Dua Lipa is taking her love of books to another level.
The English singer-songwriter, known for her hit singles “New Rules,” “Don’t Start Now,” and “Training Season,” has opened a library showcasing banned books in conjunction with the bookstore Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal.
Lipa is an avid reader and the founder of the Service95 Book Club, which has spotlighted books including Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Tommy Orange’s There There, and Claire Keegan’s So Late in the Day. Last month, she married actor Callum Turner; the two first bonded after they learned they were both reading Hernan Diaz’s Kirkus Prize- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Trust.
Lipa’s banned book library, called the Manifesto Library, “is a shrine to books that have disappeared, to authors whose courage unmasks structures of power and control, and to readers who refuse to be told what book they are allowed,” Livraria Lello said in a post on Instagram.
Consequence of Sound reports that Lipa said in a statement, “Here you will find one hundred books that ask questions, or have been questioned. Some have been banned by school districts for themes of race or sexuality. Others, written for LGBTQIA+ readers, have been restricted from display. In some cases, the author has paid for their words with their life.”
Books featured in the library include Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Franz Kafka’s The Trial, Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes, and Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
