Dawit Isaak Library doubles down on the fight against censorship

George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 has been reprinted countless times since its publication in 1949, but maybe no copy has been as symbolic as this unreadable edition from the Dawit Isaak Library.  

To mark Banned Books Week 2025, the Swedish free speech library collaborated with agency BBDO Nordics to turn the story into the world’s first un-openable, double-bound book. 

Captured in a series of short films directed by Oskar Ferm, the edition is a protest the alarming rise of book bans and censorship. While this copy has been sealed by design, thousands of other books around the world are becoming unreadable through bans, removals, and silencing. 

The exclusive edition has been received by authors including Stephen King and Nobel laureate Herta Müller, while a copy will be circulated among the 1,000+ libraries and bookstores participating in Banned Books Week Sweden.  

“We wanted to create a symbol that would be integral to the library’s fight against censorship. We crafted the book to induce anxiety and anger first, followed by action – to speak out and read more,” says Karan Nair, Copywriter at BBDO Nordics.