What Do We Understand by "Forbidden Literature"?

On March 19, 2025, at 2:30 p.m., YSU History Museum will host a lecture titled "What Do We Understand by 'Forbidden Literature'," featuring scholars Hayk Hambardzumyan and Arkmenik Nikoghosyan.

The term "forbidden literature" refers to books, articles, works, or other literary materials whose circulation is prohibited or restricted for specific reasons. The reasons for such prohibition may be political, religious, social, or cultural in nature.

Throughout the history of literature, several famous works have been banned because they criticized the authorities, violated social norms, or touched on sensitive topics such as racism, intolerance, and more.

At different times, works by authors such as Charles Dickens, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Boris Pasternak, George Orwell, Yeghishe Charents, Paruyr Sevak, Hovhannes Shiraz, and others have been banned.