A thrilling desert romance that’s drenched in sex but wasn’t banned in Ireland. Great for the smut seekers, but terrible for anyone who didn’t appreciate a racist rape fantasy.
S6 E9 Throbbing: Hull ‘The Sheik’ (1919)
S6 E8 Dreadfully Common: Maugham ‘Cakes and Ale’ (1930)
One of the many bestsellers from the 1930s which was banned. When this novel was on sale after it was banned, the unfortunate bookseller was prosecuted.
S6 E7 Blasphemy: Moore, ‘The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne’ (1955)
Moore is a new discovery for me and I’m hooked. A short, remarkably poignant novel that should be better known.
S6 E6 Oh, James: Fleming ‘Diamonds are Forever’ (1956)
I really didn’t like this novel, but millions of James Bond can’t be wrong, can they?
S6 E5 Dirty Foreigners: O’Brien ‘The Lonely Girl’ (1962)
This novel is the further adventures of Caithleen and her sidekick Baba in the big city, as they search for fun, love and a free meal. A sequel to ‘The Country Girls’ (1960) it was automatically banned by a board who hated its author.
S6 E4 Obscene knowledge: Irish Family Planning Association ‘Family Planning’ (1976)
What happens when contraception is technically illegal but voluntary groups provide it anyway? Family planning information began to circulate widely during the 1970s and the censors did not like it. My guest, Dr Laura Kelly, helps me unravel a tale of blind eyes turned and court challenges.
S6 E3 Wanton: Powys ‘Mr Weston’s Good Wine’ (1927)
I haven’t read many novels like this – it’s a Christian allegory stuffed with Gothic sex. TF Powys was banned a numbers of times by the censors, who objected to his unique combination of sacred and profane.
S6 E2 Bottom wriggling: Anon ‘The memoirs of Dolly Morton’ (1899)
Banning antique erotica was a strange feature of the late censorship regime. Full of whipping and racism, this was not a book I enjoyed even if its history was fascinating.
S6 E1 Dirty Irish Colleens: O’Brien ‘The Country Girls’ (1960)
A novel surrounded by myths and outrage, I waited a long time to read this particular banned book. Part one of an infamous trilogy, its author soon became the focus of official Ireland’s outrage machine. I will explore books 2 and 3 later on in the season but I was joined for book 1 by guest Dr Maureen O’Connor.
S5 E9 Squalid glamour: Isherwood ‘Goodbye to Berlin’ (1939)
Cover art for this book today is heavily influenced by ‘Cabaret’ film and stage adaptations that grew out of this book. In the 1930s, Berlin was a byeword for transgressive excess, both sexual and political. This fine collection of stories inevitably attracted the censor’s ire.
