‘Mein Kampf’ Will Get Reprint Next Year in French and German
The copyright on Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” will expire at the end of this year, leaving the work open to French and German reprint editions.
The French publisher Fayard announced in a statement that it will release an annotated French version. The Institute of Contemporary History in Munich will publish the German reprint. Both reissues will emphasize the historical importance of the document, the French news agency AFP reported.
“The publication of this book, central to the history of the 20th century, will be accompanied by a critical analysis established by a scientific committee of French and foreign historians,” Fayard said in a statement. The release date has not been announced.
The Bavarian state placed a copyright on “Mein Kampf” after the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, and the book was banned in Germany, according to AFP. However, the Bavarian copyright will be void at the end of 2015, leaving the book open to reissue 70 years after Hitler’s death. Although several English-language translations have been made available since, a French translation hasn’t been published since 1934.
“Mein Kampf,” which means “my struggle” in German, was published originally in two volumes in Germany during 1925 and 1926. The semi-autobiographical work details Hitler’s ideology and militaristic ambitions. It outlined his desire to expand “lebensraum,” meaning German “living space,” as well as the dictator’s hatred of the Jewish people.
Hitler penned the book in prison, where he was serving time for his role in the Munich putsch of 1923. The work helped established his profile in Germany and ultimately aided his rise to power in 1933.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO