Freedom and Writing

I take for granted that I can sit, whenever I want, and write whatever I like, and then publish it. Of course I censor myself, as far as language and appropriateness are concerned. I am not wanting to offend. But, I am free to have my own opinions and ideas. In many places this is not the case. In some places I would have no voice, as I am a women. In some places very few people are allowed a voice, especially one audible in public.

With a trip to Paris coming up in June, I have been delving into some good reading to whet my appetite. Having heard about Shakespeare and Company Bookshop in Paris, and its owner, Sylvia Beach, I decided to explore further. The Paris Bookseller is an historical fiction about Sylvia and her famous bookshop.

Sylvia Beach opened her shop, with the assistance of her lover, Adrienne Monnier, in 1919. She was a great friend and supporter of James Joyce. Other literary friends included Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and D H Lawrence, in addition to many French authors of the time. I am really enjoying the story and last night watched some YouTube footage of Sylvia Beach. She was a pocket rocket of enthusiasm, sweet, and humble.

Many of these American writer ex-pats were living in Paris at this time to escape the censorship that was sweeping through America. Protestant puritanism, banning books and writers, as well as alcohol. The Prohibition, which forbid the making and consumption of alcohol, was in place from 1919 until 1933. I found myself thinking about the similarities between the current banning of books and infringement of rights in the USA. These restriction include outlawing birth control and abortions and removing laws providing access and safety to transgender and other queer kids. American freedom appears to be regressing rather than expanding.

While the aims of the American Revolution appear to have been turned on their head, the aims of the French Revolution have not. The people of France enjoy a very high quality of health care, excellent working conditions, and a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of freedom. Liberté, égalité, fraternité, the motto by which most French people can say they live, without irony. I know few Americans who could defend their “land of the free,” line in The Star Spangled Banner. There are restrictions on so many things in the US, except guns, can it still proclaim to be the land of the free? Is democracy still alive in America?

The Paris Bookseller, by Kerri Maher, is probably banned in a lot of the States. It is about a lesbian relationship, and contains descriptions of sex. The struggle described in the book, against censorship and a lack of freedoms, seems as relevant today as it was in 1919. I am adding to my pile of to-be-read books as many banned books as I can find. Well, the ones I haven’t read yet. Books are words, and words are power. Banning books is taking the power away from the people.