Dua Lipa is partnering with Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal to open up a physical library for books that “challenge power, censorship, exclusion, and dominant narratives.”
Launched through her Service95 Book Club, the Manifesto Library will open tomorrow (June 27) serving “as a living cultural space for reading, debate and public reflection.”
Livraria Lello will host the permanent collection inside a new cultural auditorium that was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza, as part of Porto’s inaugural BABELL – City of Books festival. The collection will feature 100 books organized around four themes: power, control, voice and memory, including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon.
“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. Reading the world brings us closer – but sadly, not everyone is in favour of that,” Dua Lipa said in a statement.
“Here you will find one hundred books that ask questions, or have been questioned,” she added. “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.”
“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 continued. “You are invited to visit and decide for yourself what belongs on these shelves. Because sometimes the most subversive thing you can do is read a book and then talk about it.”