“The first time I saw my book in plastic, I felt like I was living in a dystopia, testifies Tibor Rácz-Stefán, Hungarian author of I want you for Christmas (not translated), a book released this winter recounting the coming out of young Bence. It’s a bit as if there was something shameful to hide in my novel, even though it is rated very positively by readers and sold very well. » The 35-year-old homosexual writer observes that fewer and fewer bookstores offer his novel and fears censorship.
For two years, the Hungary of nationalist Viktor Orbán has banned both “the display” that “the promotion of homosexuality” and “gender change” to those under 18. In force since 1er July 2021, this law on the “child protection” had hardly been applied to the world of books. Except that in May, the consumer protection authority launched two procedures against the two largest bookstore chains in the country, Libri and Lira, for books sold in the children’s department that did not comply with the requirements of the law. Libri had to pay a fine of 1 million forints (2,600 euros) and Lira 12 million forints (31,400 euros).
Consequence: bookstores laminated the books judged “sensitive” or have moved them to the adult section, when they have not decided to refrain from selling them. Legislation deemed to be discriminatory caused an outcry when it was enacted. The European Commission has seized the Court of Justice of the European Union against Hungary: procedures which are likely to take many months before succeeding.
Prohibited in bookstores, available on Netflix
Tibor Rácz-Stefán assures that his book is no longer sold “only in one store” of the Libri group. In the capital, at least two establishments of the group did not actually have it in mid-August. “It’s a very popular book, but we don’t have it in stores anymore,” explains an employee of the brand in downtown Budapest. “I’m afraid that in the long term, my work will no longer reach readers. It would be a great loss for my editor and myself, but also for Hungarian LGBTQ+ youth. This is all the more problematic since Hungarians buy few books online and Amazon does not distribute to us,” is alarmed Tibor Racz-Stefán.
At Lira, it is the bestseller of the British Alice Oseman, Heartstopper, narrating the love of two teenagers and intended for readers from the age of 12, which is incriminated. “The fine we received is the highest in the history of book distribution in Hungary, assures Krisztián Nyáry, creative director of Lira. We are a solid company, but a small bookseller will not take this risk. And to think that the adaptation of the book is freely accessible on Netflix for those over 13…” He clarified that, according to the decree implementing the law, no content displaying homosexuality or gender reassignment could appear within 200 meters of a school or a church.
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