MALMO, SWEDEN –To mark Banned Books Week 2025, the Dawit Isaak Library in Sweden – recognized as the world’s first library dedicated to freedom of speech has collaborated with BBDO Nordics to create a striking symbol of protest: a double-bound, unreadable edition of George Orwell’s 1984.
Bound shut on both sides, this exclusive edition cannot be opened or read, yet it cannot be ignored. Containing every chapter in print but sealed by design, the book embodies a profound statement about the silencing effect of censorship and book bans worldwide.
“We wanted to create a symbol that would be integral to the library’s fight against censorship,” says Karan Nair, Copywriter at BBDO Nordics. “We crafted the book to induce anxiety and anger first, followed by action—to speak out and read more.”
The Bound Books Project, which debuts with this work, aims to use design as a protest tool, turning literature itself into a medium for awareness and resistance. While this edition of 1984 is intentionally unreadable, it reflects the harsh reality faced by thousands of books worldwide that are being removed, restricted, or silenced.
“When a book is banned, it becomes a closed world,” explains Jasmina Dizdarevic Cordero of the Dawit Isaak Library. “By sealing one of the most influential works of literature ever written, we want to make censorship impossible to ignore.”
Only 20 copies of the double-bound 1984 exist globally. Among those who have received copies are Stephen King, Nobel laureate Herta Müller, and Jila Mossaed, a member of the Swedish Academy, the institution responsible for selecting the Nobel Prize in Literature.
In Sweden, one copy will be shared among the 1,000+ libraries and bookstores participating in Banned Books Week, inviting readers and institutions alike to engage in dialogue about censorship and the fundamental right to read freely.
The Bound Books Project transforms an enduring literary icon into a visual protest, reminding the world that freedom of expression must be continually defended—not only in words, but also through acts of creative defiance.
CREDITS
Team Dawit Isaak Library
Director of Communications: Anna Nystedt
Communicator: Saskia Moquist
Librarian: Jens Zingmark
Managing Director: Jasmina Dizdarevic Cordero
Team BBDO Nordics
Copywriter: Karan Nair
Craft Director: Oskar Ferm
PR Specialist: Hanna Sandström
Executive Creative Director: Malin Wikberg
Client Director: Petter Dahlskog
Project Lead: Aicha Aboubacar
Design Director: Andreas Silverblad
PR Lead: Linnea Nordström
Graphic Designer: Satany Doughouz
Graphic Designer: Emelie Eriksson
Graphic Designer: Linda Engström
Junior Graphic Designer: Natalia Zieba
Photographer: Isabelle de Susini
Cinematographer: Rikard Rogeland
