Banned Books Week 2026 - Banned Books Woche 2026

Students of Trier University will discuss book banning in the US and elsewhere. After an introduction on the topic from political, social, and literary perspectives, several examples of banned books—such as Orwell’s 1984 or Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird—will be introduced. The event combines English and German – everybody welcome!

Please register for the digital events via Indico. The zoom links will be sent to all registrants ahead of the event.

This talk will examine the Indonesian translations of six American young adult novels: Speak, Just Listen, The Way I Used to Be, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, 13 Reasons Why, and Sold, all published between 2005 and 2020. Focusing on the translation of sensitive and sex-related language, I explore how potentially controversial content is transferred, softened, omitted, or otherwise altered as these novels enter the Indonesian literary market. I consider censorship and self-censorship in translation, and how translators, editors, publishers, and expectations surrounding Indonesian (young) readers shape what ultimately crosses the border.

Lidya Pawestri Ayuningtyas is a final-year PhD student at the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on the translation of sex-related language in young adult novels from English into Indonesian, with particular interest in censorship and self-censorship in translation. Her work has been published in Babel, Perspectives, and New Voices in Translation Studies and she has presented at international translation studies conferences and research events.

The talk will be moderated by Silvia Schultermandl, co-founder of the Banned Books Network Münster.

Join the Silent Book Club Münster for their banned books special edition at the Stadtbücherei. We will meet for our usual one hour of reading and some socializing before and after. Plus, this time we will be carving out some time to talk about and sift through a few books that have been banned in (parts of ) the US. How to participate: All you need is a book (physical, electronic, or audio, borrowed, or your own—whatever you prefer and might be reading at the moment). If you have not read a banned book before (spoiler: you probably have), maybe this is your chance to add one to your to-be-read-pile.

For information, see the Silent Book Club Münster's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/silentbookclub.ms/

Join us at the Stadtbücherei Münster for a screening of the Emmy® Award-winning film directed by Kim A. Snyder.
More information about the film (and a trailer) can be found here: https://thelibrariansfilm.com/
Please see this page for event registration.

In honor of Banned Books Week, we’re celebrating diverse literature. The United States is currently seeing a vicious wave of book bans, most of which target texts dealing with LGBTQ+ or BIPOC characters and themes. Featuring founding members of the Banned Books Network Münster, this event will explore the phenomenon of book banning in the U.S. context and spark conversation about how to fight back.

More information can be found on the FBF webpage.