What began as the banning of three books by the Ministry of Culture has spiralled into a far-reaching controversy drawing actors from across the cultural spectrum into its wake. The reason given for the withdrawal of these works -- published by the General Organisation for Cultural Palaces (GOCP), a division of the Ministry of Culture -- was their explicit sexual content, and the ensuing fracas, perhaps inevitably, has been sharply polarised, with the ministry describing its move as an "internal reform," and its detractors calling it an "inquisition." Following subsequent reports that the last two volumes of the GOCP edition of the Diwan of Abu Nuwas -- a canonical classic of Arabic poetry that includes explicit allusions to sex and drinking -- have also been removed from circulation, the debate has assumed still more incendiary proportions, touching on such explosive dichotomies as freedom of expression vs public morality. Below, the Weekly offers a summary of the events, interviews with concerned parties (including the authors of the three novels) and synopses of the textual culprits

Floating bureaus
Three novels, six resignations: Youssef Rakha visits the controversy

Back to the village

The crux of the matter

The protagonists' case

Qabl Wa Ba'd (Before and After), Tawfiq Abdel-Rahman

Ahlam Muharrama (Forbidden dreams), Mahmoud Hamid

Abnaa Al-Khataa Al-Romansi (Sons of the Romantic Fault), Yasser Shaaban

Plain talk
By Mursi Saad El-Din