Banned Books in the United States and Norway

According to PEN America, there were 6,900 attempts to remove books from American schools during the last school year. This has resulted in heated debates in school and library boards, with librarians caught in the crossfire. Most vulnerable are books about identity, race and minority perspectives – literature that shows the breadth of what it means to grow up and figure out who you are. But in Norway, too, there are forces that want to have books removed.

Siv Christine Bjørang Jørstad, school librarian, Julie Andersland, library manager at Bergen Public Library, and Ine Marie Kørra from Ung Ytring will debate the pressure against books in our time, and not least the consequences of book bans for young people. What role does literature play in young people's understanding of identity, what does it have to do with freedom of expression and democracy – and are Norwegian school libraries immune?

The conversation will be moderated by Andreas Hatlevik, chair of Norwegian PEN's literature and arts committee.

In collaboration with Norwegian PEN/Ung Ytring.
The conversation will be in Norwegian.