Raph sez, "There's been a lot of debate in the Spanish-speaking community about the removal of several books by prominent Puerto Rican authors from the 11th grade curriculum in Puerto Rico, and a bunch of authors are protesting in blogs and in person in protests. Global Voices covered the story today (it's been ongoing for a week)."
The Department of Education of the government of Puerto Rico recently eliminated five books from the eleventh grade curriculum of the public school system: Antología personal, by José Luis González; El entierro de Cortijo, by Edgardo Rodríguez Juliá; Mejor te lo cuento: antología personal, by Juan Antonio Ramos; Reunión de espejos, an anthology of essays edited by José Luis Vega (all Puerto Rican authors); and Aura, by Carlos Fuentes from Mexico. The public agency justified its action by saying that the books "contain unacceptable language and vocabulary, which is extremely coarse and vulgar."
The governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño, supported the decision: "I think I have been very clear, and that all of the mothers and fathers out there understand perfectly that the books that an 18-year-old can read should not be read by a 12-year-old." Numerous writers and artists in Puerto Rico publicly voiced their concerns and described the government's action as censorship. The Federation of Teachers also condemned the decision and stated that it "reflects ignorance about the social reality that our students live in, and a backward-looking vision of modern literature as part of the academic curriculum." After such public pressure, the Department of Education said they had only permanently eliminated one book, but were still evaluating the rest.
Puerto Rico: Debate on Censorship
(Thanks, Raph!)
