Dua Lipa Opens Library For Banned, Censored Books

Pop star Dua Lipa is taking her love for books offline and unusual.

The Grammy-winning singer has partnered with Porto’s iconic Livraria Lello bookstore in Portugal to launch The Manifesto Library, a physical library dedicated to banned and censored books.

Opening on June 27, the library will house 100 books that have been challenged, restricted or banned over themes such as race, sexuality and LGBTQIA+ issues. It will also honour authors who faced persecution, and in some cases death, because of their writings.

“When I founded the Service95 Book Club, my ambition was for it to become a home for writers and readers everywhere,” Lipa said in a statement. “Sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is read a book and then talk about it.”

Located inside Livraria Lello’s new cultural auditorium, The Manifesto Library is envisioned as a living space for reading, debate and public reflection, encouraging visitors to engage with ideas that challenge censorship and dominant narratives.

For Dua Lipa, it is more than a library, it is a celebration of literature’s power to question, provoke and inspire.