Dua Lipa has teamed up with Livraria Lello to champion literary gems that have been censored, persecuted, and banned by the censors in power
Pop princess and influential bookfluencer Dua Lipa continues to cement her status as one of the most influential voices of her generation, bridging pop culture with contemporary literature.
In a major collaboration, the Service95 Book Club, the literary platform founded by the pop star, and Portugal’s historic Livraria Lello bookstore are joining forces for the opening of The Manifesto Library (The Manifesto Library).
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The library is housed in the bookstore’s new cultural amphitheater —designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Álvaro Siza—and will officially open its doors on the evening of June 27, as part of the international BABELL – City of Books.
The Manifesto Library houses a collection of 100 titles, divided into four thematic sections: Power, Control, Voice, and Memory.
“The Library is not ‘a simple, static archive of censorship, but a vibrant cultural space that aims to spark public dialogue around identity, race, gender, and freedom of expression,” notes Livraria Lello.
Among the works included are iconic books such as *The Handmaid’s Tale* by Margaret Atwood and *Felon* by Reginald Dwayne Beech.
@service95 What passage from #TheHandmaidsTale stuck with you the most? If you haven’t watched @dualipaofficial’s conversation with #MargaretAtwood ♬ original sound – Service95
“A sanctuary for the books they wanted to erase”
Dua Lipa herself describes this collaboration as a dream come true.
“The Manifesto Library is a dream collaboration between Livraria Lello and the Service95 Book Club. For over a century, Livraria Lello has been a source of inspiration for radicals, writers, and readers, and every day, visitors from all over the world walk through its doors. “It’s the perfect home for this project,” says Dua Lipa.
“Here you’ll find a hundred books that ask questions or have been challenged. Some have been banned by school districts for issues of race or sexuality. Others, written for LGBTQ+ readers, have had their distribution restricted. In some cases, the author has paid with their life for their words. This library is a sanctuary for books that have disappeared, for authors whose courage exposes structures of power and control, and for readers who refuse to be told which books they are allowed to read.”
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The library’s opening ceremony will take place in the presence of distinguished literary figures, such as Salman Rushdie and Olga Tokarczuk, whose works are represented in the collection.
The event will revive the spirit of Dua Lipa’s famous “Book Tasting” gatherings, combining literary discussion with fine Portuguese wines.
120 years, perhaps the most beautiful bookstore in the world
In the heart of Porto’s historic district, the tradition of Portuguese intellectualism met the architectural extravagance of the early 20th century. The result of this union: Livraria Lello.
The bookstore, which stands as a unique, living palace dedicated to the sanctity of the written word, has become a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of book tourists —a trend that has robbed it of some of its charm, but such is the price of popularity. It remains the same as ever.
Since 1906, when brothers José and António Lelo inaugurated this masterpiece designed by architect Xavier Estévez, the space has established itself as the ultimate landmark for the domestic and international elite of book lovers, striking a unique balance between Neo-Gothic drama and the fluid lines of Art Nouveau.
The spiral staircase, with its crimson paneling and intricately carved wooden details, dominates the center, seeming to defy gravity as it winds its way up to the upper floor. Bathed in the mysterious light streaming through the imposing stained-glass ceiling—inscribed with the Latin motto Decus in Labore (Dignity in Work)—Lello exudes the atmosphere of a cosmopolitan cathedral, where the scent of aged paper coexists with history.
It was precisely this evocative, almost cinematic atmosphere that captivated a young, then-unknown English teacher in the early 1990s: J. K. Rowling.
The author made Lello her permanent refuge during her stay in Portugal, drawing on its labyrinthine, magical geometry as the primary inspiration for the design of the fictional bookstore Flourish and Blotts on Diagonal Aléa, as well as for the whimsical, moving staircases at Hogwarts, thereby infusing the spirit of Porto into global pop mythology.
Livraria Lello, however, stubbornly refuses to be confined to the role of a tourist attraction, engaging in activities, initiatives, and partnerships.
Remaining a vibrant, restless hub of cultural innovation, it recently expanded its architectural footprint with a new, minimalist amphitheater designed by the iconic Siza.
The creation of the permanent Manifesto Library in collaboration with Dua Lipa puts Livraria Lello back in the spotlight —but at least this time, it becomes a modern sanctuary of free thought that digital, ephemeral culture persistently fights against.
The book, in its physical form, may well be the most powerful fetish of the human soul.
Source: in.gr
