast for the Seaweeds banned in several Arab countries in 2000
- Radclyffe Hall-- The Well of Loneliness banned in the United Kingdom in 1928
- Paul M. Handley -- The King Never Smiles banned in Thailand in 2006
- Frank Harris -- My Life and Loves banned in the United Kingdom and the United States
- Heinrich Heine -- writings banned by German authorities due to Heine's "radical" political beliefs
- Joseph Heller -- Catch-22 banned in various American municipalities in the 1970s; still banned in some American schools
- Claude-Adrien Helvétius -- De l'Esprit ordered burned by the French Parliament in 1761, making it popular across Europe
- Ernest Hemingway -- A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Sun Also Rises banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Carl Hiaasen -- satirical novel Double Whammy banned by the Texas Department of Corrections for "information about manufacturing explosives"
- Rudolf Hilferding -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Morris Hillquit (Moses Hilkowitz) -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- S. E. Hinton -- The Outsiders banned by a large number of American public schools
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- books banned by various groups for being critical of Islam
- Adolf Hitler -- Mein Kampf banned in various locations since 1925
- Thomas Hobbes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- bell hooks. -- Black Looks: Race & Representation temporarily banned in Canada when it was mistaken for "hate literature"
- Khaled Hosseini -- The Kite Runner ranked 4th on the American Library Association's 2017 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Langston Hughes -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- David Hume -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zora Neale Hurston -- Their Eyes Were Watching God banned by a large number of American public schools
- Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World banned in Ireland and Australia in 1932
J
- Hans Jæger -- Fra Kristiania-Bohêmen banned in Norway in 1886, with Jæger sent to jail
- Shirley Jackson -- "The Lottery" banned in South African during Apartheid
- E. L. James -- her Fifty Shades trilogy was banned from Malaysia in 2015
- Jazz Jennings -- live reading of her autobiography I Am Jazz cancelled by a Wisconsin school in November 2015 when a conservative group threatened to sue due to transgender-related content
- Erica Jong -- Fear of Flying banned and confiscated in Italy in 1975
- James Joyce -- Ulysses banned in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1922, banned in Australia in 1929, age-restricted in Australia in 1941, and banned by a large number of American public schools
K
- Erich Kästner -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Kafka -- The Metamorphosis banned under Nazi rule
- John Kampfner -- Blair's Wars banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Tomasz Kamusella -- The Polish-English-German Glossary of the Regional Terminology of the Province of Opole banned and burned in Poland in 2004
- Immanuel Kant -- Critique of Pure Reason banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Karl Kautsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Helen Keller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Ibram X. Kendi -- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You ranked 2nd on the American Library Association's 2020 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Johannes Kepler -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alfred Kerr -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Ken Kesey -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest banned by a large number of American public schools
- Kesha -- autobiography My Crazy Beautiful Life banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Brendan Kiely -- All American Boys ranked 3rd on the American Library Association's 2020 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Rudyard Kipling -- works temporarily banned in the Soviet Union from 1939-1941 and permanently in 1946
- Stephen King -- several books, most notably Carrie, banned by a large number of American public schools
- Adriaan Koerbagh -- writings burned for blasphemy by 17th C. Dutch officials; he died in prison
- Faustina Kowalska -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Christian Krohg -- Albertine banned in Norway in 1887
- Rayne Kruger -- The Devil's Discus banned in Thailand in 2006
- Elmir Kuliyev -- translation of the Qur'an banned in Novorossiysk, Russia
- Milan Kundera -- books banned under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia
L
- Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time banned by a large number of American public schools
- Alex La Guma -- writings banned in apartheid South Africa
- Jhumpa Lahiri -- The Namesake voted off an Idaho high school's reading list in 2015 due to sexual content
- Hedy Lamarr -- Ecstasy and Me banned in Australia in 1967
- Ferdinand Lassalle -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. W. de Laurence -- remains banned in Jamaica under customs law
- Anton LaVey -- The Satanic Bible banned in South Africa until 1993
- D. H. Lawrence -- Lady Chatterley's Lover banned in various countries since 1928 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sons and Lovers and Women in Love banned by a large number of American public schools
- Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird banned by a large number of American public schools
- Joseph Lelyveld -- Great Soul banned in Gujarat, India in 2011
- Vladimir Lenin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Gregorio Leti -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- John Lewis -- graphic novel series March banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Sinclair Lewis -- Elmer Gantry banned in some U.S. cities after publication due to its unflattering portrayal of a religious leader
- Li Hongzhi -- Zhuan Falun banned in Mainland China in 1993
- Benjamin Barr Lindsey -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Louise Linton -- memoir In Congo's Shadow banned in Zambia in 2016 for pervasive factual inaccuracies
- Ramon Llull -- various writings banned for heresy during the Inquistion
- John Locke -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jack London -- The Call of the Wild banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lois Lowry -- Anastasia Again! and The Giver banned by a large number of American public schools
- Emil Ludwig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lung Ying-tai -- Big River, Big Sea banned in mainland China in 2009
- Martin Luther -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Rosa Luxemburg -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
M
- Niccolò Machiavelli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Walter Macken -- banned in Ireland in 1948
- Madonna -- Sex banned by a large number of American public schools and libraries
- Count Maurice Maeterlinck -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter banned in Iran in 1991
- Norman Mailer -- The Naked and the Dead banned in Canada in 1949 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Maimonides -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Nicolas Malebranche -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Heinrich Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Klaus Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; Mephisto banned in West Germany until 1981
- Thomas Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Marilyn Manson -- autobiography banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Bill Martin, Jr. -- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? temporarily banned by the Texas State Board of Education in 2010 after co-author Martin was confused with philosopher Bill Martin
- George R. R. Martin -- Game of Thrones books banned in some U.S. prisons
- Hans-Peter Martin -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Marquis de Sade -- 120 Days of Sodom banned in South Korea, 2012
- Karl Marx -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John McGahern -- The Dark banned in Ireland in 1965
- Grace Metalious -- Peyton Place banned in Canada in 1956
- Jules Michelet -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sebastian Miczyński -- Mirror of the Polish Crown banned in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1618
- John Stuart Mill -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arthur Miller -- writings banned in the Soviet Union in 1969 after he campaigned for the freedom of dissident writers
- Henry Miller -- writings banned in the United States in the 1930s; Tropic of Cancer banned in South Africa in 1934 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sexus banned in Norway
- A. A. Milne -- Winnie-the-Pooh banned in parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey for various reasons
- John Milton -- Areopagitica banned in the Kingdom of England
- Margaret Mitchell -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Molière -- Don Juan and Tartuffe both banned from performance in France in 17th C.
- Michel de Montaigne -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Toni Morrison -- Beloved banned by a large number of American public schools; The Bluest Eye ranked 9th on the American Library Association's 2020 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Miloš Moskovljević -- Dictionary of Modern Serbo-Croation Language banned in Yugoslavia in 1966
- Haruki Murakami -- Killing Commendatore banned by Hong Kong in 2018 for readers under 18 and censored for adults
- Agnar Mykle -- The Song of the Red Ruby banned in Norway in 1957
N
- Vladimir Nabokov -- Lolita banned in various locations since 1955 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- E.M. Naguib -- various fairytale retellings banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Taslima Nasrin -- Lajja banned in Bangladesh and parts of India in 1993
- Anäis Nin -- The Winter of Artifice banned in the U.S. in 1939; Auletris banned from sale by Amazon in 2016 due to sexuality
- Philip Nitschke -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Said Nursi -- at least 13 people sentenced in Kaliningrad, Russia for reading his works
O
- Seán Ó Faoláin -- banned in Ireland; had previously worked as a government censor
- Edna O'Brien -- The Country Girls banned in Ireland in 1960; The Lonely Girl banned in Ireland in 1962
- Domhnall O'Donoghue -- imprisoned at various times in Ireland for "seditious speech"
- Liam O'Flaherty -- banned in Ireland in 1930
- Joyce Carol Oates -- Foxfire restricted in Milton, Ontario schools in 1996-1997; selected work banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Franz Oppenheimer -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- George Orwell -- Animal Farm banned from Allied printing from 1943-1945, banned in Kenya in 1991, banned in the United Arab Emirates educational system in 2002; Nineteen Eighty-Four banned in the Soviet Union in 1950 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Carl von Ossietzky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Wilfred Owen -- "Futility" banned at Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and again in 2013
P
- Chuck Palahniuk -- Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread was the American Library Association's fifth-most challenged book of 2016-2017
- Thomas Paine -- Rights of Man banned in Great Britain in 1791
- Blaise Pascal -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Boris Pasternak -- Doctor Zhivago banned in the Soviet Union in 1957
- Živojin Pavlović -- Curved River banned in Yugoslavia in 1963
- Gilles Perrault -- Notre ami le roi banned in Morocco in 1993
- John Perritano -- graphic novel Amityville pulled from North Carolina elementary school library in 2015 due to parent complaint regarding violent themes
- Petar II Petrović-Njegoš -- The Mountain Wreath banned in Bosnia in 1997
- William Luther Pierce -- The Turner Diaries banned in Germany in 1978; banned from printing and importing in Canada in 1978; banned in many American municipalities and school systems
- John Pilger -- Hidden Agendas banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Dav Pilkey -- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot banned by some Michigan elementary schools in 2015 for having a gay character
- Kurt Pinthus -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Karel Poláček -- writings banned by the Nazis
- Antonius Possevinus -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- William Powell -- The Anarchist Cookbook banned in Australia
- Nick Pron -- Lethal Marriage banned in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1995
- Annie Proulx -- Close Range: Wyoming Stories banned or challenged in Canada due to the story "Brokeback Mountain"
- William Pynchon -- The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption banned in Puritan New England in 1650
Q
- Pilar Quintana -- copies of Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf seized from schools by the Chilean government in 2015
R
- François Rabelais -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Dorit Rabinyan -- Gader Haya banned by Israel's Department of Education in December 2015 for "threatening Jewish identity" with an Israeli-Palestinian romance
- Kamran Rad -- Freemason or Dajjal banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar -- novel Love Comes Later banned and seized in Qatar in 2014
- Walther Rathenau -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Thomas Rathsack -- Ranger: At War with the Elite banned by the Danish military in 2009
- John Reed -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front banned and burned under Nazi rule
- Jason Reynolds -- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You ranked 2nd on the American Library Association's 2020 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"; All American Boys ranked 3rd
- Samuel Richardson -- Pamela banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- José Rizal -- Noli Me Tangere banned in the Philippines in 1887; El filibusterismo banned in the Philippines in 1891
- Philip Roth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- J. K. Rowling -- banned by a large number of American Christian schools
- Salman Rushdie -- The Satanic Verses banned in the majority of Islamic countries since 1988 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Bertrand Russell -- Unarmed Victory banned in India in 1963
- Charles Taze Russell -- writings regularly banned in jurisdictions where the Jehovah's Witnesses are politically persecuted
S
- Frithjof Sælen -- Snorri the Seal banned during the German occupation of Norway
- J. D. Salinger -- The Catcher in the Rye banned by a large number of American public schools
- George Seldes The US Military effectively prohibited the subscriptions to his paper "In Fact"
- Margaret Sanger -- banned in Ireland and charged in the United States for her writings on sexual health
- Jean-Paul Sartre -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Irwin Schiff -- The Federal Mafia banned from sale by a United States District Court in 1992
- Harold Schumann -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Anna Seghers -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Maurice Sendak -- In the Night Kitchen banned by a large number of American public schools
- Dr. Seuss -- Green Eggs and Ham banned in China in 1965
- Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer -- Operation Dark Heart banned and destroyed by the United States Department of Defense in 2010
- William Shakespeare -- The Merchant of Shakespeare banned at Guantanamo Bay; collection of poetry banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Tupac Shakur -- collected poetry banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein banned in South Africa in 1955
- Shen Congwen -- writings banned in Communist China
- Clare Short -- An Honourable Deception: New Labour, Iraq and the Misuse of Power banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Ayesha Siddiqa -- Military Inc. banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Cory Silverberg -- Sex is a Funny Word ranked 4th on the American Library Association's 2019 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books"
- Shel Silverstein -- A Light in the Attic banned by a large number of American public schools
- Upton Sinclair -- The Jungle banned in East Germany in 1956 and banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jaswant Singh -- Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence banned in Gujarat, India in 2009
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -- all writings banned in Soviet Union in 1964; The Gulag Archipelago banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Sophocles -- Antigone banned by Canada's Poundmaker Cree Nation in 2011
- Robert Spencer -- The Truth About Muhammad banned in Pakistan in 2006
- Benedict Spinoza -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Clive Stafford Smith -- Bad Men and Injustice banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Josef Stalin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Steinbeck -- The Grapes of Wrath banned in various American municipalities since 1939 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Of Mice and Men banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudolf Steiner -- banned in much of Europe during the 1940s
- Howard Stern -- Private Parts banned by a large number of American public schools
- Fiona Stewart -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Jon Stewart -- America: The Book banned by several retail chains and libraries in the United States in 2004
- R. L. Stine -- Goosebumps series banned by a large number of American public schools
- Živorad Stojković -- About a Silence in Literature banned in Yugoslavia in 1951
- Marie Stopes -- writings on sexuality banned in Ireland in May 1930
- Theodor Storm -- Auf der Universität banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Uncle Tom's Cabin banned in Russia in 1852; banned throughout the Southern United States during the American Civil War; banned in a variety of American school systems; banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Paul Strand -- photography books banned from the American market due to being printed in Communist East Germany
- Emanuel Swedenborg -- The Principia banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jonathan Swift -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
T
- Mariko Tamaki -- This One Summer ranked 7th on the American Library Association's 2018 "Top 11 Most Challenged Books"
- Raina Telgemeier -- Drama ranked 5th on the American Library Association's 2018 "Top 11 Most Challenged Books"
- Corrie ten Boom -- The Hiding Place banned by California's River Springs Charter Schools in 2014 for Christian themes
- Angie Thomas -- The Hate U Give ranked 4th on the American Library Association's 2018 "Top 11 Most Challenged Books"
- Dorothy Thompson -- banned and expelled from Germany in 1934 for personally offending Hitler
- Hunter S. Thompson -- selected work banned by the Connecticut Department of Correction
- Miriam Tlali -- Amandla banned in apartheid South Africa
- Pramoedya Ananta Toer -- The Fugitive banned in Indonesia in 1950
- Tereska Torrès -- Women's Barracks cited by U.S. House Select Committee on Current Pornographic Materials in 1952
- Ernst Toller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Leon Trotsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; banned or challenged in Canada
- Sojourner Truth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Kurt Tucholsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Scott Turow -- Presumed Innocent banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Mark Twain -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer banned in a large number of American public schools; holds the distinction of the being the most commonly challenged author in the United States
- Jill Twiss -- A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo ranked 2nd on the American Library Association's 2018 "Top 11 Most Challenged Books"
U
- Sigrid Undset -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Updike -- Rabbit, Run banned by a large number of American public schools
V
- Pierre Vallières -- White N - - - - - s of America banned in Canada in 1970
- Dragiša Vasić -- writings banned in Yugoslavia in 1964
- Voltaire -- Candide banned by United States Customs in 1930; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Kurt Vonnegut -- Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five banned by a large number of American public schools
- Ethel Lilian Voynich -- banned in Ireland in 1947
- Čeda Vuković -- Watershed banned in Yugoslavia in 1968
W
- Alice Walker -- The Color Purple banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jakob Wassermann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Waters -- Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America banned or challenged in Canada
- Jiří Weil -- Life with a Star banned for being "decadent," "existentialist," "highly subjective," and "the product of a cowardly culture"
- H. G. Wells -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Werfel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- E. B. White -- Charlotte's Web banned in 2006 in Kansas due to religious objections
- Tom Wolfe -- The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test challenged at Pennsylvania high school in 2013
- Theodor Wolff -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stanley Wolpert -- Nine Hours to Rama banned in India in 1962; Jinnah of Pakistan banned in Pakistan in 1982
- Bob Woodward -- Fear: Trump in the White House banned, then unbanned, by West Virginia's Morgan County Public Library in September 2018
- Peter Wright -- Spycatcher banned in the United Kingdom in 1985
Y
- Malala Yousafzai -- Nobel Laureate whose memoir was challenged by Menomonie, Wisconsin parents in 2017 for discussing Islam
Z
- Sajjad Zaheer -- Angaray banned in India in 1936
- Ratko Zakić -- On Fierce Wound, Fierce Herb banned and destroyed in Yugoslavia in 1967
- Johann Jacob Zimmerman -- deemed a heretic and forced to flee Germany in 1697
- Émile Zola -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arnold Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stefan Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Huldrych Zwingli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Resources
- Banned Books Week -- always the last week of September and/or first week of October
- Banned Books On-line
- Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- "Guantanamo's Banned Books"
- Nazi Book Burnings: Index to Authors
- Banned Books by Hispanic Authors
“La importante tarea de la literatura es liberar al hombre, no censurarle.”
— Anaïs Nin
A lo largo de la historia mundial, la mayoría de las instituciones públicas, educativas y religiosas han censurado ciertos libros por razones políticas, religiosas o culturales.
Este proyecto sirve como un lugar para reunir a los escritores que han tenido su trabajo oculto de las masas.
Para obtener información sobre la 34° celebración anual de Semanas de Libros Prohibidos, que se celebró del 25 de septiembre al 1 de octubre de 2016, visite el sitio web oficial.
Recursos
en inglés
“La tâche importante de la littérature est de libérer l'homme, non de le censurer.
— Anaïs Nin
Tout au long de l'histoire du monde, la majorité des institutions publiques, éducatives et religieuses ont censuré certains livres pour des raisons politiques, religieuses ou culturelles.
Ce projet sert de lieu de rassemblement des écrivains ayant caché leur travail aux masses.
Pour en savoir plus sur la 34e célébration annuelle de la Semaine des livres interdits, qui s'est tenue du 25 septembre au 1er octobre 2016, veuillez visiter le site Web officiel.
Ressources
en anglais
“The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him.”
— Anaïs Nin
Throughout world history, the majority of public, educational, and religious institutions have censored certain books for political, religious, or cultural reasons.
This project serves as a place to gather together the writers -- cherished, reviled, or anywhere in-between -- who have had their work hidden from the masses.
For information about the 34th annual celebration of Banned Books Week, which was held September 25 - October 1, 2016, please visit the official website.
Banned Authors
This list is, sadly, incomplete.
A
- Richard Adams -- novel Watership Down banned from some schools due to dark themes
- Alfred Adler -- writings on homosexuality banned in much of Europe in the 1940s
- Sherman Alexie -- holds the distinction of being the most challenged modern writer in American public schools
- Isabel Allende -- The House of the Spirits and Paula challenged by some U.S. schools for sexuality and language
- Julia Alvarez -- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents banned in some U.S. schools
- Martin Amis -- Money banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Rudolfo Anaya -- Bless Me, Ultima among the most commonly banned books in U.S. schools
- Miguel Ángel Asturias -- El Señor Presidente banned in Guatemala in 1946
- Maya Angelou -- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jacob M. Appel -- The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up banned in Qatar in 2014 for its depiction of Islam
- Arias -- all writings banned and burned during the Roman Empire; banned again by the Roman Catholic Church into the modern era
- Manlio Argueta -- One Day of Life banned in El Salvador in 1980
- Aristophanes -- Lysistrata banned in Greece in 1967
- Sholem Asch -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jay Asher -- 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why banned by Colorado school district in 2017 due to objections to Netflix adaptation
- H. C. Asterley -- Rowena Goes Too Far banned in Australia in 1931
- Margaret Atwood -- The Handmaid's Tale banned by a large number of American public schools
- Humayun Azad -- Nari banned in Bangladesh in 1995
B
- Natalie Babbitt -- The Devil's Storybook challenged at a Pennsylvania middle school in 2004 due to occult themes
- Isaac Babel -- banned under Soviet rule and purged by Stalin
- Francis Bacon -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- James Baldwin -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Honoré de Balzac -- Droll Stories banned in Canada in 1914; banned in Ireland in 1953
- Helen Bannerman -- Little Black Sambo banned in Japan in 1988
- Henri Barbusse -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. Frank Baum -- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz banned in Chicago in 1928 "for depicting women in strong leadership roles" and in Detroit in 1957 for having "no value for children of today"
- Vicki Baum -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Simone de Beauvoir -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- August Bebel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Brendan Behan -- Borstal Boy banned in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in 1958
- R. V. Bhasin -- Islam: A Concept of Political World Invasion banned in Maharashtra, India in 2007
- Steve Biko -- I Write What I Like banned in apartheid South Africa
- Buzz Bissinger -- Friday Night Lights banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jens Bjørneboe -- Uten en tråd banned in Norway in 1966
- Francesca Lia Block -- Baby Be-Bop has been banned or challenged in Canada due to homosexual content
- Judy Blume -- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret banned by a large number of American public schools
- Giovanni Boccaccio -- The Decameron banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Ray Bradbury -- ironically, Fahrenheit 451 -- a book about censorship -- is one of the world's most famously banned books
- Russell Brand -- Booky Wooky Two banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Bertolt Brecht -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- André Brink -- his 1973 novel Kennis van die Aand was the first Afrikaans-language book to be banned by the South African government
- Max Brod -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code banned in Lebanon in 2003
- Anthony Burgess -- A Clockwork Orange banned by a large number of American public schools
- William S. Burroughs -- Naked Lunch banned in Boston, Massachusetts in 1962 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Arthur Butz -- The Hoax of the Twentieth Century banned in Canada
C
- James Cabell -- Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice opposed in 1919 by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
- John Calvin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Petrus Canisius -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- Truman Capote -- In Cold Blood banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland banned in New Hampshire in 1900 and Hunan, China in 1931
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra -- specific passage from Don Quixote expurgated by the Inquisition
- Geoffrey Chaucer -- The Canterbury Tales banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower banned by a large number of American public schools
- Noam Chomsky -- What Uncle Sam Really Wants and Year 501: The Conquest Continues banned by the South Korean military in 2008; Interventions banned from Guantanamo Bay by the Pentagon
- Sandra Cisneros -- The House on Mango Street banned in some U.S. schools due to themes of poverty, sexuality, and racism
- Tom Clancy -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- John Cleland -- Fanny Hill banned in the United States in 1821; re-banned in the united States in 1963
- Jackie Collins -- The World Is Full of Married Men banned in Australia in 1968; The Stud banned in Australia in 1969
- August Comte -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Nora Connolly -- The Unbroken Tradition banned in the U.S. during World War I for being "anti-British"
- Joseph Conrad -- Heart of Darkness banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nicolaus Copernicus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Aleksandar Cvetković -- A Message to Man and Humanity banned in Yugoslavia in 1967
D
- Milovan Đilas -- New Class banned in Yugoslavia in 1957
- Roald Dahl -- James and the Giant Peach banned by a large number of American public schools; The Witches banned by a large number of American public schools and Christian schools
- Dante -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Charles Darwin -- banned by various American school systems and private Christian schools
- Erasmus Darwin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Ted Dawe -- Into the River banned in 2015 by New Zealand's Film and Literature Board of Review
- James Dawson -- entire young adult non-fiction collection removed from children's department of Wasilla, Alaska library in December 2015 due to complaint over This Book Is Gay
- Daniel Defoe -- Moll Flanders banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alan Dershowitz -- Blasphemy: How the Religious Right Is Hijacking our Declaration of Independence banned at Guantanamo Bay
- René Descartes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Denis Diderot -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- John Dos Passos -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Fyodor Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Frederick Douglass -- A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Theodore Dreiser -- The Genius forced off the market by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1916; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Alexandre Dumas, Sr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alexandre Dumas, Jr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Lawrence Durrell -- The Black Book (1938) was banned from publication in England until 1973
E
- Bret Easton Ellis -- American Psycho banned in Queensland, Australia in 1991
- Ralph Ellison -- Invisible Man banned by a large number of American public schools
- Friedrich Engels -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Desiderius Erasmus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
F
- William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lion Feuchtwanger -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby banned by a large number of American public schools
- Gustave Flaubert -- Madame Bovary banned in France in 1956
- Desert Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Eliezer Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Ken Follett -- The Pillars of the Earth banned by a large number of American public schools
- Frederick Forsyth -- The Kill List banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Anatole France -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Anne Frank -- The Diary of Anne Frank banned in Lebanon in 1947 and in Virginia public schools in 2010
- Frederick II of Prussia -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Paulo Freire -- Pedagogy of the Oppressed banned in Arizona schools in 2010
- Sigmund Freud -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
G
- Galileo Galilei -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- George Galloway -- I'm Not the Only One banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Gabriel García Márquez -- One Hundred Years of Solitude banned by some U.S. schools for language and sexuality
- Ian Gibson -- The Death of Lorca banned in Spain in 1971
- André Gide -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Allen Ginsberg -- Howl banned by United States Customs in 1957; poetry reading banned in 2015 by South Windsor (Conn.) High School
- Ernst Glaeser -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- William Golding -- Lord of the Flies banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nadine Gordimer -- Burger's Daughter banned in South Africa in 1979; July's People banned in South Africa in 1981
- Graham Greene -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zane Grey -- censored by a Downey, California public school
- John Grisham -- The Innocent Man banned at Guantanamo Bay until a critical New York Times op-ed from Grisham was published
- Claude Guillon -- Suicide mode d'emploi banned in France in 1982
H
- Ha-Joon Chang -- Bad Samaritans banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Haidar Haidar -- A Feast for the Seaweeds banned in several Arab countries in 2000
- Radclyffe Hall -- The Well of Loneliness banned in the United Kingdom in 1928
- Paul M. Handley -- The King Never Smiles banned in Thailand in 2006
- Joseph Heller -- Catch-22 banned in various American municipalities in the 1970s; still banned in some American schools
- Claude-Adrien Helvétius -- De l'Esprit ordered burned by the French Parliament in 1761, making it popular across Europe
- Ernest Hemingway -- A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Sun Also Rises banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Rudolf Hilferding -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Morris Hillquit (Moses Hilkowitz) -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- S. E. Hinton -- The Outsiders banned by a large number of American public schools
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- books banned by various groups for being critical of Islam
- Adolf Hitler -- Mein Kampf banned in various locations since 1925
- Thomas Hobbes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- bell hooks. -- Black Looks: Race & Representation temporarily banned in Canada when it was mistaken for "hate literature"
- Langston Hughes -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- David Hume -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zora Neale Hurston -- Their Eyes Were Watching God banned by a large number of American public schools
- Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World banned in Ireland and Australia in 1932
J
- Hans Jæger -- Fra Kristiania-Bohêmen banned in Norway in 1886, with Jæger sent to jail
- Shirley Jackson -- "The Lottery" banned in South African during Apartheid
- E. L. James -- her Fifty Shades trilogy was banned from Malaysia in 2015
- Jazz Jennings -- live reading of her autobiography I Am Jazz cancelled by a Wisconsin school in November 2015 when a conservative group threatened to sue due to transgender-related content
- James Joyce -- Ulysses banned in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1922, banned in Australia in 1929, age-restricted in Australia in 1941, and banned by a large number of American public schools
K
- Erich Kästner -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Kafka -- The Metamorphosis banned under Nazi rule
- John Kampfner -- Blair's Wars banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Tomasz Kamusella -- The Polish-English-German Glossary of the Regional Terminology of the Province of Opole banned and burned in Poland in 2004
- Immanuel Kant -- Critique of Pure Reason banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Karl Kautsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Helen Keller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Johannes Kepler -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alfred Kerr -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Ken Kesey -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudyard Kipling -- works temporarily banned in the Soviet Union from 1939-1941 and permanently in 1946
- Stephen King -- several books, most notably Carrie, banned by a large number of American public schools
- Faustina Kowalska -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Christian Krohg -- Albertine banned in Norway in 1887
- Rayne Kruger -- The Devil's Discus banned in Thailand in 2006
- Elmir Kuliyev -- translation of the Qur'an banned in Novorossiysk, Russia
- Milan Kundera -- books banned under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia
L
- Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time banned by a large number of American public schools
- Alex La Guma -- writings banned in apartheid South Africa
- Jhumpa Lahiri -- The Namesake voted off an Idaho high school's reading list in 2015 due to sexual content
- Hedy Lamarr -- Ecstasy and Me banned in Australia in 1967
- Ferdinand Lassalle -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. W. de Laurence -- remains banned in Jamaica under customs law
- Anton LaVey -- The Satanic Bible banned in South Africa until 1993
- D. H. Lawrence -- Lady Chatterley's Lover banned in various countries since 1928 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sons and Lovers and Women in Love banned by a large number of American public schools
- Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird banned by a large number of American public schools
- Joseph Lelyveld -- Great Soul banned in Gujarat, India in 2011
- Vladimir Lenin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Gregorio Leti -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sinclair Lewis -- Elmer Gantry banned in some U.S. cities after publication due to its unflattering portrayal of a religious leader
- Li Hongzhi -- Zhuan Falun banned in Mainland China in 1993
- Benjamin Barr Lindsey -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Locke -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jack London -- The Call of the Wild banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lois Lowry -- Anastasia Again! and The Giver banned by a large number of American public schools
- Emil Ludwig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lung Ying-tai -- Big River, Big Sea banned in mainland China in 2009
- Martin Luther -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Rosa Luxemburg -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
M
- Niccolò Machiavelli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Madonna -- Sex banned by a large number of American public schools and libraries
- Count Maurice Maeterlinck -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter banned in Iran in 1991
- Norman Mailer -- The Naked and the Dead banned in Canada in 1949 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Maimonides -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Heinrich Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Klaus Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; Mephisto banned in West Germany until 1981
- Thomas Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Hans-Peter Martin -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Marquis de Sade -- 120 Days of Sodom banned in South Korea, 2012
- Karl Marx -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John McGahern -- The Dark banned in Ireland in 1965
- Grace Metalious -- Peyton Place banned in Canada in 1956
- Jules Michelet -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sebastian Miczyński -- Mirror of the Polish Crown banned in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1618
- John Stuart Mill -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arthur Miller -- writings banned in the Soviet Union in 1969 after he campaigned for the freedom of dissident writers
- Henry Miller -- writings banned in the United States in the 1930s; Tropic of Cancer banned in South Africa in 1934 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sexus banned in Norway
- A. A. Milne -- Winnie-the-Pooh banned in parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey for various reasons
- John Milton -- Areopagitica banned in the Kingdom of England
- Margaret Mitchell -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Molière -- Don Juan and Tartuffe both banned from performance in France in 17th C.
- Toni Morrison -- Beloved banned by a large number of American public schools
- Miloš Moskovljević -- Dictionary of Modern Serbo-Croation Language banned in Yugoslavia in 1966
- Agnar Mykle -- The Song of the Red Ruby banned in Norway in 1957
N
- Vladimir Nabokov -- Lolita banned in various locations since 1955 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- E.M. Naguib -- various fairytale retellings banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Taslima Nasrin -- Lajja banned in Bangladesh and parts of India in 1993
- Philip Nitschke -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Said Nursi -- at least 13 people sentenced in Kaliningrad, Russia for reading his works
O
- Edna O'Brien -- The Country Girls banned in Ireland in 1960; The Lonely Girl banned in Ireland in 1962
- Domhnall O'Donoghue -- imprisoned at various times in Ireland for "seditious speech"
- Joyce Carol Oates -- Foxfire restricted in Milton, Ontario schools in 1996-1997
- Franz Oppenheimer -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- George Orwell -- Animal Farm banned from Allied printing from 1943-1945, banned in Kenya in 1991, banned in the United Arab Emirates educational system in 2002; Nineteen Eighty-Four banned in the Soviet Union in 1950 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Carl von Ossietzky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Wilfred Owen -- "Futility" banned at Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and again in 2013
P
- Thomas Paine -- Rights of Man banned in Great Britain in 1791
- Blaise Pascal -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Boris Pasternak -- Doctor Zhivago banned in the Soviet Union in 1957
- Živojin Pavlović -- Curved River banned in Yugoslavia in 1963
- Gilles Perrault -- Notre ami le roi banned in Morocco in 1993
- John Perritano -- graphic novel Amityville pulled from North Carolina elementary school library in 2015 due to parent complaint regarding violent themes
- Petar II Petrović-Njegoš -- The Mountain Wreath banned in Bosnia in 1997
- William Luther Pierce -- The Turner Diaries banned in Germany in 1978; banned from printing and importing in Canada in 1978; banned in many American municipalities and school systems
- John Pilger -- Hidden Agendas banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Dav Pilkey -- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot banned by some Michigan elementary schools in 2015 for having a gay character
- Kurt Pinthus -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Antonius Possevinus -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- William Powell -- The Anarchist Cookbook banned in Australia
- Nick Pron -- Lethal Marriage banned in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1995
- Annie Proulx -- Close Range: Wyoming Stories banned or challenged in Canada due to the story "Brokeback Mountain"
- William Pynchon -- The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption banned in Puritan New England in 1650
Q
- Pilar Quintana -- copies of Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf seized from schools by the Chilean government in 2015
R
- François Rabelais -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Dorit Rabinyan -- Gader Haya banned by Israel's Department of Education in December 2015 for "threatening Jewish identity" with an Israeli-Palestinian romance
- Kamran Rad -- Freemason or Dajjal banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar -- novel Love Comes Later banned and seized in Qatar in 2014
- Walther Rathenau -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Thomas Rathsack -- Ranger: At War with the Elite banned by the Danish military in 2009
- John Reed -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front banned and burned under Nazi rule
- Samuel Richardson -- Pamela banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- José Rizal -- Noli Me Tangere banned in the Philippines in 1887; El filibusterismo banned in the Philippines in 1891
- Philip Roth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- J. K. Rowling -- banned by a large number of American Christian schools
- Salman Rushdie -- The Satanic Verses banned in the majority of Islamic countries since 1988 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Bertrand Russell -- Unarmed Victory banned in India in 1963
- Charles Taze Russell -- writings regularly banned in jurisdictions where the Jehovah's Witnesses are politically persecuted
S
- Frithjof Sælen -- Snorri the Seal banned during the German occupation of Norway
- J. D. Salinger -- The Catcher in the Rye banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jean-Paul Sartre -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Irwin Schiff -- The Federal Mafia banned from sale by a United States District Court in 1992
- Harold Schumann -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Anna Seghers -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Maurice Sendak -- In the Night Kitchen banned by a large number of American public schools
- Dr. Seuss -- Green Eggs and Ham banned in China in 1965
- Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer -- Operation Dark Heart banned and destroyed by the United States Department of Defense in 2010
- William Shakespeare -- The Merchant of Shakespeare banned at Guantanamo Bay; collection of poetry banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein banned in South Africa in 1955
- Shen Congwen -- writings banned in Communist China
- Clare Short -- An Honourable Deception: New Labour, Iraq and the Misuse of Power banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Ayesha Siddiqa -- Military Inc. banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Shel Silverstein -- A Light in the Attic banned by a large number of American public schools
- Upton Sinclair -- The Jungle banned in East Germany in 1956 and banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jaswant Singh -- Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence banned in Gujarat, India in 2009
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -- all writings banned in Soviet Union in 1964; The Gulag Archipelago banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Sophocles -- Antigone banned by Canada's Poundmaker Cree Nation in 2011
- Robert Spencer -- The Truth About Muhammad banned in Pakistan in 2006
- Benedict Spinoza -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Clive Stafford Smith -- Bad Men and Injustice banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Josef Stalin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Steinbeck -- The Grapes of Wrath banned in various American municipalities since 1939 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Of Mice and Men banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudolf Steiner -- banned in much of Europe during the 1940s
- Howard Stern -- Private Parts banned by a large number of American public schools
- Fiona Stewart -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Jon Stewart -- America: The Book banned by several retail chains and libraries in the United States in 2004
- R. L. Stine -- Goosebumps series banned by a large number of American public schools
- Živorad Stojković -- About a Silence in Literature banned in Yugoslavia in 1951
- Theodor Storm -- Auf der Universität banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Uncle Tom's Cabin banned in Russia in 1852; banned throughout the Southern United States during the American Civil War; banned in a variety of American school systems; banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Paul Strand -- photography books banned from the American market due to being printed in Communist East Germany
- Emanuel Swedenborg -- The Principia banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jonathan Swift -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
T
- Corrie ten Boom -- The Hiding Place banned by California's River Springs Charter Schools in 2014 for Christian themes
- Dorothy Thompson -- banned and expelled from Germany in 1934 for personally offending Hitler
- Miriam Tlali -- Amandla banned in apartheid South Africa
- Pramoedya Ananta Toer -- The Fugitive banned in Indonesia in 1950
- Ernst Toller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Leon Trotsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; banned or challenged in Canada
- Sojourner Truth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Kurt Tucholsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Scott Turow -- Presumed Innocent banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Mark Twain -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer banned in a large number of American public schools; holds the distinction of the being the most commonly challenged author in the United States
U
- Sigrid Undset -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Updike -- Rabbit, Run banned by a large number of American public schools
V
- Pierre Vallières -- White Niggers of America banned in Canada in 1970
- Dragiša Vasić -- writings banned in Yugoslavia in 1964
- Voltaire -- Candide banned by United States Customs in 1930; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Kurt Vonnegut -- Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five banned by a large number of American public schools
- Čeda Vuković -- Watershed banned in Yugoslavia in 1968
W
- Alice Walker -- The Color Purple banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jakob Wassermann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Waters -- Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America banned or challenged in Canada
- H. G. Wells -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Werfel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- E. B. White -- Charlotte's Web banned in 2006 in Kansas due to religious objections
- Theodor Wolff -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stanley Wolpert -- Nine Hours to Rama banned in India in 1962; Jinnah of Pakistan banned in Pakistan in 1982
- Peter Wright -- Spycatcher banned in the United Kingdom in 1985
Y
- Malala Yousafzai -- Nobel Laureate whose memoir was challenged by Menomonie, Wisconsin parents in 2017 for discussing Islam
Z
- Sajjad Zaheer -- Angaray banned in India in 1936
- Ratko Zakić -- On Fierce Wound, Fierce Herb banned and destroyed in Yugoslavia in 1967
- Johann Jacob Zimmerman -- deemed a heretic and forced to flee Germany in 1697
- Émile Zola -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arnold Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stefan Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Huldrych Zwingli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Resources
- Banned Books Week -- always the last week of September and/or first week of October
- Banned Books On-line
- Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- "Guantanamo's Banned Books"
- Nazi Book Burnings: Index to Authors
- Banned Books by Hispanic Authors
“The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him.”
— Anaïs Nin
Throughout world history, the majority of public, educational, and religious institutions have censored certain books for political, religious, or cultural reasons.
This project serves as a place to gather together the writers -- cherished, reviled, or anywhere in-between -- who have had their work hidden from the masses.
For information about the 34th annual celebration of Banned Books Week, which was held September 25 - October 1, 2016, please visit the official website.
Banned Authors
This list is, sadly, incomplete.
A
- Richard Adams -- novel Watership Down banned from some schools due to dark themes
- Alfred Adler -- writings on homosexuality banned in much of Europe in the 1940s
- Sherman Alexie -- holds the distinction of being the most challenged modern writer in American public schools
- Isabel Allende -- The House of the Spirits and Paula challenged by some U.S. schools for sexuality and language
- Julia Alvarez -- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents banned in some U.S. schools
- Martin Amis -- Money banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Rudolfo Anaya -- Bless Me, Ultima among the most commonly banned books in U.S. schools
- Miguel Ángel Asturias -- El Señor Presidente banned in Guatemala in 1946
- Maya Angelou -- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jacob M. Appel -- The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up banned in Qatar in 2014 for its depiction of Islam
- Arias -- all writings banned and burned during the Roman Empire; banned again by the Roman Catholic Church into the modern era
- Manlio Argueta -- One Day of Life banned in El Salvador in 1980
- Aristophanes -- Lysistrata banned in Greece in 1967
- Sholem Asch -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jay Asher -- 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why banned by Colorado school district in 2017 due to objections to Netflix adaptation
- H. C. Asterley -- Rowena Goes Too Far banned in Australia in 1931
- Margaret Atwood -- The Handmaid's Tale banned by a large number of American public schools
- Humayun Azad -- Nari banned in Bangladesh in 1995
B
- Natalie Babbitt -- The Devil's Storybook challenged at a Pennsylvania middle school in 2004 due to occult themes
- Isaac Babel -- banned under Soviet rule and purged by Stalin
- Francis Bacon -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- James Baldwin -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Honoré de Balzac -- Droll Stories banned in Canada in 1914; banned in Ireland in 1953
- Helen Bannerman -- Little Black Sambo banned in Japan in 1988
- Henri Barbusse -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. Frank Baum -- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz banned in Chicago in 1928 "for depicting women in strong leadership roles" and in Detroit in 1957 for having "no value for children of today"
- Vicki Baum -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Simone de Beauvoir -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- August Bebel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Brendan Behan -- Borstal Boy banned in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in 1958
- R. V. Bhasin -- Islam: A Concept of Political World Invasion banned in Maharashtra, India in 2007
- Steve Biko -- I Write What I Like banned in apartheid South Africa
- Buzz Bissinger -- Friday Night Lights banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jens Bjørneboe -- Uten en tråd banned in Norway in 1966
- Francesca Lia Block -- Baby Be-Bop has been banned or challenged in Canada due to homosexual content
- Judy Blume -- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret banned by a large number of American public schools
- Giovanni Boccaccio -- The Decameron banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Ray Bradbury -- ironically, Fahrenheit 451 -- a book about censorship -- is one of the world's most famously banned books
- Russell Brand -- Booky Wooky Two banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Bertolt Brecht -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- André Brink -- his 1973 novel Kennis van die Aand was the first Afrikaans-language book to be banned by the South African government
- Max Brod -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code banned in Lebanon in 2003
- Anthony Burgess -- A Clockwork Orange banned by a large number of American public schools
- William S. Burroughs -- Naked Lunch banned in Boston, Massachusetts in 1962 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Arthur Butz -- The Hoax of the Twentieth Century banned in Canada
C
- James Cabell -- Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice opposed in 1919 by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
- John Calvin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Petrus Canisius -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- Truman Capote -- In Cold Blood banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland banned in New Hampshire in 1900 and Hunan, China in 1931
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra -- specific passage from Don Quixote expurgated by the Inquisition
- Geoffrey Chaucer -- The Canterbury Tales banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower banned by a large number of American public schools
- Noam Chomsky -- What Uncle Sam Really Wants and Year 501: The Conquest Continues banned by the South Korean military in 2008; Interventions banned from Guantanamo Bay by the Pentagon
- Sandra Cisneros -- The House on Mango Street banned in some U.S. schools due to themes of poverty, sexuality, and racism
- Tom Clancy -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- John Cleland -- Fanny Hill banned in the United States in 1821; re-banned in the united States in 1963
- Jackie Collins -- The World Is Full of Married Men banned in Australia in 1968; The Stud banned in Australia in 1969
- August Comte -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Nora Connolly -- The Unbroken Tradition banned in the U.S. during World War I for being "anti-British"
- Joseph Conrad -- Heart of Darkness banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nicolaus Copernicus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Aleksandar Cvetković -- A Message to Man and Humanity banned in Yugoslavia in 1967
D
- Milovan Đilas -- New Class banned in Yugoslavia in 1957
- Roald Dahl -- James and the Giant Peach banned by a large number of American public schools; The Witches banned by a large number of American public schools and Christian schools
- Dante -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Charles Darwin -- banned by various American school systems and private Christian schools
- Erasmus Darwin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Ted Dawe -- Into the River banned in 2015 by New Zealand's Film and Literature Board of Review
- James Dawson -- entire young adult non-fiction collection removed from children's department of Wasilla, Alaska library in December 2015 due to complaint over This Book Is Gay
- Daniel Defoe -- Moll Flanders banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alan Dershowitz -- Blasphemy: How the Religious Right Is Hijacking our Declaration of Independence banned at Guantanamo Bay
- René Descartes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Denis Diderot -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- John Dos Passos -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Fyodor Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Frederick Douglass -- A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Theodore Dreiser -- The Genius forced off the market by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1916; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Alexandre Dumas, Sr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alexandre Dumas, Jr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Lawrence Durrell -- The Black Book (1938) was banned from publication in England until 1973
E
- Bret Easton Ellis -- American Psycho banned in Queensland, Australia in 1991
- Ralph Ellison -- Invisible Man banned by a large number of American public schools
- Friedrich Engels -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Desiderius Erasmus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
F
- William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lion Feuchtwanger -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby banned by a large number of American public schools
- Gustave Flaubert -- Madame Bovary banned in France in 1956
- Desert Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Eliezer Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Ken Follett -- The Pillars of the Earth banned by a large number of American public schools
- Frederick Forsyth -- The Kill List banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Anatole France -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Anne Frank -- The Diary of Anne Frank banned in Lebanon in 1947 and in Virginia public schools in 2010
- Frederick II of Prussia -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Paulo Freire -- Pedagogy of the Oppressed banned in Arizona schools in 2010
- Sigmund Freud -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
G
- Galileo Galilei -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- George Galloway -- I'm Not the Only One banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Gabriel García Márquez -- One Hundred Years of Solitude banned by some U.S. schools for language and sexuality
- Ian Gibson -- The Death of Lorca banned in Spain in 1971
- André Gide -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Allen Ginsberg -- Howl banned by United States Customs in 1957; poetry reading banned in 2015 by South Windsor (Conn.) High School
- Ernst Glaeser -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- William Golding -- Lord of the Flies banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nadine Gordimer -- Burger's Daughter banned in South Africa in 1979; July's People banned in South Africa in 1981
- Graham Greene -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zane Grey -- censored by a Downey, California public school
- John Grisham -- The Innocent Man banned at Guantanamo Bay until a critical New York Times op-ed from Grisham was published
- Claude Guillon -- Suicide mode d'emploi banned in France in 1982
H
- Ha-Joon Chang -- Bad Samaritans banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Haidar Haidar -- A Feast for the Seaweeds banned in several Arab countries in 2000
- Radclyffe Hall -- The Well of Loneliness banned in the United Kingdom in 1928
- Paul M. Handley -- The King Never Smiles banned in Thailand in 2006
- Joseph Heller -- Catch-22 banned in various American municipalities in the 1970s; still banned in some American schools
- Claude-Adrien Helvétius -- De l'Esprit ordered burned by the French Parliament in 1761, making it popular across Europe
- Ernest Hemingway -- A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Sun Also Rises banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Rudolf Hilferding -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Morris Hillquit (Moses Hilkowitz) -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- S. E. Hinton -- The Outsiders banned by a large number of American public schools
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- books banned by various groups for being critical of Islam
- Adolf Hitler -- Mein Kampf banned in various locations since 1925
- Thomas Hobbes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- bell hooks. -- Black Looks: Race & Representation temporarily banned in Canada when it was mistaken for "hate literature"
- Langston Hughes -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- David Hume -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zora Neale Hurston -- Their Eyes Were Watching God banned by a large number of American public schools
- Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World banned in Ireland and Australia in 1932
J
- Hans Jæger -- Fra Kristiania-Bohêmen banned in Norway in 1886, with Jæger sent to jail
- Shirley Jackson -- "The Lottery" banned in South African during Apartheid
- E. L. James -- her Fifty Shades trilogy was banned from Malaysia in 2015
- Jazz Jennings -- live reading of her autobiography I Am Jazz cancelled by a Wisconsin school in November 2015 when a conservative group threatened to sue due to transgender-related content
- James Joyce -- Ulysses banned in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1922, banned in Australia in 1929, age-restricted in Australia in 1941, and banned by a large number of American public schools
K
- Erich Kästner -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Kafka -- The Metamorphosis banned under Nazi rule
- John Kampfner -- Blair's Wars banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Tomasz Kamusella -- The Polish-English-German Glossary of the Regional Terminology of the Province of Opole banned and burned in Poland in 2004
- Immanuel Kant -- Critique of Pure Reason banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Karl Kautsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Helen Keller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Johannes Kepler -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alfred Kerr -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Ken Kesey -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudyard Kipling -- works temporarily banned in the Soviet Union from 1939-1941 and permanently in 1946
- Stephen King -- several books, most notably Carrie, banned by a large number of American public schools
- Faustina Kowalska -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Christian Krohg -- Albertine banned in Norway in 1887
- Rayne Kruger -- The Devil's Discus banned in Thailand in 2006
- Elmir Kuliyev -- translation of the Qur'an banned in Novorossiysk, Russia
- Milan Kundera -- books banned under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia
L
- Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time banned by a large number of American public schools
- Alex La Guma -- writings banned in apartheid South Africa
- Jhumpa Lahiri -- The Namesake voted off an Idaho high school's reading list in 2015 due to sexual content
- Hedy Lamarr -- Ecstasy and Me banned in Australia in 1967
- Ferdinand Lassalle -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. W. de Laurence -- remains banned in Jamaica under customs law
- Anton LaVey -- The Satanic Bible banned in South Africa until 1993
- D. H. Lawrence -- Lady Chatterley's Lover banned in various countries since 1928 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sons and Lovers and Women in Love banned by a large number of American public schools
- Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird banned by a large number of American public schools
- Joseph Lelyveld -- Great Soul banned in Gujarat, India in 2011
- Vladimir Lenin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Gregorio Leti -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sinclair Lewis -- Elmer Gantry banned in some U.S. cities after publication due to its unflattering portrayal of a religious leader
- Li Hongzhi -- Zhuan Falun banned in Mainland China in 1993
- Benjamin Barr Lindsey -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Locke -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jack London -- The Call of the Wild banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lois Lowry -- Anastasia Again! and The Giver banned by a large number of American public schools
- Emil Ludwig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lung Ying-tai -- Big River, Big Sea banned in mainland China in 2009
- Martin Luther -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Rosa Luxemburg -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
M
- Niccolò Machiavelli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Madonna -- Sex banned by a large number of American public schools and libraries
- Count Maurice Maeterlinck -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter banned in Iran in 1991
- Norman Mailer -- The Naked and the Dead banned in Canada in 1949 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Maimonides -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Heinrich Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Klaus Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; Mephisto banned in West Germany until 1981
- Thomas Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Hans-Peter Martin -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Marquis de Sade -- 120 Days of Sodom banned in South Korea, 2012
- Karl Marx -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John McGahern -- The Dark banned in Ireland in 1965
- Grace Metalious -- Peyton Place banned in Canada in 1956
- Jules Michelet -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sebastian Miczyński -- Mirror of the Polish Crown banned in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1618
- John Stuart Mill -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arthur Miller -- writings banned in the Soviet Union in 1969 after he campaigned for the freedom of dissident writers
- Henry Miller -- writings banned in the United States in the 1930s; Tropic of Cancer banned in South Africa in 1934 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sexus banned in Norway
- A. A. Milne -- Winnie-the-Pooh banned in parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey for various reasons
- John Milton -- Areopagitica banned in the Kingdom of England
- Margaret Mitchell -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Molière -- Don Juan and Tartuffe both banned from performance in France in 17th C.
- Toni Morrison -- Beloved banned by a large number of American public schools
- Miloš Moskovljević -- Dictionary of Modern Serbo-Croation Language banned in Yugoslavia in 1966
- Agnar Mykle -- The Song of the Red Ruby banned in Norway in 1957
N
- Vladimir Nabokov -- Lolita banned in various locations since 1955 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- E.M. Naguib -- various fairytale retellings banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Taslima Nasrin -- Lajja banned in Bangladesh and parts of India in 1993
- Philip Nitschke -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Said Nursi -- at least 13 people sentenced in Kaliningrad, Russia for reading his works
O
- Edna O'Brien -- The Country Girls banned in Ireland in 1960; The Lonely Girl banned in Ireland in 1962
- Domhnall O'Donoghue -- imprisoned at various times in Ireland for "seditious speech"
- Joyce Carol Oates -- Foxfire restricted in Milton, Ontario schools in 1996-1997
- Franz Oppenheimer -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- George Orwell -- Animal Farm banned from Allied printing from 1943-1945, banned in Kenya in 1991, banned in the United Arab Emirates educational system in 2002; Nineteen Eighty-Four banned in the Soviet Union in 1950 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Carl von Ossietzky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Wilfred Owen -- "Futility" banned at Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and again in 2013
P
- Thomas Paine -- Rights of Man banned in Great Britain in 1791
- Blaise Pascal -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Boris Pasternak -- Doctor Zhivago banned in the Soviet Union in 1957
- Živojin Pavlović -- Curved River banned in Yugoslavia in 1963
- Gilles Perrault -- Notre ami le roi banned in Morocco in 1993
- John Perritano -- graphic novel Amityville pulled from North Carolina elementary school library in 2015 due to parent complaint regarding violent themes
- Petar II Petrović-Njegoš -- The Mountain Wreath banned in Bosnia in 1997
- William Luther Pierce -- The Turner Diaries banned in Germany in 1978; banned from printing and importing in Canada in 1978; banned in many American municipalities and school systems
- John Pilger -- Hidden Agendas banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Dav Pilkey -- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot banned by some Michigan elementary schools in 2015 for having a gay character
- Kurt Pinthus -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Antonius Possevinus -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- William Powell -- The Anarchist Cookbook banned in Australia
- Nick Pron -- Lethal Marriage banned in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1995
- Annie Proulx -- Close Range: Wyoming Stories banned or challenged in Canada due to the story "Brokeback Mountain"
- William Pynchon -- The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption banned in Puritan New England in 1650
Q
- Pilar Quintana -- copies of Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf seized from schools by the Chilean government in 2015
R
- François Rabelais -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Dorit Rabinyan -- Gader Haya banned by Israel's Department of Education in December 2015 for "threatening Jewish identity" with an Israeli-Palestinian romance
- Kamran Rad -- Freemason or Dajjal banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar -- novel Love Comes Later banned and seized in Qatar in 2014
- Walther Rathenau -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Thomas Rathsack -- Ranger: At War with the Elite banned by the Danish military in 2009
- John Reed -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front banned and burned under Nazi rule
- Samuel Richardson -- Pamela banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- José Rizal -- Noli Me Tangere banned in the Philippines in 1887; El filibusterismo banned in the Philippines in 1891
- Philip Roth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- J. K. Rowling -- banned by a large number of American Christian schools
- Salman Rushdie -- The Satanic Verses banned in the majority of Islamic countries since 1988 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Bertrand Russell -- Unarmed Victory banned in India in 1963
- Charles Taze Russell -- writings regularly banned in jurisdictions where the Jehovah's Witnesses are politically persecuted
S
- Frithjof Sælen -- Snorri the Seal banned during the German occupation of Norway
- J. D. Salinger -- The Catcher in the Rye banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jean-Paul Sartre -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Irwin Schiff -- The Federal Mafia banned from sale by a United States District Court in 1992
- Harold Schumann -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Anna Seghers -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Maurice Sendak -- In the Night Kitchen banned by a large number of American public schools
- Dr. Seuss -- Green Eggs and Ham banned in China in 1965
- Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer -- Operation Dark Heart banned and destroyed by the United States Department of Defense in 2010
- William Shakespeare -- The Merchant of Shakespeare banned at Guantanamo Bay; collection of poetry banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein banned in South Africa in 1955
- Shen Congwen -- writings banned in Communist China
- Clare Short -- An Honourable Deception: New Labour, Iraq and the Misuse of Power banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Ayesha Siddiqa -- Military Inc. banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Shel Silverstein -- A Light in the Attic banned by a large number of American public schools
- Upton Sinclair -- The Jungle banned in East Germany in 1956 and banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jaswant Singh -- Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence banned in Gujarat, India in 2009
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -- all writings banned in Soviet Union in 1964; The Gulag Archipelago banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Sophocles -- Antigone banned by Canada's Poundmaker Cree Nation in 2011
- Robert Spencer -- The Truth About Muhammad banned in Pakistan in 2006
- Benedict Spinoza -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Clive Stafford Smith -- Bad Men and Injustice banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Josef Stalin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Steinbeck -- The Grapes of Wrath banned in various American municipalities since 1939 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Of Mice and Men banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudolf Steiner -- banned in much of Europe during the 1940s
- Howard Stern -- Private Parts banned by a large number of American public schools
- Fiona Stewart -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Jon Stewart -- America: The Book banned by several retail chains and libraries in the United States in 2004
- R. L. Stine -- Goosebumps series banned by a large number of American public schools
- Živorad Stojković -- About a Silence in Literature banned in Yugoslavia in 1951
- Theodor Storm -- Auf der Universität banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Uncle Tom's Cabin banned in Russia in 1852; banned throughout the Southern United States during the American Civil War; banned in a variety of American school systems; banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Paul Strand -- photography books banned from the American market due to being printed in Communist East Germany
- Emanuel Swedenborg -- The Principia banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jonathan Swift -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
T
- Corrie ten Boom -- The Hiding Place banned by California's River Springs Charter Schools in 2014 for Christian themes
- Dorothy Thompson -- banned and expelled from Germany in 1934 for personally offending Hitler
- Miriam Tlali -- Amandla banned in apartheid South Africa
- Pramoedya Ananta Toer -- The Fugitive banned in Indonesia in 1950
- Ernst Toller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Leon Trotsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; banned or challenged in Canada
- Sojourner Truth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Kurt Tucholsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Scott Turow -- Presumed Innocent banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Mark Twain -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer banned in a large number of American public schools; holds the distinction of the being the most commonly challenged author in the United States
U
- Sigrid Undset -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Updike -- Rabbit, Run banned by a large number of American public schools
V
- Pierre Vallières -- White Niggers of America banned in Canada in 1970
- Dragiša Vasić -- writings banned in Yugoslavia in 1964
- Voltaire -- Candide banned by United States Customs in 1930; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Kurt Vonnegut -- Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five banned by a large number of American public schools
- Čeda Vuković -- Watershed banned in Yugoslavia in 1968
W
- Alice Walker -- The Color Purple banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jakob Wassermann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Waters -- Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America banned or challenged in Canada
- H. G. Wells -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Werfel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- E. B. White -- Charlotte's Web banned in 2006 in Kansas due to religious objections
- Theodor Wolff -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stanley Wolpert -- Nine Hours to Rama banned in India in 1962; Jinnah of Pakistan banned in Pakistan in 1982
- Peter Wright -- Spycatcher banned in the United Kingdom in 1985
Y
- Malala Yousafzai -- Nobel Laureate whose memoir was challenged by Menomonie, Wisconsin parents in 2017 for discussing Islam
Z
- Sajjad Zaheer -- Angaray banned in India in 1936
- Ratko Zakić -- On Fierce Wound, Fierce Herb banned and destroyed in Yugoslavia in 1967
- Johann Jacob Zimmerman -- deemed a heretic and forced to flee Germany in 1697
- Émile Zola -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arnold Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stefan Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Huldrych Zwingli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Resources
- Banned Books Week -- always the last week of September and/or first week of October
- Banned Books On-line
- Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- "Guantanamo's Banned Books"
- Nazi Book Burnings: Index to Authors
- Banned Books by Hispanic Authors
“The important task of literature is to free man, not to censor him.”
— Anaïs Nin
Throughout world history, the majority of public, educational, and religious institutions have censored certain books for political, religious, or cultural reasons.
This project serves as a place to gather together the writers -- cherished, reviled, or anywhere in-between -- who have had their work hidden from the masses.
For information about the 34th annual celebration of Banned Books Week, which was held September 25 - October 1, 2016, please visit the official website.
Banned Authors
This list is, sadly, incomplete.
A
- Richard Adams -- novel Watership Down banned from some schools due to dark themes
- Alfred Adler -- writings on homosexuality banned in much of Europe in the 1940s
- Sherman Alexie -- holds the distinction of being the most challenged modern writer in American public schools
- Isabel Allende -- The House of the Spirits and Paula challenged by some U.S. schools for sexuality and language
- Julia Alvarez -- How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents banned in some U.S. schools
- Martin Amis -- Money banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Rudolfo Anaya -- Bless Me, Ultima among the most commonly banned books in U.S. schools
- Miguel Ángel Asturias -- El Señor Presidente banned in Guatemala in 1946
- Maya Angelou -- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jacob M. Appel -- The Man Who Wouldn't Stand Up banned in Qatar in 2014 for its depiction of Islam
- Arias -- all writings banned and burned during the Roman Empire; banned again by the Roman Catholic Church into the modern era
- Manlio Argueta -- One Day of Life banned in El Salvador in 1980
- Aristophanes -- Lysistrata banned in Greece in 1967
- Sholem Asch -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jay Asher -- 2007 book Thirteen Reasons Why banned by Colorado school district in 2017 due to objections to Netflix adaptation
- H. C. Asterley -- Rowena Goes Too Far banned in Australia in 1931
- Margaret Atwood -- The Handmaid's Tale banned by a large number of American public schools
- Humayun Azad -- Nari banned in Bangladesh in 1995
B
- Natalie Babbitt -- The Devil's Storybook challenged at a Pennsylvania middle school in 2004 due to occult themes
- Isaac Babel -- banned under Soviet rule and purged by Stalin
- Francis Bacon -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- James Baldwin -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Honoré de Balzac -- Droll Stories banned in Canada in 1914; banned in Ireland in 1953
- Helen Bannerman -- Little Black Sambo banned in Japan in 1988
- Henri Barbusse -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. Frank Baum -- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz banned in Chicago in 1928 "for depicting women in strong leadership roles" and in Detroit in 1957 for having "no value for children of today"
- Vicki Baum -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Simone de Beauvoir -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- August Bebel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Brendan Behan -- Borstal Boy banned in Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand in 1958
- R. V. Bhasin -- Islam: A Concept of Political World Invasion banned in Maharashtra, India in 2007
- Steve Biko -- I Write What I Like banned in apartheid South Africa
- Buzz Bissinger -- Friday Night Lights banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jens Bjørneboe -- Uten en tråd banned in Norway in 1966
- Francesca Lia Block -- Baby Be-Bop has been banned or challenged in Canada due to homosexual content
- Judy Blume -- Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret banned by a large number of American public schools
- Giovanni Boccaccio -- The Decameron banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Ray Bradbury -- ironically, Fahrenheit 451 -- a book about censorship -- is one of the world's most famously banned books
- Russell Brand -- Booky Wooky Two banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Bertolt Brecht -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- André Brink -- his 1973 novel Kennis van die Aand was the first Afrikaans-language book to be banned by the South African government
- Max Brod -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Dan Brown -- The Da Vinci Code banned in Lebanon in 2003
- Anthony Burgess -- A Clockwork Orange banned by a large number of American public schools
- William S. Burroughs -- Naked Lunch banned in Boston, Massachusetts in 1962 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Arthur Butz -- The Hoax of the Twentieth Century banned in Canada
C
- James Cabell -- Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice opposed in 1919 by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice
- John Calvin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Petrus Canisius -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- Truman Capote -- In Cold Blood banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lewis Carroll -- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland banned in New Hampshire in 1900 and Hunan, China in 1931
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra -- specific passage from Don Quixote expurgated by the Inquisition
- Geoffrey Chaucer -- The Canterbury Tales banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873
- Stephen Chbosky -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower banned by a large number of American public schools
- Noam Chomsky -- What Uncle Sam Really Wants and Year 501: The Conquest Continues banned by the South Korean military in 2008; Interventions banned from Guantanamo Bay by the Pentagon
- Sandra Cisneros -- The House on Mango Street banned in some U.S. schools due to themes of poverty, sexuality, and racism
- Tom Clancy -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- John Cleland -- Fanny Hill banned in the United States in 1821; re-banned in the united States in 1963
- Jackie Collins -- The World Is Full of Married Men banned in Australia in 1968; The Stud banned in Australia in 1969
- August Comte -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Nora Connolly -- The Unbroken Tradition banned in the U.S. during World War I for being "anti-British"
- Joseph Conrad -- Heart of Darkness banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nicolaus Copernicus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Richard Nikolaus Coudenhove-Kalergi -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Aleksandar Cvetković -- A Message to Man and Humanity banned in Yugoslavia in 1967
D
- Milovan Đilas -- New Class banned in Yugoslavia in 1957
- Roald Dahl -- James and the Giant Peach banned by a large number of American public schools; The Witches banned by a large number of American public schools and Christian schools
- Dante -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Charles Darwin -- banned by various American school systems and private Christian schools
- Erasmus Darwin -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Ted Dawe -- Into the River banned in 2015 by New Zealand's Film and Literature Board of Review
- James Dawson -- entire young adult non-fiction collection removed from children's department of Wasilla, Alaska library in December 2015 due to complaint over This Book Is Gay
- Daniel Defoe -- Moll Flanders banned by the United States Postal Service in 1873; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alan Dershowitz -- Blasphemy: How the Religious Right Is Hijacking our Declaration of Independence banned at Guantanamo Bay
- René Descartes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Denis Diderot -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- John Dos Passos -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Fyodor Dostoevsky -- Crime and Punishment banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Frederick Douglass -- A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Theodore Dreiser -- The Genius forced off the market by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice in 1916; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Alexandre Dumas, Sr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alexandre Dumas, Jr. -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Lawrence Durrell -- The Black Book (1938) was banned from publication in England until 1973
E
- Bret Easton Ellis -- American Psycho banned in Queensland, Australia in 1991
- Ralph Ellison -- Invisible Man banned by a large number of American public schools
- Friedrich Engels -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Desiderius Erasmus -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
F
- William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying banned by a large number of American public schools
- Lion Feuchtwanger -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby banned by a large number of American public schools
- Gustave Flaubert -- Madame Bovary banned in France in 1956
- Desert Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Eliezer Flores -- How to Make Disposable Silencers banned in Australia
- Ken Follett -- The Pillars of the Earth banned by a large number of American public schools
- Frederick Forsyth -- The Kill List banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Anatole France -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Anne Frank -- The Diary of Anne Frank banned in Lebanon in 1947 and in Virginia public schools in 2010
- Frederick II of Prussia -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Paulo Freire -- Pedagogy of the Oppressed banned in Arizona schools in 2010
- Sigmund Freud -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
G
- Galileo Galilei -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- George Galloway -- I'm Not the Only One banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Gabriel García Márquez -- One Hundred Years of Solitude banned by some U.S. schools for language and sexuality
- Ian Gibson -- The Death of Lorca banned in Spain in 1971
- André Gide -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Allen Ginsberg -- Howl banned by United States Customs in 1957; poetry reading banned in 2015 by South Windsor (Conn.) High School
- Ernst Glaeser -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- William Golding -- Lord of the Flies banned by a large number of American public schools
- Nadine Gordimer -- Burger's Daughter banned in South Africa in 1979; July's People banned in South Africa in 1981
- Graham Greene -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zane Grey -- censored by a Downey, California public school
- John Grisham -- The Innocent Man banned at Guantanamo Bay until a critical New York Times op-ed from Grisham was published
- Claude Guillon -- Suicide mode d'emploi banned in France in 1982
H
- Ha-Joon Chang -- Bad Samaritans banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Haidar Haidar -- A Feast for the Seaweeds banned in several Arab countries in 2000
- Radclyffe Hall -- The Well of Loneliness banned in the United Kingdom in 1928
- Paul M. Handley -- The King Never Smiles banned in Thailand in 2006
- Joseph Heller -- Catch-22 banned in various American municipalities in the 1970s; still banned in some American schools
- Claude-Adrien Helvétius -- De l'Esprit ordered burned by the French Parliament in 1761, making it popular across Europe
- Ernest Hemingway -- A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Sun Also Rises banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Rudolf Hilferding -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Morris Hillquit (Moses Hilkowitz) -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- S. E. Hinton -- The Outsiders banned by a large number of American public schools
- Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- books banned by various groups for being critical of Islam
- Adolf Hitler -- Mein Kampf banned in various locations since 1925
- Thomas Hobbes -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- bell hooks. -- Black Looks: Race & Representation temporarily banned in Canada when it was mistaken for "hate literature"
- Langston Hughes -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- David Hume -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Zora Neale Hurston -- Their Eyes Were Watching God banned by a large number of American public schools
- Aldous Huxley -- Brave New World banned in Ireland and Australia in 1932
J
- Hans Jæger -- Fra Kristiania-Bohêmen banned in Norway in 1886, with Jæger sent to jail
- Shirley Jackson -- "The Lottery" banned in South African during Apartheid
- E. L. James -- her Fifty Shades trilogy was banned from Malaysia in 2015
- Jazz Jennings -- live reading of her autobiography I Am Jazz cancelled by a Wisconsin school in November 2015 when a conservative group threatened to sue due to transgender-related content
- James Joyce -- Ulysses banned in the United Kingdom and the United States in 1922, banned in Australia in 1929, age-restricted in Australia in 1941, and banned by a large number of American public schools
K
- Erich Kästner -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Kafka -- The Metamorphosis banned under Nazi rule
- John Kampfner -- Blair's Wars banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Tomasz Kamusella -- The Polish-English-German Glossary of the Regional Terminology of the Province of Opole banned and burned in Poland in 2004
- Immanuel Kant -- Critique of Pure Reason banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Karl Kautsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Helen Keller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Johannes Kepler -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Alfred Kerr -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Ken Kesey -- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudyard Kipling -- works temporarily banned in the Soviet Union from 1939-1941 and permanently in 1946
- Stephen King -- several books, most notably Carrie, banned by a large number of American public schools
- Faustina Kowalska -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Christian Krohg -- Albertine banned in Norway in 1887
- Rayne Kruger -- The Devil's Discus banned in Thailand in 2006
- Elmir Kuliyev -- translation of the Qur'an banned in Novorossiysk, Russia
- Milan Kundera -- books banned under the communist regime in Czechoslovakia
L
- Madeleine L'Engle -- A Wrinkle in Time banned by a large number of American public schools
- Alex La Guma -- writings banned in apartheid South Africa
- Jhumpa Lahiri -- The Namesake voted off an Idaho high school's reading list in 2015 due to sexual content
- Hedy Lamarr -- Ecstasy and Me banned in Australia in 1967
- Ferdinand Lassalle -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- L. W. de Laurence -- remains banned in Jamaica under customs law
- Anton LaVey -- The Satanic Bible banned in South Africa until 1993
- D. H. Lawrence -- Lady Chatterley's Lover banned in various countries since 1928 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sons and Lovers and Women in Love banned by a large number of American public schools
- Harper Lee -- To Kill a Mockingbird banned by a large number of American public schools
- Joseph Lelyveld -- Great Soul banned in Gujarat, India in 2011
- Vladimir Lenin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Gregorio Leti -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sinclair Lewis -- Elmer Gantry banned in some U.S. cities after publication due to its unflattering portrayal of a religious leader
- Li Hongzhi -- Zhuan Falun banned in Mainland China in 1993
- Benjamin Barr Lindsey -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Locke -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jack London -- The Call of the Wild banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lois Lowry -- Anastasia Again! and The Giver banned by a large number of American public schools
- Emil Ludwig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Lung Ying-tai -- Big River, Big Sea banned in mainland China in 2009
- Martin Luther -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Rosa Luxemburg -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
M
- Niccolò Machiavelli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Madonna -- Sex banned by a large number of American public schools and libraries
- Count Maurice Maeterlinck -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Betty Mahmoody -- Not Without My Daughter banned in Iran in 1991
- Norman Mailer -- The Naked and the Dead banned in Canada in 1949 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Maimonides -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Heinrich Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Klaus Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; Mephisto banned in West Germany until 1981
- Thomas Mann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Hans-Peter Martin -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Marquis de Sade -- 120 Days of Sodom banned in South Korea, 2012
- Karl Marx -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John McGahern -- The Dark banned in Ireland in 1965
- Grace Metalious -- Peyton Place banned in Canada in 1956
- Jules Michelet -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Sebastian Miczyński -- Mirror of the Polish Crown banned in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1618
- John Stuart Mill -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arthur Miller -- writings banned in the Soviet Union in 1969 after he campaigned for the freedom of dissident writers
- Henry Miller -- writings banned in the United States in the 1930s; Tropic of Cancer banned in South Africa in 1934 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Sexus banned in Norway
- A. A. Milne -- Winnie-the-Pooh banned in parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Turkey for various reasons
- John Milton -- Areopagitica banned in the Kingdom of England
- Margaret Mitchell -- banned by a large number of American public schools
- Molière -- Don Juan and Tartuffe both banned from performance in France in 17th C.
- Toni Morrison -- Beloved banned by a large number of American public schools
- Miloš Moskovljević -- Dictionary of Modern Serbo-Croation Language banned in Yugoslavia in 1966
- Agnar Mykle -- The Song of the Red Ruby banned in Norway in 1957
N
- Vladimir Nabokov -- Lolita banned in various locations since 1955 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- E.M. Naguib -- various fairytale retellings banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Taslima Nasrin -- Lajja banned in Bangladesh and parts of India in 1993
- Philip Nitschke -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Said Nursi -- at least 13 people sentenced in Kaliningrad, Russia for reading his works
O
- Edna O'Brien -- The Country Girls banned in Ireland in 1960; The Lonely Girl banned in Ireland in 1962
- Domhnall O'Donoghue -- imprisoned at various times in Ireland for "seditious speech"
- Joyce Carol Oates -- Foxfire restricted in Milton, Ontario schools in 1996-1997
- Franz Oppenheimer -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- George Orwell -- Animal Farm banned from Allied printing from 1943-1945, banned in Kenya in 1991, banned in the United Arab Emirates educational system in 2002; Nineteen Eighty-Four banned in the Soviet Union in 1950 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Carl von Ossietzky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Wilfred Owen -- "Futility" banned at Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and again in 2013
P
- Thomas Paine -- Rights of Man banned in Great Britain in 1791
- Blaise Pascal -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Boris Pasternak -- Doctor Zhivago banned in the Soviet Union in 1957
- Živojin Pavlović -- Curved River banned in Yugoslavia in 1963
- Gilles Perrault -- Notre ami le roi banned in Morocco in 1993
- John Perritano -- graphic novel Amityville pulled from North Carolina elementary school library in 2015 due to parent complaint regarding violent themes
- Petar II Petrović-Njegoš -- The Mountain Wreath banned in Bosnia in 1997
- William Luther Pierce -- The Turner Diaries banned in Germany in 1978; banned from printing and importing in Canada in 1978; banned in many American municipalities and school systems
- John Pilger -- Hidden Agendas banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Dav Pilkey -- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot banned by some Michigan elementary schools in 2015 for having a gay character
- Kurt Pinthus -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Antonius Possevinus -- banned in Norway in 1580 for publishing "Catholic propaganda"
- William Powell -- The Anarchist Cookbook banned in Australia
- Nick Pron -- Lethal Marriage banned in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1995
- Annie Proulx -- Close Range: Wyoming Stories banned or challenged in Canada due to the story "Brokeback Mountain"
- William Pynchon -- The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption banned in Puritan New England in 1650
Q
- Pilar Quintana -- copies of Little Red Riding Hood Eats the Wolf seized from schools by the Chilean government in 2015
R
- François Rabelais -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Dorit Rabinyan -- Gader Haya banned by Israel's Department of Education in December 2015 for "threatening Jewish identity" with an Israeli-Palestinian romance
- Kamran Rad -- Freemason or Dajjal banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Mohanalakshmi Rajakumar -- novel Love Comes Later banned and seized in Qatar in 2014
- Walther Rathenau -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Thomas Rathsack -- Ranger: At War with the Elite banned by the Danish military in 2009
- John Reed -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Erich Maria Remarque -- All Quiet on the Western Front banned and burned under Nazi rule
- Samuel Richardson -- Pamela banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- José Rizal -- Noli Me Tangere banned in the Philippines in 1887; El filibusterismo banned in the Philippines in 1891
- Philip Roth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- J. K. Rowling -- banned by a large number of American Christian schools
- Salman Rushdie -- The Satanic Verses banned in the majority of Islamic countries since 1988 and banned by a large number of American public schools
- Bertrand Russell -- Unarmed Victory banned in India in 1963
- Charles Taze Russell -- writings regularly banned in jurisdictions where the Jehovah's Witnesses are politically persecuted
S
- Frithjof Sælen -- Snorri the Seal banned during the German occupation of Norway
- J. D. Salinger -- The Catcher in the Rye banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jean-Paul Sartre -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Irwin Schiff -- The Federal Mafia banned from sale by a United States District Court in 1992
- Harold Schumann -- The Global Trap banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Anna Seghers -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Maurice Sendak -- In the Night Kitchen banned by a large number of American public schools
- Dr. Seuss -- Green Eggs and Ham banned in China in 1965
- Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer -- Operation Dark Heart banned and destroyed by the United States Department of Defense in 2010
- William Shakespeare -- The Merchant of Shakespeare banned at Guantanamo Bay; collection of poetry banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Mary Shelley -- Frankenstein banned in South Africa in 1955
- Shen Congwen -- writings banned in Communist China
- Clare Short -- An Honourable Deception: New Labour, Iraq and the Misuse of Power banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Ayesha Siddiqa -- Military Inc. banned in Pakistan in 2007
- Shel Silverstein -- A Light in the Attic banned by a large number of American public schools
- Upton Sinclair -- The Jungle banned in East Germany in 1956 and banned by a large number of American public schools; writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Jaswant Singh -- Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence banned in Gujarat, India in 2009
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn -- all writings banned in Soviet Union in 1964; The Gulag Archipelago banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Sophocles -- Antigone banned by Canada's Poundmaker Cree Nation in 2011
- Robert Spencer -- The Truth About Muhammad banned in Pakistan in 2006
- Benedict Spinoza -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Clive Stafford Smith -- Bad Men and Injustice banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Josef Stalin -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Steinbeck -- The Grapes of Wrath banned in various American municipalities since 1939 and banned by a large number of American public schools; Of Mice and Men banned by a large number of American public schools
- Rudolf Steiner -- banned in much of Europe during the 1940s
- Howard Stern -- Private Parts banned by a large number of American public schools
- Fiona Stewart -- The Peaceful Pill Handbook banned in New Zealand in 2007
- Jon Stewart -- America: The Book banned by several retail chains and libraries in the United States in 2004
- R. L. Stine -- Goosebumps series banned by a large number of American public schools
- Živorad Stojković -- About a Silence in Literature banned in Yugoslavia in 1951
- Theodor Storm -- Auf der Universität banned within the South Korean military in 2008
- Harriet Beecher Stowe -- Uncle Tom's Cabin banned in Russia in 1852; banned throughout the Southern United States during the American Civil War; banned in a variety of American school systems; banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Paul Strand -- photography books banned from the American market due to being printed in Communist East Germany
- Emanuel Swedenborg -- The Principia banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Jonathan Swift -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
T
- Corrie ten Boom -- The Hiding Place banned by California's River Springs Charter Schools in 2014 for Christian themes
- Dorothy Thompson -- banned and expelled from Germany in 1934 for personally offending Hitler
- Miriam Tlali -- Amandla banned in apartheid South Africa
- Pramoedya Ananta Toer -- The Fugitive banned in Indonesia in 1950
- Ernst Toller -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Leon Trotsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis; banned or challenged in Canada
- Sojourner Truth -- banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
- Kurt Tucholsky -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Scott Turow -- Presumed Innocent banned at Guantanamo Bay
- Mark Twain -- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer banned in a large number of American public schools; holds the distinction of the being the most commonly challenged author in the United States
U
- Sigrid Undset -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Updike -- Rabbit, Run banned by a large number of American public schools
V
- Pierre Vallières -- White Niggers of America banned in Canada in 1970
- Dragiša Vasić -- writings banned in Yugoslavia in 1964
- [Владимир Николаевич Войнович] - Satirical novel "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin" was banned in USSR
- Voltaire -- Candide banned by United States Customs in 1930; banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Kurt Vonnegut -- Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse-Five banned by a large number of American public schools
- Čeda Vuković -- Watershed banned in Yugoslavia in 1968
W
- Alice Walker -- The Color Purple banned by a large number of American public schools
- Jakob Wassermann -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- John Waters -- Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America banned or challenged in Canada
- H. G. Wells -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Franz Werfel -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- E. B. White -- Charlotte's Web banned in 2006 in Kansas due to religious objections
- Theodor Wolff -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stanley Wolpert -- Nine Hours to Rama banned in India in 1962; Jinnah of Pakistan banned in Pakistan in 1982
- Peter Wright -- Spycatcher banned in the United Kingdom in 1985
Y
- Malala Yousafzai -- Nobel Laureate whose memoir was challenged by Menomonie, Wisconsin parents in 2017 for discussing Islam
Z
- Sajjad Zaheer -- Angaray banned in India in 1936
- Ratko Zakić -- On Fierce Wound, Fierce Herb banned and destroyed in Yugoslavia in 1967
- Johann Jacob Zimmerman -- deemed a heretic and forced to flee Germany in 1697
- Émile Zola -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- Arnold Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Stefan Zweig -- writings banned and burned by the Nazis
- Huldrych Zwingli -- banned under the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Resources
- Banned Books Week -- always the last week of September and/or first week of October
- Banned Books On-line
- Index Librorum Prohibitorum
- "Guantanamo's Banned Books"
- Nazi Book Burnings: Index to Authors
- Banned Books by Hispanic Authors