Dua Lipa is bringing her love of literature to life in Portugal. The Grammy-winning singer and Livraria Lello, one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores, opened the Manifesto Library in Porto on June 27 as part of BABELL, City of Books.
The library marks the physical expression of Lipa’s Service95 Book Club, which she launched in 2023. “The first permanent physical expression of the Service95 Book Club is a new library dedicated to books that challenge power, control, voice, and memory,” the project’s official description reads.
The Manifesto Library is housed in Porto’s iconic Mercado do Bolhão and will be open to the public from June 28 through October 31. The project is part of BABELL, City of Books, an initiative transforming the city into a literary destination.
For Lipa, the library represents a natural evolution of her Book Club’s mission. Since its launch, the Service95 Book Club has featured curated monthly selections ranging from literary fiction to investigative journalism. “Our Book Club has brought us together around titles that speak to our times,” the project notes.
To celebrate the opening, Lipa performed a DJ set on Friday night at the library’s launch party. The event drew a crowd of roughly 200 attendees, blending music with the literary mission of the space.
The collaboration with Livraria Lello adds another layer of prestige. The bookstore, which opened in 1906, is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world and served as inspiration for the Harry Potter series.
The Manifesto Library’s collection focuses on “books that challenge power, control, voice and memory,” reflecting Lipa’s commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices. The Service95 Book Club has previously spotlighted Palestinian voices, including Yara Zgheib’s No One Knows How I Survive, as well as writers like Hala Alyan and Fatima Bhutto.
“This is the first permanent physical expression” of the Book Club, organizers emphasized, marking a significant milestone in the artist’s cultural endeavors beyond music.
