Who Is Dua Lipa’s Banned-Books Library Actually For?
Dua Lipa has launched a 'Manifesto Library' in Portugal featuring banned books, aiming to promote the freedom to read. The article questions the accessibility of this project, noting that the library is located in a high-traffic, ticketed tourist destination.
Why it matters
It examines the intersection of celebrity activism, literary advocacy, and the commercialization of social causes.
The pop star’s latest literary cause is good PR—and a complicated topic.
Illustration by Akshita Chandra / The Atlantic. Source: Christopher Polk / Variety / Getty. July 18, 2026, 8 AM ET Share Save The pop star Dua Lipa is known for her dance-floor hits, for her turn as a mermaid in Barbie , for always seeming to be on vacation. Lately, though, she’s cultivated a reputation as a literary tastemaker. Through her book club, Service95, founded in 2023, the singer has made her love of books key to her public persona. She interviews authors on her podcast and has appeared at various Booker Prize festivities; she and her new husband, Callum Turner, purportedly bonded over a Hernan Diaz novel .
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