The Little Red Schoolbook
Encyclopedia
The Little Red Schoolbook ( [ The Little Red Book For Students] ) is a book written by two Danish schoolteachers, Søren Hansen (b. 28 Mar 1940) and Jesper Jensen in 1969, which was controversial upon its publication. The book was translated into many languages in the early 1970s.
and 30 on drugs, including alcohol
and tobacco
. Other topics included adults as "paper tiger
s", the duties of teachers, discipline, examinations, intelligence, and different schools.
In Switzerland, the Bernese cantonal politician Hans Martin Sutermeister
led a campaign against the book; he achieved that it was temporarily forbidden to introduce the book in the country. The subsequent controversy, however, costed him his job as school director
of the Swiss capital and contributed to split his party, the Ring of Independents, which led to its medium-term decline.
In the UK, the book was the subject of a successful prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act, a decision that was upheld by the Appeal Court and subsequently
the European Court of Human Rights. The government however allowed a second, censored edition to be published, in which some of the passages criticised in court were amended or cut.
It was discussed critically by Peter Hitchens
in his book The Broken Compass
(2009).
Synopsis
The book encourages young people to question societal norms and instructs them in how to do this. Out of 200 pages, it includes 20 pages on sexSex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and 30 on drugs, including alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. Other topics included adults as "paper tiger
Paper tiger
Paper tiger is a literal English translation of the Chinese phrase zhǐlǎohǔ , meaning something that seems as threatening as a tiger, but is really harmless. This Chinese colloquialism is similar to the English phrase "its bark is worse than its bite"....
s", the duties of teachers, discipline, examinations, intelligence, and different schools.
Reception
As a result of its subject matter and its targeted audience of schoolchildren, a number of politicians in many countries criticised the book, fearing that the book would erode the moral fabric of society and be an invitation for anarchy in schools. The LRSB was banned in France and Italy.In Switzerland, the Bernese cantonal politician Hans Martin Sutermeister
Hans Martin Sutermeister
Hans Martin Sutermeister was a Swiss physician and medical writer, politician, and activist against miscarriages of justice.-Early years:...
led a campaign against the book; he achieved that it was temporarily forbidden to introduce the book in the country. The subsequent controversy, however, costed him his job as school director
Gemeinderat
The Bernese city council, called Gemeinderat, is the executive body of the city of Bern.It consists of five full-time members who represent proportionally the voting population of the city of Bern; they are elected for four years, and each one leads one of the directorates of the city administration...
of the Swiss capital and contributed to split his party, the Ring of Independents, which led to its medium-term decline.
In the UK, the book was the subject of a successful prosecution under the Obscene Publications Act, a decision that was upheld by the Appeal Court and subsequently
Handyside v United Kingdom
Handyside v. United Kingdom was a case decided by ECtHR in 1976. Its most famous conclusion is that Freedom of expression [..] is applicable not only to "information" or "ideas" that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend,...
the European Court of Human Rights. The government however allowed a second, censored edition to be published, in which some of the passages criticised in court were amended or cut.
It was discussed critically by Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
in his book The Broken Compass
The Broken Compass: How British Politics Lost its Way
The Broken Compass: How British Politics Lost its Way is the fourth book from English traditionalist conservative writer Peter Hitchens...
(2009).
See also
- The Little Red Book
- Handyside v United KingdomHandyside v United KingdomHandyside v. United Kingdom was a case decided by ECtHR in 1976. Its most famous conclusion is that Freedom of expression [..] is applicable not only to "information" or "ideas" that are favourably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also to those that offend,...
- The Little Red SongbookThe Little Red SongbookThe album The Little Red Songbook was released by Momus in 1998. This CD features a number of karaoke versions of the songs that were used for a singing contest. The winners of the contest appear on the CD Stars Forever.The original release of this CD contained a controversial song entitled...
Album by Momus
External links
- Documentary about the book's effect in Australia:
- Prosecution of the book in the UK (with further references):
- Full scans of the original book at the National Library of AustraliaNational Library of AustraliaThe National Library of Australia is the largest reference library of Australia, responsible under the terms of the National Library Act for "maintaining and developing a national collection of library material, including a comprehensive collection of library material relating to Australia and the...
- Full scans of the original book at the National Library of Australia
- Prosecution of the book in the UK (with further references):