Iran bans Garcia Marquez’ latest book

The Iranian government banned publication of Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ latest novel despite having originally approved it. The first edition of “Memories of My Melancholy Whores” sold out in Iran last month, yet a backlash by Islamist conservatives led to the government’s about-face.

How did the book get published in Iran in the first place? Through a clever trick:

In their determination to get Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s highly acclaimed work into the bookshops, local publishers hit on an audacious ruse - they sanitized its title.

As a result, the normally vigilant gaze of culture and Islamic guidance ministry officials was averted when a novel by the Nobel prize-winning author innocuously titled Memories of My Melancholy Sweethearts was submitted and accordingly authorized for publication.

Image- The Daily Star

Sources (English)- CBC, AFP, Guardian UK

Sources (Spanish)- El Tiempo