The singer's latest literary initiative celebrates books that challenge censorship, power, and silence
MMS Staff
2 Aug 2026
3-min read
Dua Lipa is adding another chapter to her growing influence beyond music.
The Grammy-winning singer has unveiled the Manifesto Library, a permanent collection of nearly 100 banned and censored books housed inside the iconic Livraria Lello bookstore in Porto, Portugal.
The new library is part of BABELL – City of Books, an international literary festival, and was created in partnership with Lipa's Service95 Book Club, which she launched in 2021. The project brings together books that have been banned, challenged, or censored across different countries, while highlighting stories that question authority, amplify marginalized voices, and preserve historical memory.
Calling the initiative "a dream partnership," Lipa said the library reflects the mission she has long envisioned for Service95.
“When I founded the Service95 Book Club, my ambition was for it to become a home for writers and readers, wherever they are and whatever their circumstances,” she said.
Explaining the inspiration behind the collection, Lipa noted that many of the featured titles have faced restrictions because of themes including race, gender, sexuality, politics, or criticism of those in power.
“This 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 to read,” she said. “Sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is read a book and then talk about it.”
The Manifesto Library is organized into four themes — Power, Control, Voice, and Memory — each exploring different ways literature has challenged censorship and encouraged critical thinking.
The Power section features books that examine political systems, social hierarchies, and institutional authority. Among the titles are George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, and Reginald Dwayne Betts' Felon.
The Control collection explores surveillance, propaganda, and ideological influence through works such as Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, George Orwell's Animal Farm, and Franz Kafka's The Trial.
Under Voice, the library celebrates authors whose work has expanded conversations around race, identity, gender, and belonging. The collection includes Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, and Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer.
The final section, Memory, focuses on books that document war, exile, dictatorship, and collective trauma. Featured works include Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl, Toni Morrison's Beloved, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Alexei Navalny's Patriot, and Olga Tokarczuk's The Books of Jacob.
According to Livraria Lello, the library is intended to encourage readers to engage with ideas that have historically faced suppression rather than avoid them. "For 120 years, Livraria Lello has been built on a simple conviction: the book is a technology of freedom," said Francisca Pedro Pinto, the bookstore's Head of Brand. "Because what is at stake is not only the future of reading, but a society's ability to imagine, interpret and build its own future."
Lipa has increasingly positioned herself as an advocate for literature through her monthly Service95 Book Club, where she recommends books and interviews authors on an accompanying podcast. She is also set to curate the 2026 London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre.
The launch of the Manifesto Library arrives amid ongoing global debates over book bans and censorship in schools and public libraries. By bringing together works that have sparked controversy across generations and cultures, the collection invites visitors to explore literature that has challenged dominant narratives, and to decide for themselves which stories deserve to be read.
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