{"id":177327,"date":"2026-02-26T19:45:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T16:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/177327\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"information-ministry-bans-16-books-including-methuselah-lamp-by-pelevin","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/177327\/","title":{"rendered":"Information ministry bans 16 books, including Methuselah Lamp by Pelevin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1338\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pelevin-lampa-mafusaila-kommersant-1128-752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Pelevin&#039;s banned book cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pelevin-lampa-mafusaila-kommersant-1128-752.jpg 1338w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pelevin-lampa-mafusaila-kommersant-1128-752-354x199.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pelevin-lampa-mafusaila-kommersant-1128-752-734x413.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Pelevin-lampa-mafusaila-kommersant-1128-752-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1338px) 100vw, 1338px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(Kommersant)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>February<\/strong><strong> 26, <\/strong><strong><em>Pozirk<\/em><\/strong><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><strong> <\/strong>Belarus\u2019 censors have banned 16 more books from distribution in the country, including the postmodern satirical novel <em>\u041b\u0430\u043c\u043f\u0430 \u041c\u0430\u0444\u0443\u0441\u0430\u0438\u043b\u0430, \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u041a\u0440\u0430\u0439\u043d\u044f\u044f \u0431\u0438\u0442\u0432\u0430 \u0447\u0435\u043a\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0432 \u0441 \u043c\u0430\u0441\u043e\u043d\u0430\u043c\u0438<\/em> (Methuselah\u2019s Lamp) by Viktor Pelevin, according to the information ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ministry said that the books can harm Belarus\u2019 national interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other banned titles include <em>\u0423\u043b\u044b\u0431\u043a\u0430 \u2014 \u043f\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043c \u0434\u0443\u0448\u0438<\/em> (Smile is Soul\u2019s Pilgrim), a collection of poems by Vladimir Khoroshko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Books by John Boyne and Sergei Kuznetsov have been listed for the second time. The list contains a total of 241 entries, including popular works of literature and history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Information Minister Marat Marka\u016d defended state censorship last year, claiming that the opposition is engaging in \u201csubversive activities\u201d through literature and books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the authors banned in Belarus are Sa\u0161a Filipienka, Irvine Welsh, Hunter S. Thompson, Dr. Dorota Michaluk, Nana Ekvtimishvili and William Burroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, the government amended the publishing law to empower the information ministry to blacklist books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ministry\u2019s censorship body is called the National Commission on the Assessment of Symbols, Merchandise and Information Products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/knigi_freepik_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Society<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics, Society<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Information ministry bans 52 books from distribution in Belarus<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">December 29, Pozirk. Belarus\u2019 information ministry has banned an additional 52 books from distribution in the country, labeling them harmful to national interests. Among the banned titles is \u0411\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0440\u0443\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u041d\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0420\u044d\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0456\u043a\u0430 1918\u20131920 \u0433\u0433.: \u043b\u044f \u0432\u044b\u0442\u043e\u043a\u0430\u045e \u0431\u0435\u043b\u0430\u0440\u0443\u0441\u043a\u0430\u0439 \u0434\u0437\u044f\u0440\u0436\u0430\u045e\u043d\u0430\u0441\u0446\u0456 (The Belarusian People\u2019s &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/169962\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>February 26, Pozirk. Belarus\u2019 censors have banned 16 more books from distribution in the country, including the postmodern satirical novel \u041b\u0430\u043c\u043f\u0430 \u041c\u0430\u0444\u0443\u0441\u0430\u0438\u043b\u0430, \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u041a\u0440\u0430\u0439\u043d\u044f\u044f \u0431\u0438\u0442\u0432\u0430 \u0447\u0435\u043a\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0432 \u0441 \u043c\u0430\u0441\u043e\u043d\u0430\u043c\u0438 (Methuselah\u2019s Lamp) by Viktor Pelevin, according to the information ministry. The ministry said that the books can harm Belarus\u2019 national interests. Other banned titles include \u0423\u043b\u044b\u0431\u043a\u0430 \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":177328,"template":"","rubric":[16,15],"class_list":["post-177327","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Information ministry bans 16 books, including Methuselah Lamp by Pelevin | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"February 26, Pozirk. 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