Inside Dua Lipa’s Banned Books Library
By Wim Langedijk for HURS
Inside Dua Lipa’s Banned Books Library
HUR Reads is our definitive shortlist of the most prominent articles from around the web.
By HURS Team
1
Dua Lipa’s Freedom-to-Read Crusade
Dua Lipa has become one of publishing's most visible champions, but, as Sophia Nguyen argues in The Atlantic, her new Manifesto Library also exposes the contradictions of today's book-ban debate. The Porto installation celebrates intellectual freedom while remaining a curated, ticketed destination, raising broader questions about who truly has access to books, and whether literary activism can move beyond symbolism.
THE ATLANTIC
Emily Shur’s unseen Polaroids capture the fleeting, oddly intimate glamour of early-2000s celebrity culture. As Michael Schulman writes in The New Yorker, the test shots, originally made to calibrate large-format film, became accidental portraits of an era before digital photography transformed both image-making and celebrity itself. The result is a time capsule where stars appear less guarded, and fame feels unexpectedly human.
THE NEW YORKER
Vacation used to end with a photo album, now it often begins with a content strategy. Ariana Yaptangco explores how social media has turned travel into another form of labor, from planning outfits to perfecting photo dumps. Psychologists argue the pressure is rooted in comparison, but the most meaningful memories, and often the most successful media, tend to come from moments that weren't staged at all.
COVETEUR
Ahead of her debut novel Venus, Vanishing, set in 1930s Berlin, art historian Rebecca Birrell reflects on the books that shaped its emotional and stylistic world. She credits Anna Seghers, Irmgard Keun, Etty Hillesum, T.J. Clark, and Percival Everett with informing everything from narrative voice to the challenge of writing about art, memory, and political upheaval with intimacy and immediacy.
FRIEZE
For Gen Z women, ambition hasn't disappeared, it has simply been redefined. Hannah Jackson explores how a brutal job market, social media, and economic uncertainty have reshaped young women's career aspirations. Rather than chasing the "girlboss" ideal, many now prioritize purpose, financial independence, and work-life balance, while viewing ambition as a way to build autonomy in an increasingly unstable world.