Forbidden Yet Unforgettable: 10 Classics That Were Once Banned

1. Beloved

Toni Morrison’s works have often been challenged for their “explicit” or “inappropriate” content, and Beloved is one such example. It is a story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved woman who killed her daughter to spare her from slavery.

The novel doesn’t shy away from the brutal realities of life for Black people in post–Civil War Ohio—slavery, sexual violence, and racial trauma. Its unflinching honesty led to bans and removal from many public school libraries in the U.S. Yet, its power and relevance remain undiminished, cementing its place as an unforgettable classic.

Buy here: Beloved

2. The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger has made its way onto many challenged and banned book lists over the years, mostly for vulgar language, sexual references, violence, and themes many find controversial. Some were unsettled by his age and the experiences he described in the story, perceiving him as a questionable role model.

At the same time, it’s a story many teenage readers connect with. This non-conformative novel follows 16-year-old Holden Caulfield over the course of a few days after he is expelled from prep school, as he experiences confusion, disillusionment, and the “phoniness” of the adult world.

It’s a look at teenage angst, told in a voice that has kept readers thinking—and talking—since its publication.

3. Rama Retold

Rama Retold is a retelling of the Ramayana, India’s oldest and most revered epic. Written by British author Aubrey Menen, it takes some bold and controversial liberties: Sita isn’t a helpless victim but a curious, independent figure who chooses to go to Lanka, and Rama is shown as so wrapped up in duty that he rarely questions the absurdities around him.

The book’s almost laughable and unconventional take on these highly worshipped characters sparked controversy from the moment of its release. It’s not surprising that in 1955, the Nehru government banned its import, worried it could spark communal unrest. Even today, the book remains banned, still capable of stirring political, religious, or social feathers just as it did back then.

Also read: Agatha Christie’s Mysterious Disappearance and the Divorce That Shaped Her Stories

4. The Communist Manifesto

Few works have stirred as much debate as The Communist Manifesto. Written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, it began as a pamphlet for the Communist League but quickly evolved into a document for socialist and communist movements across Europe. Its central idea—that history is shaped by class struggles and that moving away from oppressive systems could create a fairer society—was seen as a direct threat by many governments.

As a result, the book faced censorship and bans in several countries, from Nazi Germany to the United States, during the anti-communist hysteria. Despite—or maybe because of—its controversial history, it remains an unforgettable work that continues to spark conversations about society, power, and change.

Buy here: The Communist Manifesto

5. The Second Sex

When The Second Sex by came out in 1949, it shook the foundations of a deeply patriarchal world. So much so that it was banned by the Vatican, in Portugal, Spain, and other parts of Europe, yet it went on to become a foundational text for the feminist wave of the 1960s.

Simone de Beauvoir dissected how women had long been treated as the “second sex,” confined to marriage, domesticity, and societal expectations. Her fearless, never-before-seen exploration of gender, work, and freedom from a woman’s perspective sparked outrage for its explicit and sexual content. Yet it sold tens of thousands of copies in its first week—a testament to its power and why it remains unforgettable, even decades later.

6. 1984

George Orwell’s 1984 isn’t just a book—it’s a warning dressed as a story. Set in a dystopian world where the all-powerful Party and Big Brother control every thought, action, and word, it’s instantly recognisable today for concepts like the Thought Police. Inspired by the harsh realities of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, Orwell’s tale explores the dangers of totalitarianism, propaganda, and the erosion of individual freedom.

It’s no surprise the book has faced bans over the years—its sharp critique of political power and its unsettling predictions. Yet its insights remain strikingly relevant, a mirror to history and, sometimes uncomfortably, to our own world.

Buy here: 1984

7. A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms may be a classic today, but when it first appeared in 1929, it wasn’t well accepted. Originally published serially in Scribner’s Magazine (later turned into a novel), it prompted thousands of cancellations—subscribers complained about its “bad language” and uncomfortable portrayal of premarital sex. Boston authorities banned the magazine outright. And that was just the beginning. Italy banned it, the Nazis burned it in 1933, and Ireland followed.

But beyond the bans, what makes the novel unforgettable is its raw honesty. Loosely drawn from Hemingway’s own experiences in World War I, it tells the story of Frederic Henry and his love affair with Catherine Barkley against the backdrop of war. There are no tidy morals here—just the stark brutality of conflict and the fragile, fleeting nature of love. It’s exactly this mix of realism and tenderness that keeps the book alive, long after the bans faded.

Buy here: A Farewell to Arms

8. Naked Lunch

How does a book without a clear plot, with scenes that feel like they’ve been scrambled and reassembled, end up on the list of most banned books in the world? Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs isn’t just a novel—it’s a trip, a jagged collage of drug-fueled visions, shifting cities, and surreal characters who feel like they’ve clawed their way out of society’s nightmares.

Slowly, it becomes a ferocious critique of Western culture and a society obsessed with commodities, consumption, and control. Unsurprisingly, this was too much for mid-20th-century censors. Its graphic depictions of drug use, sexuality, violence, and grotesque body horror were deemed obscene, earning it bans across the U.S. and beyond.

9. The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray isn’t just a dark tale of vanity, corruption, and a portrait that bears the weight of a man’s sins—it’s a story wrapped in scandal from the very beginning. Before its first appearance in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890, the novel was heavily edited by the magazine’s editor, J.M. Stoddart, without the author’s knowledge.

Even with the edits, the story sparked outrage for its homoerotic and queer themes, and the British press condemned it as immoral and scandalous. The controversy didn’t stop there. The book became central evidence during Wilde’s infamous 1895 trial, which led to his conviction over charges related to homosexuality.

Buy here: The Picture of Dorian Gray

10. Lolita

Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most controversial novels of the 20th century—and it’s easy to see why. When he finished the manuscript in 1953, Nabokov struggled to find a U.S. publisher—editors feared legal trouble. It finally saw the light of day in 1955 through France’s Olympia Press, but bans followed quickly: France, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia all prohibited it.

The novel tells the unsettling story of Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged man obsessed with a twelve-year-old girl. But Nabokov’s brilliance isn’t in romanticising the crime; it’s in exploring obsession, manipulation, and moral corruption through a voice that feels hauntingly real. Today, Lolita remains provocative and controversial, challenging readers to grapple with uncomfortable truths about power, desire, and the human psyche.

Buy here: Lolita

Classics That Couldn’t Be Silenced

Once banned, these classics have endured—and in doing so, they’ve shown the power of storytelling to challenge, provoke, and persist. Each book on this list shook the world in its own way, confronting society with uncomfortable truths, daring ideas, and voices that refused to be silenced.

Some stirred controversy over politics, others over sexuality, and some simply for questioning authority—but all share one thing: they unsettled readers while opening new ways of seeing the world.

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