Libri Prohibiti

The Czech Republic was under communist rule from 1948 to 1989. During this time, information was strictly controlled, and more than 400 authors were prohibited from publishing their writing.


Many of these writers self-published (which is called samidzat), and the Libri Prohibiti library's collection contains examples of these books, including an index to censored authors.


These books were painstakingly typed out and bound, because the authors could not use publishers. Most of the censored authors were writing political texts, though fiction, magazines, and newspapers were also produced.


J.R.R. Tolkien, the British author of Lord of the Rings, was prohibited in Czechoslovakia.




These writers, and the unknown people who typed and bound their books, risked a lot to speak their minds in print. Today, they may write freely, and the Czechs value their freedom of information.