Category - Books

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6 Dark Humour Books
2
15 Bizarre Books
3
My Reading List
4
5 Controversial Transgressive Novels
5
14 Fascinating Book Facts
6
6 Dark Fiction Reading Recommendations
7
My Book Prizes Must Be Won
8
Transgressive Fiction: A History
9
10 Transgressive Novels
10
15 Banned Books

6 Dark Humour Books

This week sees the second instalment in my dark humour book series. Here are five darkly humorous books that I have read and one that I have written. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk 

Damned is a light-hearted satire of hell, punctuated with comical details, pop-culture references and Theological irony.

My Review: The protagonist is thirteen-year-old Madison, the daughter of wealthy alternative parents.  The privileged Madison studies at an exclusive Swiss boarding school and spends her holidays alternating …(more)

Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis 

Lunar Park is a self-indulgent suburban horror that forces the reader to travel back through Easton Ellis’s old books.

My Review: Lunar Park is a mock memoir that begins with a parodic account of Bret Easton Ellis’s early fame. The young New York resident’s existence consists of endless parties, casual relationships, spiralling drug use, embarrassing book tours and …(more)

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh 

Skagboys is a work of Transgressive Fiction whose main focus is many of its characters increasing obsession with heroin.

My Review: Skagboys is the prequel to Trainspotting. Its colourful, mostly young characters hail from the Edinburgh port suburb of Leith. There is the bookish, unambitious Mark ‘Rents’ Renton, and his best friend, the verbose, predatory womaniser Sick Boy …(more)

Rant by Chuck Palahniuk 

Rant

Rant challenges our own traditions by demonstrating how we contort our recollection of events in accordance with our desires, motives and beliefs.

My Review: Rant is the oral history of Buster ‘Rant’ Casey, recounted by an array of people including his relations, friends, enemies and lovers. Rant’s childhood companions from the small rural town where …(more)

An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd 

An Ice-Cream War’s motif is the absurdness of war. This unpredictable serio-comedy’s blend of tragedy and black humour appealed to this reader.

My Review: After much tension and speculation, World War I begins. The main campaign is contended on the Western Front, but there is also a less well-known offensive in colonial East Africa, where the British and their native conscripts are …(more)

Sepultura (#2 Necropolis Trilogy) by Guy Portman

Sepultura is a caustic black comedy featuring an unforgettable sociopath. Click here to get #1 for FREE. 800+ Ratings for Necropolis Trilogy on Goodreads.

Dyson Devereux is a busy man, with a challenging new job at Paleham Council and a young son. He would be coping just fine were it not for crass colleagues, banal bureaucracy and contemptible clothes. He is not going to take it lying down …(more)

15 Bizarre Books

I am fascinated by bizarre books, and have devoted numerous blog posts to the subject in recent years. This week’s post consists of some of the highlights. Here are 15 books that I consider to be bizarre. I have added pithy comments/fictitious dialogue below each.

 

Gadsby: A Lipogram Novel

Gadsby2

This 50,000+ word lipogram novel claims not to use the letter e.

How many e’s can you spot on the front cover?

 

Nuclear War Fun Book

Who would have thought nuclear war could be so much fun.

 

How To Make Your Own Dolls For Pleasure And Profit

The highly unimaginative front cover makes me suspicious as to Schauffler’s doll making abilities, be they for pleasure or profit.

 

How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

Would you trust the author to make you disappear when he can’t spell disappear?

 

Why Cats Paint

cats-paint

Why cats paint? Boredom mostly. Playing with balls of string and toying with mice can only keep them entertained so long.

 

How To Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety

gun-safety-cat

Owner: Yes Tiddles, approach the gun like that.

Tiddles: Meow, meow, purr.

Owner: That is the safety switch. Do not turn it off. No!

Tiddles: Meow, hiss!

Owner: Not the trigger. NOOO!

Bang!

 

Dating for Under a Dollar: 301 Ideas

Dollar Dating

Go to McDonald’s with your date and order a grilled onion cheddar burger from the dollar menu, then pull out 99c and plead until they let you off the 1c. Now cut the burger in 2 and give her/him half, but with all the onions.

Date: ‘All the onions? That’s so kind. Are you sure?’

You: ‘Yes I’m sure. Now eat them before I change my mind.’

 

The Book of Marmalade

marmalade

For those of us who spreading it on our toast is not enough.

 

How to Abandon Ship

Abandon Ship

Brimming with helpful tips from Argentine sailors.

 

Latawnya, the Naughty Horse, Learns to Say “No” to Drugs

Horse

This is how I imagine Latawnya the Naughty Horse learns how to say ‘No’ to drugs.

Someone walks into Latawnya’s stable holding some drugs.

Person: ‘Hi Latawnya you naughty horse, would you like some drugs?’

Latawnya: ‘Neighhhh.’

‘Let’s try that again shall we. Would you like some drugs?’

‘Neighhhh.’

‘Would you like some drugs?’

‘Neighhhno.’

Latawyna has learnt to say no to drugs. Have you?

 

How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack

gnome

You mean to tell me that gnomes are not only the height of bad taste, they also attack.

 

Collectible Spoons of the 3rd Reich

Spoons Reich

Not interested. I only collect 3rd Reich forks.

 

Microwave Cooking for One

microwave

Read the instructions on the back of the packet, place food item in microwave, set time and press start. When microwave makes a beeping noise remove food.

 

CB for Christians

There are books written millennia ago that have dated better than this.

 

Big & Little Crochets

What ludicrous garments.

My Reading List

As Frank Zappa once famously said, ‘So many books, so little time.’ I am sure many of you can empathise with that, I certainly can. As well as keeping busy writing (4 novels to date) I like to read. My writing genre is dark humour/satire. Because of this I tend to read a lot of books that fall into this category. However, I am something of an eclectic reader. Today, I would like to share with you a few books from my ever-growing TBR list.

Yes, I am aware the above is a picture of a dog not a book cover. Trigga has picked up some unsavoury habits of late, possibly from his owner. As a result I have decided to deviate from my usual reading matter to read …

The Dog Listener

Wish me luck.

I have not read much Irvine Welsh, but I was immensely impressed by Skagboys which I read earlier this year. My next Welsh book will be … What a great title, marabou storks are terrifying creatures.

Marabou Stork Nightmares

American Gods

Goodreads members have been raving about American Gods for a long time. It is high time that I read it.

Bret Easton Ellis has certainly had an influence on me and my writing. I didn’t think much of Lunar Park though. Hopefully this will be better.

Imperial Bedrooms

When it comes to entertainment, you can’t beat prison breaks. Somehow, I have never got around to reading:

Papillon

Like its prequel Blood Ties promises to be a gritty Manchester-based crime novel.

Blood Ties

The word ‘scarface’ was enough to prompt me to add the below to my to-read list. Just as many the world over, the film Scarface had a profound effect on me.

Hotel Scarface

The Journey of Crazy Horse

I have always been fascinated by indigenous Americans. Crazy Horse is an iconic figure and I have high hopes for this book.

Fiend

If you know you me, you will know that I cannot resist Transgressive Fiction hence the inclusion of Fiend on my TBR.

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5 Controversial Transgressive Novels

I am an avid reader and writer of Transgressive Fiction, and the proud proprietor of the world’s largest resource for Transgressive Fiction (this website).

Because of the ‘deviant’ nature of their protagonists, Transgressive Fiction has often been viewed as controversial. Here are five works of Transgressive Fiction that have caused controversy. They are presented in chronological order. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

Tropic of Cancer

Why Controversial: It was Tropic of Cancer‘s candid sexual content that led to it being banned from being imported into the United States after its publication in France in 1934. In 1964 the U.S. Supreme Court deemed it to be non-obscene in a landmark verdict.

My Review: Set in the late 1920s and early 30s, Tropic of Cancer is a semi-autobiographical first-person account of a young, struggling American writer living in Paris, and for a short period Le Havre. His is a seedy existence, characterised by a shortage of money …(more)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955) 

Lolita

Why Controversial: Citing the book’s controversial subject matter and perceived pornographic content, the UK Home Office confiscated all copies of the book in 1955. Lolita was banned in France the following year, but never in the US. It continues to cause controversy to this day.

My Review: The protagonist, Humbert Humbert, is an intellectual with an all-consuming craving for young girls, or nymphets as he refers to them. After his wife leaves him for another man, Humbert Humbert becomes a live-in tutor for the Hazes …(more)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

Why Controversial:  In 1973 a bookseller in Utah was arrested for selling A Clockwork Orange. The text has been banned in various High Schools and libraries down the years in the US. Much of the controversy surrounding the book is because of its violent film adaptation.

My Review: Alex is an eccentric 15-year-old delinquent with a penchant for classical music and drinking milk. He and his fellow ‘droogs’ assault, rob and rape with impunity, that is until a serious incident sees him arrested and incarcerated. Our anti-hero is anticipating …(more)

Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. (1964)

Why Controversial: This cult classic was lauded by many at the time of its publication and continues to be to this day. However, its candid portrayals of numerous taboo topics drew the ire of the authorities in the UK, where it was subjected to an obscenity trial. The book was banned in Italy.

My Review: This inter-related collection of six stories are set in 1950s Brooklyn, New York. One revolves around a Benzedrine-scoffing transvestite’s unreciprocated love for a hoodlum. The protagonist of another is a callous, heavy-drinking prostitute, hell-bent on …(more)

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991) 

American Psycho

Why Controversial: Even before its publication American Psycho received damning criticism for its graphic violence and perceived misogynistic content.  The book was banned in Canada and Queensland (Australia). In the rest of Australia and New Zealand its sale remains restricted to over eighteen’s.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman. Patrick is intelligent, well-educated, wealthy and …(more)

About me.

 

 

14 Fascinating Book Facts

This week whilst whiling away some time on the internet, I discovered some interesting and in some instances ludicrous book-related ‘facts’ that have not previously made an appearance here on my blog. Before I share them a quick reminder about my book prize draw (ends Apr 15th). Further details can be found at the bottom of this post. Without further ado here are the facts:

Ever wondered which is the most banned book in America? The Harry Potter books are said to be the most banned in America. This is due to religious complaints, primarily from Evangelical Christian groups.

It transpires that there is a use for Mills & Boon novels after all. The M6 toll road was built on 2.5 million copies of pulped Mills & Boon novels.

The most expensive book ever is allegedly Codex Leicester by Leonardo Da Vinci. According to Business Insider Bill Gates paid $30.8 million (half an hour’s salary) for a copy.

It has been claimed that the first book written on a typewriter was Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi

President Theodore Roosevelt read at least one book per day. The same number as the present incumbent has read in a lifetime then.

The top 3 most read books in the world are: The Holy Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung and the Harry Potter series.

As of mid-2017, there were an estimated 134,399,411 total published books in the world.  That is a lot of books. No wonder us authors have such a hard job selling them.

Have you ever wondered how all those Gideons Bibles end up in hotel rooms? I certainly have. They are distributed by Gideons International, an organisation set up with the sole purpose of distributing Bibles. Gideons are said to have distributed over 2 billion Bibles at a rate of 2 Bibles per second/7,200 per hour. Staggering. Not to mention bad news for the World’s tree population.

Prior to Bill Gates’s book spending splurge, the most expensive book ever was allegedly the 1640 Bay Psalm book. It sold at auction for $14.2 million

The Powell’s City of Books bookstore in Oregon takes up an entire city block (1.6 acres/68,000 square feet) of retail space. (see picture below).

Aristophanes’ play Assemblywomen contains the longest word in Greek – 171 letters. It is the name of a fictional food dish. Here it is translated into English – Lopado­­temacho­­selacho­­galeo­­kranio­­leipsano­­drim­­hypo­­trimmato­­silphio­­parao­­melito­­katakechy­­meno­­kichl­­epi­­kossypho­­phatto­­perister­­alektryon­­opte­­kephallio­­kigklo­­peleio­­lagoio­­siraio­­baphe­­tragano­­pterygon. I am so pleased I was never given the part that has this word in the school play.

Did you know that books often used to be chained to shelves in libraries, in order to prevent borrowing stealing?

The slowest-selling book ever is reputedly a 1716 translation of the New Testament from Coptic into Latin. The last of its 500 copies was sold in 1907.

The first book described as a ‘best-seller’ was Fools of Nature by Dan Alice Brown (1899).

About me.

Enter my prize draw and win a rare, signed, first edition copy of Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted (Worth: £122.21/$170.70) + more dark humour book prizes must be won. Click Here to Enter.

6 Dark Fiction Reading Recommendations

I am an avid reader and writer of Dark Fiction. Here are six Dark Fiction reading recommendations for you, some of which are humorous, some of which are not. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Definition: Dark fiction is concerned with the sinister side of human nature. It is often distinguished from the mainstream horror genre in that it tends not to be fantasy-orientated. Dark fiction may contain elements of black or satirical humour.

Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

A sense of doom and despair permeates this somewhat disparate assemblage whose cynicism, dark humour and tormented, fin-de-siécle tone appealed to this reader.

My Review: The book, which is divided into four parts, begins with the sinister tale Rashōmon. Set during the Heian era (11th century) it sees a confrontation between an unemployed servant and an old woman, who is in the process of …(more)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Imbibed with a sense of impending doom, Rebecca is a slow-moving, haunting and atmospheric literary masterpiece, boasting an expertly woven plot and an abrupt ending.

My Review: Our young, unnamed narrator is working as an assistant for a rich American woman in Monte Carlo. It is here that she meets recently widowed, forty-two-year-old Maximilian (Maxim) de Winter. Maxim is the proprietor …(more)

POP.1280 by Jim Thompson

About: Pop.1280 is a first person work of noir fiction set in a sordid, rural Texas backwater. It is written in the author’s trademark stark, pulp prose style.   

My Review: Sheriff Nick Corey’s problems are mounting. There are the troublesome pimps, the nagging wife and mistress, and the forthcoming election that could see him replaced as sheriff. Intent on avoiding conflict at all costs, the seemingly slow-witted …(more)

Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev

About: Novel with Cocaine is a nihilistic and philosophical novel about adolescence and addiction that could be described as Dostoyevskian.

My Review: Set in the years immediately before and after the Russian Revolution, Novel with Cocaine follows the life of Vadim, a Moscow adolescent and student. Vadim is prone to self-loathing and disdainful of others, none more so than his mother, whose …(more)

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh 

Skagboys is a work of Transgressive Fiction set for the most part in Scotland. Its main focus is many of its characters increasing obsession with heroin.

My Review: Skagboys is the prequel to Trainspotting. Its colourful, mostly young characters hail from the Edinburgh port suburb of Leith. There is the bookish, unambitious Mark ‘Rents’ Renton, and his best friend, the verbose, predatory womaniser Sick Boy …(more)

An Ice-Cream War by William Boyd

An Ice-Cream War’s motif is the absurdness of war. This unpredictable serio-comedy’s blend of tragedy and black humour appealed to this reader

My Review: After much tension and speculation, World War I begins. The main campaign is contended on the Western Front, but there is also a less well-known offensive in colonial East Africa, where the British and their native conscripts are pitted against the …(more)

My Book Prizes Must Be Won

I am excited to announce that my prize draw starts today. As I am an avid writer and reader of dark humour, I have opted for prizes that reflect this.

1st PRIZE: A rare, signed, flawless, first edition, hardback copy of Haunted (2005) by Chuck Palahniuk (Worth: £122.21/$170.70). Haunted is one of the most provocative and controversial works of fiction ever written.

Two Lucky Runners-Up will receive the following three darkly humorous books, all of which I highly recommend. Post Office by Charles Bukowski, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

To enter all you have to do is sign up to my humorous, monthly, book-related newsletter. Click on this link to enter – MY PRIZE DRAW

Click here to view one of my newsletters.

If you want to enter My Prize Draw but are already signed up to my newsletter, just sign up again. I will get rid of any duplicates.

Good luck!


Terms & Conditions: The contest’s duration is 16/03/18 – 15/04/18. Entries close at midnight GMT. Prizes will be sent by recorded/special delivery. Participants from any country are eligible. The runners-up prizes are new paperbacks sourced from Amazon. Winners will be selected at random using a random number generator. Winners will be informed by email on the 16/04/18. Subscribers can unsubscribe to my book-related newsletter at any time. All queries should be sent to info@guyportman.com


About me.

Transgressive Fiction: A History

Transgressive fiction is a genre that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways. Protagonists in Transgressive literature are in one form or other rebelling against society. Due to this they may appear to be anti-social, nihilistic or even sociopathic. Transgressive literature deals with potentially controversial subjects …

Though fiction of this kind has only relatively recently been labelled as Transgressive, its origins lie in the literature of the past. The writing of the Marquis de Sade, Émile Zola and even Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s seminal work, Crime and Punishment, have been described as Transgressive. But it was the following 20th Century authors who came to be viewed as the early exponents of the genre.

James Joyce

February 2nd 1882 – January 13th 1941

Notable Transgressive Work: Ulysses

James Joyce was a central figure in the modernist avant-garde. His seminal work, Ulysses, embraced a revolutionary stream of consciousness style that influenced many later writers. At the time of its publication, the book’s masturbation scene was viewed as so scandalous that it was the subject of an obscenity trial.

D. H. Lawrence

September 11th 1885 – March 2nd 1930

Notable Transgressive Works: Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The Rainbow

Lady Chatterley’s Lover, though published was heavily censored, due to what was regarded at the time as its pornographic content. Thirty years after Lawrence’s death Penguin attempted to publish the original version, but were forced to go to trial because of the ‘Obscene Publications Act’ of the previous year.

Vladimir Nabokov

April 22nd 1899 – July 2nd 1977

Notable Transgressive Work: Lolita

Nabokov’s most famous work, Lolita, is widely regarded as one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century. It is also considered one of the most controversial books of all time because of its sensitive subject matter – the protagonist Humbert Humbert’s infatuation with a twelve-year-old girl.

William S. Burroughs


February 5th 1914 – August 2nd 1997

Notable Transgressive Works: Junky, Queer, The Soft Machine, Naked Lunch

Burroughs was a controversial character who rebelled against the social norms of his era by writing about disillusionment, drugs and homosexuality. The non-linear Naked Lunch was perceived as so scandalous at the time of its publication that it underwent a court case under U.S. obscenity laws.

 To be continued …

10 Transgressive Novels

I am an avid writer and reader of Transgressive Fiction. Last November I devoted a blog post to 10 works of Transgressive Fiction. This week we return to the subject with 10 more Transgressive novels, none of which featured in the previous post. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Definition: Transgressive Fiction is a genre that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways.

The following books are presented in chronological order:

 

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

Tropic of Cancer

Sexuality, freedom and the human condition are themes in this ground-breaking work of Transgressive Fiction. Tropic of Cancer was banned from being imported into the United States after its publication in France in 1934. 

My Review: Set in the late 1920s and early 30s, Tropic of Cancer is a semi-autobiographical first-person account of a young, struggling American writer living in Paris, and for a short period Le Havre. His is a seedy existence, characterised by a shortage of money …(more)

 

Novel with Cocaine by M. Ageyev (1934)

Novel with Cocaine is a nihilistic and philosophical novel about adolescence and addiction that could be described as Dostoyevskian. Since the time of its publication in book form there has been intense speculation over who wrote it.

My Review: Set in the years immediately before and after the Russian Revolution, Novel with Cocaine follows the life of Vadim, a Moscow adolescent and student. Vadim is prone to self-loathing and disdainful of others, none more so than his mother, whose …(more)

 

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (1952)

The Killer Inside Me is a suspenseful and unrelentingly bleak first person narrative about a psychopath. It is the most disturbing work of fiction this reader has ever read. The book left an indelible mark on his mind.

My Review: Twenty-nine-year-old Lou Ford is a Deputy Sheriff from the West Texas town of Central City. Lou is a hard-working and simple character with a fondness for clichés; at least this is how he is perceived by his community …(more)

 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Lolita

The story is about a man named Humbert Humbert, who falls in love with a twelve-year-old girl, Lolita, the daughter of his landlady. Banned in a number of countries Lolita continues to cause controversy to this day.

My Review: The protagonist, Humbert Humbert, is an intellectual with an all-consuming craving for young girls, or nymphets as he refers to them.  After his wife leaves him for another man, Humbert Humbert becomes a live-in tutor for the Hazes, a family consisting of a …(more)

 

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

First published in 1962, A Clockwork Orange is a ground-breaking and controversial book with an intriguing and intelligent narrator, which leaves many questions to ponder concerning behaviourism and the role of the state. 

My Review: Alex is an eccentric 15-year-old delinquent with a penchant for classical music and drinking milk. He and his fellow ‘droogs’ assault, rob and rape with impunity, that is until a serious incident sees him arrested and incarcerated. Our anti-hero is anticipating …(more)

 

Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski (1982)

Ham On Rye

Ham On Rye is a coming-of-age story, in which the protagonist views himself as an intruder, refusing to adhere to society’s expectations. This is a sad and moving work written in the author’s trademark economy of prose style.

My Review: Ham On Rye is a semi-autobiographical account of Bukowski’s formative years in his home city of Los Angeles. The story follows the early life of the author’s alter ego, Henry Chinaski, starting with his earliest memories, then through his school years …(more)

 

Queer by William S. Burroughs (1985)

Queer

Autobiographical in nature, the book is an account of Burroughs’s life in Mexico, during a troubled time in his life shortly after accidentally shooting wife Joan Vollmer dead. The author adeptly portrays a deep sense of longing and loss. 

My Review: Queer is an unreciprocated love story, in which the protagonist Lee craves love and attention from a young American by the name of Eugene Allerton. Set in the American ex-pat scene of hedonistic, lawless 1940s Mexico …(more)

 

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991) 

American Psycho

American Psycho is a satire of the yuppies culture of the 1980s. The book caused outrage when it was published due to its explicit violent and sexual content, as well as its perceived misogynistic elements.

My Review: American Psycho is a highly controversial novel that brought its young author Bret Easton Ellis instant fame. The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman. He is intelligent, well-educated, wealth …(more)

 

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)

FightClub

The author takes us on a journey through a dark, menacing and brutal world that mirrors the film it inspired almost exactly. Palahniuk’s seminal work is about a nameless narrator, who starts a fight club with a charismatic anarchist.

My Review: The protagonist, who remains nameless, is an insomniac leading a bland corporate existence, investigating accidents for a car company, whose only concern is profit. Unable to find meaning in a faceless consumerist society, he instead seeks solace in …(more)

 

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh (2012)

Skagboys is a work of Transgressive Fiction set for the most part in 1980s Scotland against a backdrop of Thatcherism, the rise of dance of music and HIV. The main focus is many of the characters increasing obsession with heroin.

My Review: Skagboys is the prequel to Trainspotting. Its colourful, mostly young characters hail from the Edinburgh port suburb of Leith. There is the bookish, unambitious Mark ‘Rents’ Renton, and his best friend, the verbose, predatory womaniser Sick Boy …(more)

 

15 Banned Books

‘Few things in life seem more sexy than a banned book.’ — Chuck Palahniuk

Back when this blog was in its infancy I dedicated a post to 10 banned books. Today, we revisit this fascinating topic with this expanded post.

In chronological order here are 15 famous books that have been banned:

 

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell (1877)

This best-selling didactic story is narrated by its protagonist, the horse Black Beauty. The book emphasises the importance of animal welfare, in addition to lessons pertaining to kindness and sympathy.

Why Banned: Black Beauty was allegedly banned by the white apartheid government in South Africa because it contained the word ‘black’ in its title. It was assumed that the book was a black rights novel.

 

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915) 

The Metamorphosis

Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find that he has been transformed into a beetle. To compound matters Gregor’s family now see no use for him. Click here to read my review.

Why Banned: Kafka’s books were banned in Czechoslovakia because he refused to write in Czech (Kafka wrote in German). The author’s works were also banned during the Nazi occupation and later by the communist regime.

 

Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness novel chronicles a day in the life of Leopold Bloom. The day in question is 16th June 1904. Ulysses is regarded as one of the most important works of modernist literature.

Why Banned: Joyce’s seminal work was declared obscene at trial in 1921 in America due to its sexual descriptions. Throughout the 1920s the book was burned by United States Post Office department.

 

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (1928)

This novel is about a homosexual upper-class Englishwoman. The book argued that ‘inversion’ is a natural state and that people should be left to their own choices.

Why Banned: The editor of the UK newspaper the ‘Sunday Express’ was so disgusted by the book’s subject matter he campaigned against it. It was judged to be obscene by a British court but survived legal challenges in the US.

 

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (1928)

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a fictional account of an aristocrat’s clandestine love affair with the family gamekeeper. The book details their erotic meetings.

Why Banned: Lady Chatterley’s Lover’s perceived pornographic content resulted in the original version being banned in the UK. Penguin published the book in its entirety when the decision was overturned in 1960.

 

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

The Grapes of Wrath

Set during the Great Depression, The Grapes of Wrath is about a poor family from Oklahoma who trek to California to start a new life.

Why Banned: This Pullitzer Prize winner was banned from many libraries in the US, and was even burned due to peoples outrage at its controversial depiction of the poor.

 

Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945) 

Animal Farm

This dystopian novel about animals living on a farm is an allegory about the Russian Revolution and Stalinist rule in the Soviet Union.

Why Banned: So controversial was the subject matter that the book was not published until more than a year after its completion. Animal Farm was banned in the Soviet bloc because of its political content.

 

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (1951) 

the Catcher in the Rye

Protagonist Holden Caulfield recounts his two day trip to New York following expulsion from his private school for fighting with his roommate.

Why Banned: Between 1966 and 1975 the book was the most frequently banned book in schools due to its profanity, sexual references and the relentless negativity of its protagonist.

 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955) 

Lolita

The story is about a man named Humbert Humbert, who falls in love with a twelve-year-old girl, Lolita, the daughter of his landlady. Click here to read my review.

Why Banned: Citing the book’s controversial subject matter and perceived pornographic content, the UK Home Office confiscated all copies of the book in 1955. Lolita was banned in France the following year, but never in the US.

 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)

This science fantasy novel is the first book in a quintet. It has spawned two film adaptations. The book has won numerous prizes.

Why Banned: A Winkle in Time is listed at number 23 on the American Library Association Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000. Criticisms include references to crystal balls and witches, and concerns that it ‘challenges religious beliefs.’

 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)

 This is the autobiography of the early years of iconic African American poet and writer Maya Angelou. It recounts racism, trauma and above all her burgeoning love of literature.

Why Banned: The book has been challenged by 15 US states. Issues of contention have been its inclusion of rude words, perceived disrespectful religious depictions and what some have regarded as sexually explicit scenes.

 

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)

Slaughterhouse 5

The story follows the life of Billy Pilgrim, a married optometrist and a survivor of the notorious firebombing of Dresden in World War II. Click here to read my review.

Why Banned: Slaughterhouse-Five’s anti-war rhetoric has resulted in it being banned from numerous US schools and libraries. It is one of the American Library Association’s 100 most frequently challenged books.

 

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (1988)

Satanic Verses

Having survived a plane crash a Bollywood superstar has to rebuild his life, while the other survivor, an emigrant, finds his life in disarray.

Why Banned: Many Muslims were offended by a number of allegedly pagan verses, which were included in the Qur’an, but later removed. It has been banned in Japan, Venezuela, and due to death threats, taken off the shelves of several US bookshops.

 

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (1991) 

American Psycho

The book is written from the perspective of a young Wall Street financier, Patrick Bateman. Patrick is an intelligent, well-educated, wealthy, good looking psychopath. Click here to read my review.

Why Banned: American Psycho’s graphic violent and sexual content resulted in it being banned in Canada and Queensland (Australia). In the rest of Australia and New Zealand its sale remains restricted to those over eighteen.

 

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (1996)

FightClub

The book’s nameless narrator starts a fight club with charismatic anarchist Tyler Durden. Their fight club concept soon becomes very popular and spreads across the nation. Click here to read my review.

Why banned: Despite its violent content and anarchist philosophy, Fight Club was not widely banned. In 1999 the Chinese authorities prohibited the sale of the book due to it containing instructions on how to make explosives.

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