Mein Kampf turns out to be surprise bestseller; 85K copies of Hitler’s manifesto sold in last year.
Overwhelming Sales of Scholarly Copy
Germany has “a surprise bestseller” on its hands, reports the Guardian. Some 85,000 copies of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf sold in Germany in the first year the book was published there since World War II.
Andreas Wirsching of the Institute of Contemporary History – which began publishing scholarly copies last year after a copyright expired, with the goal to challenge Hitler’s ideas – says the company is “overwhelmed” by the number.
Unlike the Nazi-era editions, this Mein Kampf (My Struggle) has a plain white cover – without any picture of Hitler. The swastika and other Nazi symbols are banned in Germany.
In the Western world, the swastika symbol is synonymous with fascism, but for thousands of years, it has been used as a symbol of good fortune in India (and in almost every culture in the world).
While the sales of Hitler’s Mein Kampf has been ‘overwhelming’, Wirsching says “it would be irresponsible to just let this text spread arbitrarily,” per the BBC. A sixth print run will launch shortly and English and French editions are in the works.
Even a Jewish community leader who wants the book banned does not oppose a scholarly version of the book with annotations
Hitler’s Image in India
A Bollywood film has also been made on Adolf Hitler. While most Western productions have attempted to make fun of Hitler, this Bollywood film makes no claim to comedy, and that’s why the guardian says Bollywood’s film about Hitler is profoundly misguided.
For many westerners, Hitler remains history’s ultimate evil. However, awareness of the Holocaust in India is limited. Its common to call a bossy friend or family member as “Hitler” in India, but for westerners, Hitler stands for crimes that are significantly worse than telling you to do your work.
Watch: Asrani in Sholay. His character was based on Hitler…with the typical moustache.
Also Read: Bollywood mesmerizes Germany
In 2006, a Nazi-themed cafe opened in Mumbai with the name Hitler’s Cross (at Kharghar in Navi Bollywood actor Murli Sharma attended the launch party. Asked whether he found the name troublesome, he said: “I am not really agitated as I have not read much about the man. However, from what I know about Hitler, I find this name rather amusing.”
