It was a novel considered so scandalous that its publisher ended up in court. Sixty-six years ago today, a British jury delivered a verdict that helped change what people were allowed to read.
Remember the fuss surrounding Lady Chatterley’s Lover?
The novel by D. H. Lawrence had been notorious for decades, with its frank portrayal of an affair between an aristocratic married woman and her husband’s gamekeeper.
Its explicit language and descriptions of sex had made the book a target for censorship, although that only seemed to increase public curiosity.
On November 2, 1960, a jury at London’s Old Bailey found Penguin Books not guilty of obscenity after the publisher released an unexpurgated edition.
The verdict became a landmark moment in British publishing history.
The prosecution argued that the book was unsuitable for publication under Britain’s obscenity laws.
The defence called literary experts and other witnesses who argued that Lawrence’s novel deserved to be judged as a serious work of literature.
The trial became a national talking point, attracting considerable press attention. When Penguin was acquitted, the decision helped open the door to more frank discussions of sexuality in books and popular culture.
The novel, first privately published in 1928, went on to reach an enormous new audience.
For readers who grew up when certain books were kept behind the counter or discussed in hushed voices, the controversy remains a fascinating reminder of how much social attitudes have changed.
On November 2, 2001, Pixar released Monsters, Inc., introducing audiences to two wonderfully unlikely heroes.
There was Sulley, the enormous blue monster voiced by John Goodman, and his one-eyed best friend Mike Wazowski, voiced by Billy Crystal.
Their carefully organised world was turned upside down when a little girl named Boo wandered into the monster factory.
Twenty-five years later, the film remains a family favourite, particularly for grandparents who’ve enjoyed watching it with younger generations.
On November 2, 1947, aviation pioneer Howard Hughes took his enormous wooden flying boat, nicknamed the Spruce Goose, into the air above California’s Long Beach Harbour.
The aircraft had been developed during the Second World War, but construction delays meant it was completed too late for wartime service.
Its brief flight lasted around 30 seconds. It never flew again.
David Schwimmer, remembered as Ross Geller in Friends, celebrates his 60th birthday today.
Canadian singer k.d. lang turns 65. Her unforgettable recordings include Constant Craving and her duet with Roy Orbison on Crying.
Australian tennis great Ken Rosewall, winner of eight Grand Slam singles titles, turns 92.
And Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster, star of From Here to Eternity, was born on November 2, 1913. He died in 1994.
Do you remember the controversy surrounding Lady Chatterley’s Lover? Was it one of those books everyone seemed to be talking about, even if they hadn’t actually read it?
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