Gritty: Richard Wright 'Black Boy' (1945)
Censored22 Jun 2023

Gritty: Richard Wright 'Black Boy' (1945)

There’s lots of indecency in this memoir ­­– vile racism, horrific violence – but readers shouldn’t be protected from Wright’s rage and bitterness.


  • On the floor of the US senate, a Theodore Bilbo said "It is the dirtiest, filthiest, lousiest, most obscene piece of writing that I have ever seen in print.”
  • Wright’s memoir is emotionally and narratively like many published in the last 20 years.
  • And the Irish weren’t the only ones who’ve struggled with this book – this text has an epic history of censorship

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Supreme Court case featuring 'Black Boy'

Richard Wright

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episoder(119)

Video Nasties (Part One)

Video Nasties (Part One)

Lloyd Meadhbh rewinds the tape back to the 1980s, when a new film medium caused a new (ish) moral panic. Support usMerch Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22 Feb 202435min

The Rocky Road to Dublin (1967)

The Rocky Road to Dublin (1967)

How revolutionary was Ireland anyway? Journalist and director Peter Lennon asked how a nation birthed by rebels seemed to be run by Catholic priests. His caustic script allied to Raoul Coutard's capti...

1 Feb 202441min

Censorship by Sharpie

Censorship by Sharpie

Did you know DIY censorship was practiced by those outside the film censor’s office. Even after official censors vetted publicity material, some film posters showed too much skin, especially male arms...

28 Des 202332min

The Devils is not a film for everyone

The Devils is not a film for everyone

Ken Russell's The Devils is definitely a film for us. Satanism, orgies, exorcisms - what's not to love? And it's a complicated censorship story of different cuts for different censors. Hosted on Acas...

14 Des 202346min

Are you trying to censor me, Mrs Robinson?

Are you trying to censor me, Mrs Robinson?

Banned, appealed, cut eleven times: The Graduate (1967) had a torrid time in Ireland. What narrative were Irish audiences allowed to see? And, Mrs Robinson, we stan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

30 Nov 202337min

(Un) Willkommen to the Cabaret

(Un) Willkommen to the Cabaret

A film beloved by our hosts that proved too much for the Irish censor. Was it Liza Minnelli's (as Sally Bowles) legs or men fancying other men? The answer is quite surprising. But then, so is writing ...

16 Nov 202336min

Ulster Says No, Absolutely Not

Ulster Says No, Absolutely Not

Lloyd Meadhbh explains Northern Ireland’s special censorship sauce to Aoife. There’s cross-border agreement, even more censors than usual and a bit of flogging. Films:Ulster the Garden of Eden (1930),...

2 Nov 202350min

Don't mention the war

Don't mention the war

War brings propaganda, and that means censorship. What happens if war is denied in favour of an 'Emergency'? We unpick why Betty Grable's legs were withdrawn from Irish cinema screens in 1941.A Yank i...

19 Okt 202343min

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