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Lawrence (KS) Public Library has found an excellent way to draw attention to one of literature’s most challenged books; invite the ACLU to talk about one of the city”s favorite literary sons and his most famous book, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs.

Tonight at the library, James Grauerholz, executor of Burrough” literary estate, Burrough’s companion Wayne Propst, and attorney Bill Hays of Shook, Hardy and Bacon, LLP and chair of the First Amendment Foundation will participate on a panel discussing the controversial novel that was the subject of an obscenity trial. Robert Eye from the ACLU of Kansas and Western Missouri Board of Directors will moderate the panel.

Burrough’s seminal work was published in 1959 and is told in a series of vignettes that, according to the author, can be read in any order. In 1962 the book was banned in Boston but the decision was reversed four years later by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer provided testimony supporting the novel.

This panel presentation is sure to provoke lots of conversation about the book, censorship, and community values. Maybe the added attention will place it on book groups’ reading lists for the coming year.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 27th, 2010 at 8:24 am and is filed under Adult Books, Fiction, In the News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.