Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“A Russian book distributor has ordered bookshops to ‘return or destroy’ works by the Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffery Eugenides and the British bestseller Bridget Collins, among others, in the latest case of censorship targeting the country’s literary scene. Trading House BMM sent a letter to shops this week, seen by the BBC, with a list of 37 titles that should immediately be removed from sale. The list also included texts by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek, Japanese novelist Ryu Murakami, and a number of Russian writers. The order comes amid growing Kremlin censorship since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has targeted books featuring anti-war sentiment, LGBTQ themes, and criticism of Russia’s leadership. The letter warned of ‘adverse consequences’ if books such as Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides and Murakami’s Ecstasy were not pulled from shelves as there were suspicions they ‘do not comply with Russian laws’, without providing further details.” (05/29/25)