Literature in the Dock - 50th anniversary of the Chatterley Trial

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the infamous Chatterley Trial, contesting the literary value of DH Lawrence’s controversial last novel.

On 2 November 1960 at the Old Bailey, the jurors gathered to deliver their verdict in the case of the Crown versus Penguin Books Limited. It was the sixth day of a sensational test trial for the newly-amended Obscene Publications Act of 1959, and on their decision rested the fate of DH Lawrence’s last novel, Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Dr Andrew Harrison, Director of the DH Lawrence Research Centre, shares his thoughts in the University Exchange magazine.