Dua Lipa Launches Library Dedicated to Censored Works in Portugal

Dua Lipa will inaugurate a new library in Portugal that will house books that have been banned, censored, or restricted in various contexts.

In 2023, the pop star launched the  Book Club, selecting a book each month and interviewing its author for an accompanying podcast. The initiative has long reflected Lipa’s commitment to fostering a love of reading, and she is slated to curate the Southbank Centre’s 2026 London Literature Festival.

Expanding on this vision, Lipa announced the opening of her first library, the Manifesto Library, which will feature banned and censored titles. The library is set to open on June 27 as part of the BABELL – City of Books international festival and will be housed permanently within Porto’s iconic Livraria Lello bookshop.

In a press release, Lipa described the project as “a dream partnership” and the culmination of years of advocacy. “When I founded the  Book Club, I envisioned it as a home for writers and readers, irrespective of their circumstances,” she said. “Reading unites us, yet not everyone supports that truth.”

“You will find a hundred books that challenge, that have been challenged. Some were banned by school districts for addressing race or sexuality; others, specifically written for LGBTQIA+ readers, have been kept off shelves. In certain cases, authors have paid the ultimate price for their words,” Lipa added.

She went on to say, “This library is a shrine to books that have vanished, to authors whose bravery exposes systems of oppression, and to readers who refuse to accept limits on what they can read. You are invited to visit, decide what belongs on these shelves, and remember that sometimes the most subversive act is to read a book and discuss it.”

The newly inaugurated cultural auditorium at Livraria Lello will contain nearly 100 titles, each linked to four core themes: power, control, voice, and memory. Notable works include Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon, and selections from Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk.

“Livraria Lello has stood on the belief that the book is a tool of freedom for 120 years,” said Francisca Pedro Pinto, Head of Brand. “The Manifesto Library extends that conviction, underscoring that what’s at stake is not only the future of reading but a society’s capacity to imagine, interpret, and shape its own future.”

During a recent episode of her book‑club podcast, Lipa criticized the media’s coverage of the Epstein files, arguing that it largely disserved the victims.

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