Over centuries, many controversial books have become a topic of scandal or debate. From Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species to Karl Marx’s The Communist Manifesto, all were met with severe criticisms, raised eyebrows, and angry glares. Some of these scandalous books challenged religious beliefs, like Darwin, who proposed the evolution of mankind as opposed to the creation of man by God. While some, like Marx, fought social challenges. Racism, depiction of sexuality, casteism, and many more taboo issues in these controversial books resulted in a frenzied outrage by institutions and individuals alike.
While some demanded censorship of these books, others protested against culling the freedom of speech of authors. Nevertheless, whichever party you choose to side with in this debate or whatever the reason for the scandal may be, the buzz surrounding these books is just too much to miss. That’s why we bring you a list of these five controversial books that have created a ripple of debate since their publication.
1 – Lolita
Published in 1955 by Olympia Press in France, the reputation of the publishing house was itself a big cause of scandal. Unaware of the press’s reputation for publishing erotica and desperate to publish a novel that had previously been rejected by numerous publishers in America such as Viking, Simon & Schuster, etc., he went with it. Although the author, Vladimir Nabokov wanted Lolita to be known for its literary genius, it rather got associated with controversy concerning the subject matter. Narrated from a middle-aged professor’s perspective, it chronicles his love for a 12-year-old girl, Dolores Haze. As a result, it portrays sensitive issues of pedophilia, incest, murder, and child sexual abuse.
This led to harsh criticisms from reviewers such as John Gordon, who labeled the book as “sheer, unrestrained pornography.” Following this was the censorship, for the novel, was banned in France, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia for 3 years until 1958, when the ban was finally lifted. Despite its availability freely in markets today, to date, the novel is a source of debate, with some considering it a masterpiece for its humorous and unique writing style and others labeling it as obscene and disgusting. Try reading the novel and decide for yourself which side you fall on!
2 – American Psycho
Be it death threats, boycotts, or banning of the novel, this novel’s author, Brest Easton Ellis, is well versed with all. And all this started even before his novel was published. It began when Simon & Schuster refused to publish his book just a few months before its release date. This decision was made after women employees at the publication protested against the content. It was soon leaked to the press, which condemned the novel’s depiction of violence and sexual torture against women.
Dropped at the last moment, Ellis turned to Vintage House, which finally published the novel. The publication led to an uproar amongst reviewers who claimed that the author harbored a deep resentment against women. Even the National Organisation of Women demanded the novel’s boycott. Despite these criticisms, the novel came to be known for its critique of commercialism. However, the novel can still be bought only by adults aged 18 or above in many countries. You can read this novel and understand why this is one of the most controversial books.
3 – The Satanic Verses
If there is any other author, apart from Ellis, who has faced a threat to his life as a result of his work, then it is Salman Rushdie. His novel The Satanic Verses resulted in his being sentenced to death by Iran’s leader Ayatollah Khomeini after it hurt Muslim religious sentiments. Part of the reason for this was the subplot of the novel. This, following the tradition of magical realism, incorporates dreams of Prophet Muhammad’s life, which Muslims claim is depicted in a negative light.
This led to his death sentence being declared. Even angry demonstrations from the public went to the streets to burn the book. In fact, bookstores selling the novel were bombed in the U.K. and U.S. Such uproar led him to seek police protection. And what’s more terrifying was that even the translators of the book were either injured or murdered by the demonstrators. As of today, though the book remains scandalous, the anger of the people towards it has relatively died down.
4 – The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy’s debut novel not only received acclaim but also managed to land in controversy after its publication in 1997. The novel depicts an inter-caste relationship. Along with discussing sensitive issues like incest and pedophilia, as well as contains sexually explicit content. As a result, Roy had to face a lawsuit for obscenity after a lawyer filed a petition against the book asking for the removal of the last chapter from the novel which depicted sexual intimacy between two people of different castes. Though, it did die down and nothing of consequence happened.
But a new ban was imposed on it two years back by Alabama High School when a parent asked the school to remove the novel from the Summer Reading List. The reason was the novel’s sexually explicit content, which he deemed unfit to be read by the students. As of today, the novel receives divided opinions ranging from praise for its wonderful writing to discomfort on incest being portrayed in the novel.
5 – Tropic of Cancer
Henry Miller’s 1934 publication blended autobiography with fiction as he explored the life of a man living in Paris during the early 1930s. This character-driven novel narrates the daily encounters of the man and lacks a semblance of a plot. The autobiographical elements that find their way into the novel are Miller’s struggle with writing as well as his sexual exploits. The latter aspect of the novel stirred a controversy for the frankness and candid way of depicting sexually explicit content was not acceptable by society. It was also labeled with tags of misogynistic and toxic masculinity representations.
This led U.S Customs Services to ban the import of his novel from France, where it was originally published. Although it was smuggled and read by many, it often caused imprisonment for the smugglers. It was only in 1961 that Grove Press published the novel in America, which brought more than 60 lawsuits to their doors. After facing a lot of trials in state courts and then finally against the Supreme Court, the obscenity charges against the book were dropped in 1964. Today, the novel is easily available and widely read. Comment down below and let us know what you think of these controversial books!
