Shoutout to the used bookstore in Budapest with a whole section behind the counter

I was in Budapest last fall and found this tiny bookstore near the river. The owner had a whole shelf behind the cash register labeled 'Special Collection'. He said those were books that had been officially banned in Hungary at different points, mostly during the Cold War. It was all local authors I'd never heard of. Has anyone else stumbled on a collection like this while traveling?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_taylor1mo ago

Found a shop in Prague that had a whole back room full of old pulp sci-fi magazines from the 60s. They were all in Czech, with these wild painted covers of robots and alien planets. The owner just pointed and said "forbidden dreams" with a wink. Bought a stack even though I couldn't read a word, just for the art.

the_julia2mo ago

Remember any titles from that special shelf?

brown.simon2mo ago

Check if they had any books that got banned later on. That shelf always felt like it held secrets, not just stories. Finding one of those would explain the weird vibe it gave off.