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Literature Banned in Boston
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"Banned in Boston" was a phrase employed from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century to describe a literary work, song, motion picture, or play prohibited from distribution and/or exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts. During this period, Boston officials had wide authority to ban works featuring content deemed objectionable.
The "Banned in Boston" movement had several consequences. One was that Boston, a cultural center since its founding, was perceived as less sophisticated than other big cities with less stringent censorship practices. Another was that the phrase "Banned in Boston" became associated, in the popular mind, with the lurid, sexy, and naughty. Commercial distributors were often pleased when their works were banned in Boston—it gave them more appeal elsewhere (the Streisand effect).
William S. Burroughs's "Naked Lunch" (published 1959, banned 1965) was the last book officially "Banned in Boston." By the end of the more liberal 1970s, all such bans had either been overturned or were no longer enforced.
The "Banned in Boston" movement had several consequences. One was that Boston, a cultural center since its founding, was perceived as less sophisticated than other big cities with less stringent censorship practices. Another was that the phrase "Banned in Boston" became associated, in the popular mind, with the lurid, sexy, and naughty. Commercial distributors were often pleased when their works were banned in Boston—it gave them more appeal elsewhere (the Streisand effect).
William S. Burroughs's "Naked Lunch" (published 1959, banned 1965) was the last book officially "Banned in Boston." By the end of the more liberal 1970s, all such bans had either been overturned or were no longer enforced.
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