The Russian book distributor BMM has ordered bookshops to “return or destroy” works by the Pulitzer Prize-winner Jeffery Eugenides and the British bestseller Bridget Collins, among others, the BBC reports. It is the latest case of censorship targeting the country’s literary scene.
BMM sent a letter to shops at the end of May, seen by the BBC, with a list of 37 titles that should immediately be removed from sale. The BBC says: “The order comes amid growing Kremlin censorship since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has targeted books featuring anti-war sentiment, LGBTQ themes, and criticism of Russia’s leadership.”
The letter warned of “adverse consequences” if books such as Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides were not pulled from shelves as there were suspicions they “do not comply with Russian laws,” without providing further details.
Booksellers should “immediately cease sales and return [the titles] or destroy the remaining copies, providing writing confirmation of destruction”, the message said.
The letter was signed by BMM’s chief executive Anastasia Nikitanova, who hung up when the BBC approached her for comment and did not respond to further messages.
“We checked the list and we don’t have these books in stock now,” an employee of one of the shops that had received the letter told the BBC on condition of anonymity.
They continued: “If we did, we could have tried to understand what’s wrong with them. I have no idea why the publisher chose these books… it’s a sign of the moral panic that has overtaken the market.”
The newly banned books were released in Russia by the publishing houses Ripol Classic and Dom Istorii, which are affiliated with BMM.
Sergei Makarenkov, the head of Ripol Classic, said: “I think [the list] is most likely connected to the anti-LGBT law. This needs to be clarified with BMM… I can’t clearly explain to you what has happened here.”
One bookseller said the situation was “a sign of the moral panic that has overtaken the market”.