Beloved author Ray Bradbury has spoken out against book-burning and the brutal repression of independent librarians in Cuba, something the so-called defenders of intellectual freedom at the American Library Association still refuse to do.
After giving a keynote speech this week at the American Library Association's annual convention, science fiction author Ray Bradbury joined a growing list of international writers and human rights activists in condemning the persecution of Cuba's Independent Library Project.Posted by Alan at July 1, 2005 06:24 AMThe American Library Association, or ALA, has ignored a request by imprisoned Cuban counterparts to demand leader Fidel Castro release them, but the author of "Fahrenheit 451" responded after viewing evidence of court-ordered book burning.
"I stand against any library or any librarian anywhere in the world being imprisoned or punished in any way for the books they circulate," Bradbury said. "I plead with Castro and his government to immediately take their hands off the independent librarians and release all those librarians in prison, and to send them back into Cuban culture to inform the people."
Seeking to stay out of internal politics, Bradbury did not make his comments during his ALA appearance. But he hopes the ALA will support him in his call for Castro to stop intimidating the independent library movement, which receives funding through congressionally-approved USAID and other agency grants.
The author made his remarks after American librarians showed him recently translated court documents from 2003 show-trials that discussed how "subversive" books and magazines held by the librarians should be destroyed, and, in several cases, "incinerated."