A controversial publisher and anti-censorship advocate brought writers like Albert Camus into the limelight when American culture was extremely closed off. This cultural tension was created from bans on books and arresting people for purchasing certain CDs. But there was a man who devoted himself to fighting censorship. His name was Barney Rosset, Parker class of 1956, and he is one of the “least known legends” in the literary world.

Although Rosset was never a household name, multiple documentaries and other works were made about him. “Barney’s Wall: The Documentary” is to be screened in Parker’s auditorium during the fall of 2016. “It’s about diversity, openness, inclusion. “That’s the spirit Barney had and what we want to show in this film.” co-producer Williams Cole said. The producers of “Barney’s Wall” are aiming to make this documentary a widespread success,

Rosset started out in the world of literature with his own journal, the “Evergreen Review,” which published authors such as Malcolm X and Allen Ginsberg, authors, respectively of, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and “Journals,” which evolved into a famous poetry collection.

The late fifties marked Rosset’s first swings in his battle for self-expression. This documentary is a tribute to Rosset, and his various achievements on behalf of American culture.

Banned books such as “Tropic of Cancer,” “Naked Lunch,” and “Lady Chatterly’s Lover” were the largest cases that Rosset won in order to strip away the seal of censorship. It was U.S. government legislation that deemed bodies of work as “obscene” and shielded them from the public. “‘Once Lady Chatterly’s Lover’ and ‘Tropic of Cancer’ were published, and the public could have access to this,” co-producer Sandy Meehan said, “that’s when Barney’s legend started to build.”

Rosset’s work didn’t stop at publishing authors. Although February of 2012 marked the man’s death, a mural sprawls along the wall of Rosset’s New York apartment. The mostly blue mural is woven with gold and multi-color brush strokes, which depict the work of influential authors, filmmakers, poets, and other artists.  For years, Rosset tirelessly crafted the 3-D sculpture, which was added onto as more battles were won.

This mural is an ode to every artist who has been suppressed by societal regulations. Rosset developed his own publishing company, called “Grove Press.” And nearly three decades after “Grove Press” was established, Rosset continued to connect artists from all backgrounds in his small East Village loft.

America’s counterculture emerged as Rosset’s dedication to publishing authors brought him to several municipal courts and eventually the Supreme Court. Cole said, “I think every creative freedom that writers, artists, and filmmakers have comes from battles that Barney Rosset fought for in the Supreme Court.” The man received death threats from publishing companies, and in 1968 one of the “Grove Press” offices in Greenwich Village, NY, got bombed.  

And Parker is at the root of all this. Meehan said, “Rosset definitely attributes his success to having a Parker education.”

What inspired Meehan to craft the film was a high school discovery. “When I was a sophomore in high school I discovered that any book with ‘Grove Press’ on its spine was a direct portal into different ways of thinking,” Meehan said. “Grove’s authors lit a fire in my mind that has never gone out. Our film is a reflection of that — how intellectual curiosity is the engine to a fuller, richer existence.”