Japanese publisher East Press released a manga edition of Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” last November. It’s a part of a series “Manga de Doppa”, which publishes classical literatures such as Goethe’s Faust and Dante’s La Divina Commedia, as manga books.
Manga Mein Kampf on Amazon Japan
The editior of East Press said “Few people have actually read Mein Kampf although the book itself is well-known. We think this manga is a good reference to understand Hitler’s thought, which brought about such a terrible tragedy.” Manga Mein Kempf has been sold 45,000 copies for half a year. Considering the average sales of the series are 35,000 copies, the manga was sold unexpectedly well.
Kein Kampf has been banned in Germany by its copyright holder Bavaria State. The Ministry of Finance of Bavaria replied to Asahi Newspaper that “The publication of the demagogic literature makes the victims of Nazism remember their pains. Moreover, manga is not an appropriate media for the critical research on this problematic book.”
Professor Klemens Vornharz (Dresden University of Technology) objects to the idea. “Prohibited books must not be existed in the free society. Mein Kampf cannot agitate people anymore. Rather it’s an important historical material for the society.”
Source: Asahi.com
