The books range from fiction to poetry to non-fiction and compilation of folk tales and songs. We have just picked three, but you can contribute to this list by adding your favourites in the comments section. This is just the first part, watch this space for more!

*Some book description text courtesy Wikipedia, Amazon and Good Reads.

Assamese: The eastern Indian state of Assam has been in the news recently for the National Register of Citizens (NRC). But it has a rich and varied history of literary works by stalwarts from the state.
 

1.  Asamar Loka Sanskriti: This is a study in folk culture by Birinchi Kumar Barua who won the Sahitya Akademi Award for this book in 1964. Barua was a folklorist, scholar, novelist, playwright, historian, linguist, educationist, administrator and eminent 20th century littérateur of Assam, with both scholarly and creative pursuits. He was the pioneer in the study of folklore in North East India, and was one of the many founders of Gauhati University. Barua’s contributions to Assamese literature are significant, both as a novelist and as an early literary critic.
2. Sudirgha Din Aru Ritu: This is a book of poetry by Nirmalprabha Bordoloi, an eminent Assamese poet, lyricist and folklorist from Sibsagar district of Assam. She was the president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1991 held at Dudhnoi in Goalpara district of Assam. Bordoloi wrote over 54 Assamese and English books and thousands of songs. She was honored with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for Sudirgha Din Aru Ritu which contains 104 poems divided into four categories: Batcharar Kavita, Sudirgha Diner Kavita, Ritu and  Sudirgha Diner Gaan.
3. Aghari Atmar Kahini: This book is written by Padma Bhushan awardee Syed Abdul Malik. Malik one of the stalwarts of Assamese literature, hailed from the village of Nahoroni in Golaghat. He was the president of Asam Sahitya Sabha in 1977 held at Abhayapuri. Malik received many other honours including Padmashri, Sankar Dev Award, Xahityacharyya, as well as the 1972 Sahitya Akademi Award this novel the title of which translates into Tale of a Nomadic Soul.

 
Kashmiri: Kashmir has been in the eye of the storm since the communication blackout and bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019. A great way to trace the history and vivid culture of the people of this state is to read the following books in Kashmiri language:
 

1. Shuhul Kull: This is a collection of poems by Dina Nath Nadim, a prominent Kashmiri poet of the 20th century. It means the Shady Tree. Nadim was an important member of the progressive writers movement in Kashmir. While Nadim’s language was spoken Kashmiri, he initially wrote in Hindi and Urdu as well. Nadim also wrote operas like Vitasta ( Jhelum River ), Safar Taa Shehjaar ( The Journey And The shade )Heemaal Taa Naaegrai ( Heemaal and Naagraaj ) and Bombur Taa yamberzal ( Bumble Bee And The Narcissus Flower).
2. Na Thsay Na Aks: This is also a book of poetry by Naseem Shafaie, a Kashmiri language poet who writes about a variety of topics including the turbulent atmosphere of Kashmir from a woman’s perspective. In 2011, she became the first Kashmiri woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for this collection of poems. The title of the book means Neither Shadow Nor Reflection. Na Thsay Na Aks was also among the eight winners of the inaugural Tagore Literature Award in 2009.
3. Sheen Tu Watu Pod: This is a novel by Padmashri award winner Pran Kishore Kaul. Kaul is a noted Kashmiri theatre artist, who shot to fame with his screen play of famous Television serial Gul Gulshan Gulfam starring Parikshit Sahni, Radha Seth, Neena Gupta and Pankaj Berry. He won the Sahitya Akademi Aaward for this novel in 1989. The title means Snow And The Bridle Path. This is the story of Reshma and Rajwali, a shepherd couple whose son Qamroo does not return from a sojourn into the upper reaches with their livestock. It showcases how the couple copes and how their relationship evolves in the aftermath of their son’s passing.

 
Tamil: Perhaps the strongest opposition to “Hindi Imposition” came from Tamil Nadu. The Tamil language is one of the oldest in the world. Here are some of the must-read books from Tamil literature.
 

1. Ponniyin Selvan: Written by Kalki Krishnamurthy, this is a historical novel spread over five volumes and 2400 pages! It tells the story of early days of Arulmozhivarman, who later became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. Ponniyin Selvan is widely considered by many to be the greatest novel ever written in Tamil literature. Even today, the novel has a cult following and fan base among people of all generations.
2. Why were women enslaved: The book by the great social reformer Thanthai Periyar EVR, showcases his ideas on the empowerment of women. As a rationalist and ardent social reformer, Periyar advocated forcefully throughout his life that women should be given their legitimate position in society as the equals of men and that they should be given good education and have the right to their family’s and husband’s property. The raised his voice against orthodox traditions like arranged marriage, child marriage and dowry system. He also advocated for women to have the right to separate or divorce their husbands under reasonable circumstances. While birth control remained taboo in society of Periyar’s time, he advocated for it not only for the health of women and population control, but for the liberation of women.
3. Vengayin mainda: This is one of the famous works of Akilan, a freedom fighter, novelist, short-story writer, journalist, satirist, travel writer, playwright, script-writer, orator and critic. He is also a children’s novelist. In this novel, Akilan gives insight about the life and achievement of the great Rajendra Chola who was a Vengaiyin Maindhan to the rest of the world. RajendraCholan is the son of Rajaraja Cholan and his period can be referred as the height of Tamil empire in art, literature and administration. He captured many countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia (Kadaaram), southern and eastern coastal parts of India. He lived around 1010 AD and his dynasty had many business relationships with foreign countries. This novel depicts his victory over Kadaaram and the building of new city Gangaikonda Cholapuram upon his victory over northern part of India.

Marathi: Maharashtra also has a reputation of having produced some of the most celebrated writers and poets in the country. Here are just three books from a literary goldmine.
 

1. Baluta: The first Dalit autobiography to be published, Baluta caused a sensation when it first appeared, in Marathi, in 1978. Set in Mumbai and rural Maharashtra of the 1940s and ’50s, it describes in shocking detail the practice of untouchability and caste violence. But it also speaks of the pride and courage of the Dalit community that often fought back for dignity. Most unusually, Baluta is also a frank account of the author Daya Pawar’s own failings and contradictions—his passions, prejudices and betrayals—as also those of some leading lights of the Dalit movement. In addition, it is a rare record of life in Maharashtra’s villages and in the slums, chawls and gambling dens of Mumbai.
2. Vyakti ani Valli: This is a compilation of 20 character-sketches by Marathi literary stalwart Pu La Deshpande. The characters come from various backgrounds, are diverse in their traits. But almost all of them have one thing in common. They all form some part of tragedy of life, and when they try to fight their lives, that’s what causes the idiosyncrasies which are the root of the comedy in their life. Some of the most popular characters are the wallflower Narayan, the philanthropist Gampu, and the inimitable Sakharam Gatne. Pu La won the Sahitya Akademi award for this book in 1965.
3. Shivaji Kon Hota: Written by slain rationalist Govind Pansare, this book traces and establishes the secular credentials of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It showcases how this brave and progressive ruler whose identity is inextricable from the state of Maharashtra, was far cry from the picture painted by right wing supremacists who invoke his name while committing hate crimes against religious minorities.

Malayalam: Many writers from Kerala are known for their outstanding books of literary merit. Many have gone on to win international acclaim for their work.
 

1. Aalahayude Penmakkal: Written by Sarah Joseph, novel is the first in the trilogy which includes ‘Mattathi’ and ‘Othappu’. The novel deals with the condition of marginalized groups in society pointed out as subalterns by Marxist Antonio Gramsci. The living and existential conditions of these groups are seldom acknowledged by the society at large and generally they are displaced from their places of stay and livelihoods, usually in the name of development and change. This transformation in their existential struggle is narrated by Annie, the central character, who gives voice to three generations of her subaltern group albeit with a feminine perspective.
2. Don’t want caste: It is a collection of Malayalam stories by Dalit writers. In many of the stories, the protagonist must abandon home and family to escape the oppressions into which they are born. It is edited by MR Renukumar.
3. Chemmeen: It is a Malayalam novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in 1956. Chemmeen tells the story of the relationship between Karuthamma, the daughter of a Hindu fisherman, and Pareekutti, the son of a Muslim fish wholesaler. The theme of the novel is a myth among the fishermen communities along the coastal Kerala State in the Southern India. The myth is about chastity. If the married fisher woman was infidel when her husband was in the sea, the Sea Goddess (Kadalamma literally means Mother Sea) would consume him. It also showcases the helplessness of lovers facing social stigma and the reality of economic oppression. Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai received the Padma Bhushan, Jnanpeeth and Sahitya Akademi awards for his literary genius.

 
Punjabi: The land of agriculture also has a rich literary culture, with stalwarts like Amrita Pritam, Nanak Singh and many others. Here are some of the mose celebrated Punjabi books.
 

1. Pinjar: This is a 1950 Punjabi novel written by noted poet and novelist Amrita Pritam. It is the story of a Hindu girl, Puro, abducted by a Muslim man, Rashid; Puro’s parents refuse to accept the defiled girl when she manages to escape from Rashid’s home. Pinjar is widely considered one of the outstanding works of Indian fiction set during the period of the Partition of India.
2. Chitta Lahu: It is the story of Sundri, an orphan girl found and raised by   Rodu, a juggler. She is unable to attend school because of the taboo of untouchability when she meets and is tutored by a young idealist Bachchan Singh. They eventually fall in love but cannot marry as the villain Pala Singh has his eye on Sundri himself. Pala Singh implicates Bachchan Singh in a fake murder case and has him hanged. Meanwhile a courtesan Anwarjan discovers that the young girl Sundri who is dissuading her from performing dance numbers at her village is her own daughter she abandoned at birth. It turns out that Anwarjan was once Gurdai and forced into becoming a courtesan when a hypocrite upper caste man of her village violates her when she was a young widow. Sundri vows revenge against Pala Singh. To find out what happens next, read the book!
3. Heer Ranjha: A timeless masterpiece, this is one of the greatest love stories ever told. Heer Ranjha was written by Waris Shah. Some historians say that the story was the original work of Shah, written after he had fallen in love with a girl named Bhag Bhari. Others say that Heer and Ranjha were real personalities who lived under the Lodi dynasty and that Waris Shah later utilised these personalities for his story. Shah states that the story has a deeper meaning, referring to the unrelenting quest that man has towards God. It is a story of star crosses lovers, an upper caste woman in a forbidden relationship with a working-class man. Society gets in the way, but true love shines through… just before darkness engulfs them both…

Bengali: There are just way too many heavyweights in this category and it was hard to restrict our picks to just three.
 

1. Chander Pahad: This novel by Bibhutibhushan Bandhopadhyay tells the story of an ordinary young Bengali man, Shankar Roy Chaudhary, as he adventures in Africa in the years 1909 and 1910. After graduating from college at 20-years-old, his family’s financial struggles almost force him take a job in a jute mill in Shyamnagar — a prospect he absolutely loathes. Shankar loves the subject of geography, he wants to follow the footsteps of renowned explorers like Livingstone, Mungo Park, and Marco Polo. He wants to explore the wilderness, passionate for learning about African forests and animals. By a stroke of luck, he gets a job as a clerk at the Uganda Railway and rushes to Africa without a second thought. His adventures involve being attacked by animals an dmythical monsters, getting lost in a forest and escaping a volcano… all on a quest for an elusive yellow diamond.
2. Aranyer Adhikar: While author Mahashweta Devi is better known for masterpieces like Hazaar Chaurashis Ma and Rudaali, it is this gem that we would like to recommend. This novel talks about the Adivasi struggle for land and forest rights and its evolution into a full fleged struggle for independence from the British. The novel tells the story of the indomitable Birsa Munda.
3. Kabuliwala: If this book doesn’t make you sob uncontrollable, you have a heart of stone! Written by none other that Rabindranath Tagore, Kabuliwala tells the story of a heart-rending friendship between a 5-year-old Bengali girl Minnie and an Afghan moneylender, Abdur Rahman or Rahamat. The story beautifully ties a bond of mutual affection and the unconventional relationship between the two. Misinformation and fate play spoilsport and the Kabuliwala is imprisoned for 10 years. When he is relased he immediately goes to visit Minnie. But she has grown into a young woman and it is her wedding day. Watching her dressed in bridal finery, the Kabuliwala realizes he has also missed the childhood of his own daughter in Afghanistan.

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Public libraries were also meant to be well-funded; to be continuously upgraded  and improve their facilities to keep up with the changing times, as we wrote in our 2018 paper, A Policy Review of Public Libraries in India. The library cess or public library tax, a surcharge of property tax paid to the local government, city corporation or village panchayat was meant to finance them. But the question arises: how much money is India actually spending on its public libraries?

We filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act when we discovered, after analysing the data on public libraries, that there were no official documents available on per capita expenditure on public libraries. The RTI was redirected from the ministry of culture to several central libraries in the country including the National Library of India at Belvedere Estate, Kolkata, the Delhi Public Library, and the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation (RRRLF), Kolkata. However, no information was forthcoming. While a few libraries were able to provide details of their individual expenditure, there was no information on annual national public library expenditure.

Public libraries in India
The first public libraries act, the Madras Public Library Act, was passed in 1948. Its goal was to introduce legal provisions for offering public library services, for the public and funded by the public.

India’s public library movement, which was pioneered by the likes of Maharaja Sayajirao III Gaekwad of Baroda, American library administrator William Alanson Borden, and mathematician and librarian S R Ranganathan, began in the late 19th century. The movement was part of pre-Independence social movements for literacy development that took place in several states such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, and included initiatives such as a boat-library in Andhra Pradesh, and books on bullock carts in the then Madras state.

A library exhibition at RPC Layout, Vijayanagar Public Library, Bengaluru.

After Independence, there have been a few government initiatives for public libraries, such as the National Mission on Public Libraries, improving school library services as part of five-year plans for education and assistance, and provision of grants by the RRRLF for library programmes aimed at training and development. A few public libraries in villages and talukas have also been given financial aid in the construction of buildings and upkeep of facilities. However, these programmes have been ad-hoc and not administered with concerted efforts by the ministry of culture, which manages the National Library of India and the National Archives of India.

Several libraries remain in poor conditions with no concerted programmes–for example, Livemint reported in May 2013 on a  poorly functioning district library in the West Champaran district of Bihar that housed 12,000 tattered books, managed by a librarian who was paid Rs 700 per month–the cost of a meal for one at a mid-range restaurant in a metro city. Nevertheless, several students visited the library daily to study for their exams.

There were 70,817 libraries in rural areas and 4,580 in urban areas serving a population of more than 830 million and 370 million, respectively, according to the 2011 Census where libraries were notified (officially identified) for the first time. These numbers roughly translate to one rural library for every 11,500 people, and one urban library for over 80,000 people. However, there is no precise information on the functionality and level of service capabilities of these libraries–the rural libraries could be a room with a few books, while others could be running through the support of private donors or NGOs.

Source: Census of India 2011, District Census Handbooks  

After the launch of the National Mission on Libraries in 2014, which intended to develop a conducive ecosystem by setting up model libraries, building capacity and undertaking detailed surveys, the culture ministry undertook another official census of libraries to study the practices and performance of the public library system. This was known as the ‘Qualitative and Quantitative Survey of Libraries’, and began with the preparation of baseline data of 5,000 libraries. However, there have been no updates on the findings since 2014, and the outcome of the survey is unclear. The numbers too appear contradictory, as presently the total number of registered libraries in India is 5,478 according to the records of the National Mission of Libraries, but the numbers are much higher in other surveys.

The functioning of public libraries
In India, there is no uniform, country-wide system of administration for public libraries.

Public libraries are run by state governments using taxes from local administrative bodies, such as city corporations or village councils. Of India’s 29 states and seven union territories, 19 states have passed state library legislation, of which only five have the provision of a library cess or tax levy.

Percentage of library cess from states

Source: Respective state library acts

States with lower literacy rates did not have library legislation until recent years—Bihar and Chhattisgarh passed legislation in 2008 and Arunachal Pradesh in 2009, yet both are still without a library cess.

At the state level, there are several departments that manage public libraries—in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, libraries are regulated by the department of public libraries; in Tripura and Haryana, libraries are managed by the department of education, while those in Mizoram and Goa report to the department of art and culture.

Local library authorities are supposed to record and publish the expenditure and provision of library services available to the public, but we found that most do not.

Some districts, such as Vellore in Tamil Nadu, have been publishing statistics about public libraries annually in their District Statistical Handbook, which is also available on these districts’ websites. If such information were available for all the districts, it would go a long way in informing the public about this important service.

Financial autonomy is imperative for the proper functioning of public libraries. Except for the five states that collect library tax—Tamil Nadu, united Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Goa (see map)—the other 14 state laws have no teeth to secure financial security for public libraries. This makes it difficult for the libraries to expand their services. Also, the low expenditure versus high population in many states means that the number of libraries is not adequate to cover the entire population, as The Indian Express reported on May 31, 2017.Source: Vellore District Statistical Handbook, 2016-2017

Growth of literacy and public libraries
Literacy development is closely linked to public spending on arts, culture and libraries. In India, the literacy rate has consistently risen since 1951; however, the number of public libraries, their expansion and coverage have not developed alongside.

Source: Census of India, 2011

There is no relationship between a state’s capacity to spend on libraries and its willingness to do so, studies have revealed. There may also not be a straightforward relationship between a state’s capacity to spend on libraries and the funding it receives, and its willingness to spend on libraries, as the latter depends on a state’s education and literacy policies. For instance, the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, have always had higher levels of public library development, with around 2,000 libraries each (see data below), far higher than the numbers in Bihar, which has a larger population. But these states have not always had large central government assistance for this purpose. On the other hand, many states have also failed to even seek funding from the Centre for the development of public libraries.

Central financial assistance released to public libraries in India

Source: IndiaStat, 2012

Public libraries in the US, UK and other European countries use library resources to cater to large populations. In the US, for example, the public library system provides services to 95.6% of the total population and spends $35.96 per capita annually, whereas in India the per capita expenditure on the development of public libraries translates to 7 paise. The funding for libraries in the US is primarily local—80% of the funding comes from local councils rather than national funds.

In Europe, 83% of the budget for public libraries comes from local municipalities, according to a survey of 425 libraries. Many developing countries in Africa, Asia and South America spend way less or have few statistics on their per capita expenditure on public libraries. For example, in Nigeria, spending on public libraries works out to approximately NGN 5.00 (about 4 cents in the US), according to a study by Unnuma Opara, released in 2008.

Comparison Of Per Capita Expenditure On Public Libraries

Source: Susannah et al. 2013; ALIA, 2016;  ILMS, 2016;

The Legislative Council Commission, 2016; Sethumadhavrao, 2016Public libraries are regarded by scholars as far more than a repository for books. They are seen as a landmark, a catalyst for urban development, a space for social interaction and a vital hub of the public domain as an experience. In today’s information age, libraries in many countries are exploring, along with traditional library services, a range of activities such as hosting of events, digital services, engagement with the public especially with neglected communities that need support, and creating a knowledge economy that can give access to education.

For libraries in India to serve broader functions, investments in public libraries should be increased, while also making concerted efforts to systematically improve the functioning and services provided by  libraries.

(A comprehensive  paper on the topic was published by the authors of this article in A Policy Review of Public Libraries in India)

(Balaji and Vinay are part of the IIHS Library team in Bengaluru. Mohan Raju is an External Consultant at IIHS.)

Courtesy: India Spend
 

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In an exclusive tete-a-tete with Sabrang Ketan Vaidya tells us the story behind the story of Hope Express.

What prompted you to write about mills and chawls?
The mills were not just brick and mortar edifices but an essential part of the city’s heritage and history of syncretism, multi-ethnicity and bonhomie. The oft proclaimed Mumbai spirit, I believe, is a legacy of the sub-culture that evolved around the mills of Mumbai of yore. My book is about a mill worker’s son aspiring to be a journalist and revolves around the impending redevelopment of a chawl in a mill district. While the book reminisces and at times turns nostalgic about the fall of the mills, it is not anti-development and sees the redevelopment process as a given in the chawls, as well as Mumbai’s 19000 old tenement houses in the interest of the lower middle class dwellers who inhabit them.

What are your observations on changes in physical spaces affecting the socio-cultural fabric of a city? 
The recent spate of redevelopment in the old rent act buildings of the city has altered the physical spaces of the city like never before. The spate of redevelopment and getting a brand new house in lieu of redevelopment is an aspirational dream among the teeming middle classes of the city. Few can otherwise afford a home in the city in their lifetime. However, the more congenial space that the chawls or old smaller apartment buildings offered, will soon be a thing of the past, with insular living taking their place.  This is more about the physical space. The city has also undergone increasingly exclusivist with vegetarian communities excluding the meat-eaters and people of one faith, the other. This, I feel, is a bigger dent on the socio-cultural fabric of a city than a change in the physical appearance due to redevelopment. 

Is Mumbai becoming increasingly exclusionist and intolerant? What is driving us apart?
Increasing prosperity has not led to increased bonhomie in the city. The city continues to be cosmopolitan for the outsider. However, it is increasing becoming clannish thereby changing the very character of the city. I feel political ideologies that foster hate and division among people have had a long and a free hand in the city. This is what has divided the city in a systematic way. This exclusion and intolerance doesn’t just disturb the body politic of the city but also puts a great hindrance to the city trying to achieve a global identity. 

Do we live in ghettos in a purportedly cosmopolitan city? 
There are linguistic ghettos and then there are religious ghettoes in Mumbai. For the member of the ghetto they give a sense of security and belonging. However, they also encourage narrowness of thought and generalisation of the ‘other’. There were always ghettos in Mumbai however a more intensive communal ghettoisation happened in the early nineties. Increased ghettoisation coupled with suspicion of the other ghetto members is a deadly mix that the city must avoid at all times.

Your protagonist is a journalist. Is this story semi-autobiographical?
Raghu is myself at times and at other times, so much a composite character inspired by others. Although I was aggressive and pursued a story to its logical conclusion during my career, there were others who truly embodied the journalistic spirit of endless pursuit. It is a tribute to all those unsung journalists that I encountered when I was a journalist.

Are we suckers for nostalgia? How should we view development?
Nostalgia cannot give respite to tenants living dangerously in old British era buildings. I feel that is why the people of the city should be at the center of any urban heritage conservation effort. Development shouldn’t be a physical transformation of a place from old and decrepit to tasteless and tacky structures. Development shouldn’t be looked from the eyes of the agencies who are bringing it about, but from the standpoint of stakeholders who are affected. 

You can check out Hope Express here:

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There is a serious crisis in Indian publishing, and entirely of the making of the present HRD Ministry. Publishers are facing horrific delays, red tape, bureaucratism, stone walling — which may or may not amount to censorship, but does point to gross incompetence — in the issue of ISBN numbers. The HRD Ministry risks losing its role of distributing International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) to publishers in India amid complaints of red-tapism and fears of censorship by the government.

On March 29, in a letter sent to Minister of State for HRD Mahendra Nath Pandey, the ISBN International Agency warned that it is “seriously considering” revoking the ministry’s appointment as the agency for issuing ISBNs in India as the number of complaints has “reached unacceptable levels”.

Says the publishers, LeftWord Books, for instance, “we are using our existing series very conservatively (not issuing e-books, for example, even though we can; or not giving new ISBN nos when we bring out a new edition with a revised price; or, on occasion, deciding to forgo a hardcover version because we want to conserve the numbers we have) to somehow make do.”
 
Earlier, when the process was manual and analogue, you waited a couple of months, but got 100 numbers at one go, and all you had to do was to inform the ISBN agency when you actually published the book. Under Modi’s first MHRD minister, Smriti Irani, the Ministry made the process online. You have to register, which itself is complicated, both because of the number and kinds of documents asked for, and because the portal doesn't accept any file over 100 KB (yeah, in 2017). Once you register, then you apply for numbers. You get only ten numbers at a time, not 100 as earlier. Then you have to upload all the details of the book (including jacket design and blurb) for each number before you get approval to use it.”
 
“In the case of many publishers, especially small and independent publishers, the price, cover design and blurb is worked out at the very last moment, just as they go to press. On occasion, we send the text to press and then figure out the cover. Now, basically, you can't afford to send a book to press till the number is approved. At LeftWord, we've been struggling for several weeks to just get ourselves registered. We are nowhere near applying for numbers. By throttling book publishing, the HRD Ministry is impacting the incomes of people in several industries — publishing, printing, binding, lamination, paper, design and other service providers, couriers and the postal system, not to mention daily wage earners like loaders and so on. It is also having a pernicious effect on the intellectual production in our society. This is an extremely serious issue. If you have friends in the media, please reach out to them to help build pressure on the government, “ Sudhanva Deshpande, Leftword.
 
It was ;ast year, the HRD Ministry, then under Smriti Irani, digitised the allotment of ISBNs, a move that publishers complain has inexplicably slowed down publishing in India. The new online application system has also raised fears of censorship, with the ministry seeking details of each book before issuing ISBNs. Publishers, for instance, have to provide the book jacket, which carries synopsis and blurbs from authors.

ISBN is a unique 13-digit code, usually found on the back cover of a book above the barcode and used by buyers to identify books. Although ISBN is not mandatory to publish a book, it has become an indispensable sales tool as bookstores, wholesalers and distributors keep track of books by these codes. Currently, there are over 150 registration agencies appointed by the UK-based ISBN International Agency for providing ISBNs to publishers in over 200 countries. In India, the Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency (RRMRNA), under the HRD Ministry, has been entrusted with this task.

According to several publishing houses, which spoke to The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity, ISBNs are now issued in lots of 10, instead of 100, after a wait of three to four months. “Many of us have been surviving on our stock of ISBNs secured earlier. But we are running out. At this rate, the publishing industry in the country will face a serious crisis in two to three months,” said a publisher.

Over 10 publishers are learnt to have already submitted a representation to the ministry on the problems being faced. “The (ISBN) Board is concerned at the very high level of email queries and complaints that the International ISBN Agency receives about the ISBN Agency of India from publishers who are based in India. The level of complaints has reached completely unacceptable levels — we are getting a number of complaints every day,” states the letter written by Stella Griffith, executive director, ISBN International Agency.

Griffith’s missive flags mainly three problems. First, the lack of response on email or phone from the ministry once an application for ISBNs has been filed. Second, the delay of three to four months for publishers to get ISBN numbers allotted as against the expected service time of two weeks. Third, the restrictions imposed on the number of ISBNs assigned in one go, from a set of 100 to a set of 10.

The letter also asks the government to clarify with regard to fears of censorship in the Indian publishing community. According to Griffith’s letter, publishers feel that the request to provide full details of each publication before seeking ISBN number amounts to censorship. “In fact, it is usually good practice to collect metadata about each book in order to make sure that the publication qualifies for ISBN (for example, that it is text-based, monographic and available to the public) and also in order that the details about it can be included in a “books in print” listing or database.

However, since I do not think that the India Agency produces a “books in print” listing (although that would be very welcome), and given the long delays in issuing ISBNs, it is very easy to see why publishers might think there is censorship/ restriction on freedom to publish. We hope that you can confirm to us that no such censorship rules or restrictions are in place,” the letter states.

Citing “little sign of improvement” in the ministry’s performance, Griffith wrote, “Board informs you that it is seriously considering revoking the appointment of your agency and awarding ISBN agency of India to another organisation.” Pandey’s office did not respond to questions emailed by The Indian Express. The ministry, however, is learnt to have written back to Griffith this month clarifying its position on the matter.

According to sources, the government has requested the ISBN International Agency to cite specific examples of delay, which can be taken up on priority. It has also defended the conservative approach in issuing ISBNs on the ground that only roughly half of the 78,000 unique codes issued to publishers till date have actually been used for publishing books. The government has also dismissed any suggestions of censorship.

When contacted, Griffith confirmed receiving a response from the HRD ministry to The Indian Express. “We have replied to the joint secretary’s letter and have asked for further clarifications at this time from him. We need the response and are monitoring the situation in the meantime,” she wrote in an email. Asked if the ISBN International Agency has shortlisted alternative names for appointment as the ISBN Agency of India, she stated, “We seek to ensure that satisfactory performance is maintained and work with the respective agency concerned to make improvements as required. If an agency was consistently under-performing we would need to consider what action to take and possibly that might include a change in the responsible national agency.”
 

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चलिए आपको आज एक बिल्डिंग में ले चलता हूं. अगर आप दिल्ली में हैं, तो बेर सराय यानी ओल्ड JNU कैंपस से दक्षिण दिशा में वसंत कुंज की तरफ जाएंगे, तो यह अरुणा आसिफ अली मार्ग है. इस पर लगभग डेढ़ किलोमीटर चलने पर दाईं ओर एक बिल्डिंग नजर आएगी. यह इंडियन इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ मास कम्युनिकेशन यानी IIMC है.

यहां भारत में पत्रकारिता, मीडिया और मास कम्युनिकेशन की देश की सबसे बड़ी लाइब्रेरी है. लगभग 40,000 किताबें इस विषय पर यहां बैठकर पढ़ी जा सकती हैं.

यहां आपको एक रैक पर चोम्सकी मिलेंगे, तो दूसरी पर एडवर्ड हरमन, तो कहीं बेन बेगडिकियान, तो कही मैकलुहान, तो कहीं वुडवर्ड. माखनलाल चतुर्वेदी से लेकर गणेश शंकर विद्यार्थी, श्योराज सिंह बेचैन और एसपी सिंह भी नजर आ जाएंगे, यहां इतिहास, राजनीति, समाजशास्त्र और इन विषयों से मीडिया के रिश्तों पर भी कई किताबें हैं, देश-विदेश की मीडिया की लगभग 100 पत्रिकाएं यहां आती हैं. एक एक पत्रिका की सब्सक्रिप्शन हजारों रुपए की है.

मैं तो आंख बंद करके इस लाइब्रेरी की गंध महसूस कर सकता हूं. वहां के बुक रैक्स और चेयर्स मुझे पहचानते हैं. मैं आपको अभी बता सकता हूं कि माइनॆरिटी एंड मीडिया या मीडिया मोनोपली या मैन्युफैक्चरिंग कंसेंट या मीडिया एंड पावर किताब या प्रेस कौंसिल की रिपोर्ट आपको किस रैक के किस कोने में मिलेगी. यह लाइब्रेरी बरसों से मेरे लिए दूसरे घर की तरह रही है, मैंने यहां बैठकर तीन किताबें लिखी हैं.

यूं भी शानदार जगह है. चाय-पानी की पास में व्यवस्था है. निकट ही दहिया जी के कैंटीन में दिल्ली के सबसे बेहतरीन सत्तू पराठे मिलते हैं. सस्ती फोटोकॉपी हो जाती है. एयर कंडीशंड है, स्टाफ भी अच्छा है.

लेकिन यह लाइब्रेरी बरसों से उदास है.

जानते हैं क्यों?

पिछले बीस साल में इस लाइब्रेरी में टीवी का कोई एंकर नहीं आया. मेरे अलावा शायद कोई संपादक भी यहां नहीं आया है, रिपोर्टर भी नहीं आते. यहां तक कि IIMC के टीचर्स को देखने के लिए भी यह लाइब्रेरी कई बार महीनों तरस जाती है.

यह मेरा इस लाइब्रेरी का पिछले 15 साल का अनुभव है. इसकी पुष्टि आप इस लाइब्रेरी के स्टाफ से कर सकते हैं.

आप सोच रहे होंगे कि पत्रकारिता की सबसे बड़ी लाइब्रेरी में आए बिना संपादकों, एंकरों का काम कैसे चल जाता है. पत्रकारिता के क्षेत्र में देश-दुनिया में क्या चल रहा है, किस तरह के डिबेट्स हैं, यह जानने के उन्हें जरूरत क्यों नहीं है?

और फिर जो लोग अपने प्रोफेशन के बारे में नहीं पढ़ते, वे इतने आत्मविश्वास से टीवी पर लबर-लबर जुबान कैसे चला लेते हैं. अखबार में इतनी-लंबी चौड़ी कैसे हांक लेते हैं?

अब तक यह होता रहा है. संपादक और एंकर अपने सामान्य ज्ञान और अनुभूत ज्ञान के बूते काम चलाता रहा है. उससे कभी पूछा ही नहीं गया कि आपने आखिरी किताब कौन सी पढ़ी थी और कितने साल पहले.

अनुभूत ज्ञान का महत्व है. एक किसान या मछुआरा या बढ़ई या मोटर मैकेनिक अपने अनुभूत ज्ञान से महत्वपूर्ण कार्य सिद्ध करता है.

लेकिन संपादक और एंकर भी अगर अनुभूत ज्ञान यानी पान दुकान से मिले ज्ञान से काम चलाना चाहता है, तो उसे भी समकक्ष आदर का पात्र होना चाहिए,

राजू मैकेनिक और एक संपादक के ज्ञान अर्जित करने की पद्धति में अगर फर्क नहीं है, तो दोनों का समान आदर होना चाहिए.

सिर्फ कोट और पेंट पहनने की वजह से संपादक और एंकर को ज्ञानी मानना छोड़ दीजिए.

वे अनपढ़, अधपढ़ और कुपढ़ है. वे पान दुकानदार के बराबर ही जानते हैं.

अज्ञान से भी आत्मविश्वास आता है, वह वाला आत्मविश्वास उनमें कूट-कूट कर भरा है,

इसलिए भारत में पत्रकारिता की सबसे बड़ी लाइब्रेरी उदास है.

यह पत्रकारों की नई पीढ़ी और खासकर SC, ST, OBC तथा माइनॉरिटी के युवा पत्रकारों पर है कि इन लाइब्रेरी पर अपना क्लेम स्थापित करें. किताबों से दोस्ती करें. इस लाइब्रेरी की उदासी दूर करें.

क्योंकि मीडिया पर अब तक जिनका कंट्रोल रहा है, उन्होंने यह काम किया नहीं है. उनका ज्ञान उनकी टाइटिल में है, पिता की टाइटिल में है. इसलिए स्वयंसिद्ध है. आपको इसका लाभ नहीं मिलेगा. पढ़ना पड़ेगा.

(लेखक वरिष्ठ पत्रकार और मीडिया विशेषज्ञ हैं।)
 

The post किताबों से दूर हैं ऐंकर और संपादक, पनवाड़ी जितना ज्ञान -दिलीप मंडल appeared first on SabrangIndia.

New feminism works by normalising women through focusing on their bodies: traditionally, the first and final frontier of femininity. It violently pushes all remaining cats out of the bag.

Photo credit: The Conversation

Vaginas are so hot right now. If that sentence shocks you, then you’ve been out of the cultural loop. Thanks to a new wave of television and autobiographies by some very funny women, female privates have moved to the front and centre of popular entertainment.

Male bits, once the only game in town, are now chiefly of interest only as a sidebar to hilarious female riffs on misfiring, awkward and unsatisfactory sex, thanks to recent work by the likes of Lena Dunham, Britain’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge (writer, actor and star of BBC series Fleabag), and now Amy Schumer, whose smash hit “femoir”, The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo, recently hit stores.

This is all part of a new movement – what I like to call “gross-out feminism”. It is gleeful, honest to a fault, and practised exclusively by women who long ago kissed goodbye to the capacity to be embarrassed. Its goal – apart from to make people laugh – is to provide a kind of shock therapy to those still harbouring the notion that women don’t have bodily functions, trapped gas, or insubordinate periods. Or that women must either be thin or desperately wishing they were so.

Photo credit: The Conversation

Gross-out feminism works by normalising women through focusing on their bodies: traditionally, the first and final frontier of femininity. It violently pushes all remaining cats out of the bag. Women have smelly, sometimes even extremely malodorous vaginas – Schumer’s smells like “chicken ramen”; “baby diaper” morning breath; explosive diarrhoea; acne. They sometimes fart during sex.

You’d be right if you noticed that this type of feminism doesn’t look like the iconic polemics of Shulamith Firestone, Naomi Wolf or Germaine Greer. It does not fit the sociological paradigm of Natasha Walter, Ariel Levy or Laurie Penny, all of whom have tackled a classic 20th century feminist subject – objectification – with political panache. And no, it’s not related either to the brainy fiction of Erica Jong or Marilyn French.

But gross-out feminism owes much to these. The classic texts of feminism laid down the parameters of the various struggles women engage in on a daily basis. One of these was the battle to be taken as full humans, complete with an independent sexuality. As far back as the 1790s, Mary Wollestonecraft raged against the reductive construction of doll-like femininity.

The new feminism builds on all this, but its toolbox is drawn not from an intellectual arena but rather from a peculiarly modern fascination with personal and especially sexual transparency. Honesty shall set us free: as sociologist Richard Sennett lamented, we moderns trade first and foremost in intimacies. But wrapped tightly in gut-busting hilarity, the relentless personal honesty of Schumer et al loses its potential for hollow narcissism and instead becomes powerful, adding vim to the traditional message to women to be strong and confident.

Schumer in particular paints an honest, if troubling picture of the impact of what Naomi Wolf so famously addressed in The Beauty Myth. Money, pain, time: a bewildering amount of these are required in order for most women to feel presentable, let alone attractive. Schumer nails this, but also admits to her own “beauty myth” victimhood.

Before a date she too waxes, straightens her hair, fasts, and tries to squeeze into Spanx so tight that they threaten to splice her guts in two. Schumer, then, is taking one for the team. She’s performing her truth so that we can exorcise our demons. The intriguing implication is that she, like Dunham and Fey, is an everywoman as well as herself. “I am myself,” in her words. “And I am all of you.”

A new sisterhood

Might this signal a reinvigoration of the idea of a universal “sisterhood” that since the 1970s has buckled under the weight of concerns about racial, ethnic and class difference? Perhaps so.

In her hit sitcom Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge does similar work to Schumer, if less autobiographical. She doesn’t spend much time on her appearance, but when an attractive man calls in the middle of the night asking to come over, waking her up, she excruciatingly manufactures the appearance of having just come in from a night out. She throws off her pyjamas, pulls on her glad rags, a coat, and swigs some wine in preparation. She is soon speaking deadpan to the camera while being taken up the backside. Her sexual honesty is eminently relatable to by millennials, and tinged with sadness. Waller-Bridge’s genius is reading with jaded perfection the sexual proclivities of men half her intellect and beauty.

There are caveats, of course. Some might argue that bringing feminism back into the body merely reaffirms the idea that women are principally bodies rather than whole people. And putting sex front and centre emphasises a potentially one-dimensional representation of what it is to be human. Both of these objections are fair. But when it comes to mainstream, massively entertaining representations of women, gross-out feminism may finally be what has been missing all these years, showing once and for all that the “fair sex” is human in both body and spirit. Warts and all.

(Zoe Strimpel is doctoral researcher, History, University of Sussex).

This article was first published on The Conversation.
 

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Gandhi in 1940: ‘If religion is allowed to be as it is, a personal concern and a matter between God and Man.’
 
It is very interesting that the Indian national movement, especially from the 1880s onwards when the Indian National Congress was founded, never took up a religious issue for agitation except for the Khilafat issue during 1920-1922, that too it did because it was at the time, an anti-imperialist issue and part of Gandhiji’s efforts to unite Hindus and Muslims in the struggle for national liberation. It never repeated the experiment. It also did not, especially after 1918, use religion in the ideological definition of nationalism or of its programme. Nor did it ever criticize the British rule because the British were Christians or describe the British rule as Christian rule. Not once was it said that the British rule should go because it was Christian. It was opposed because of its economic, political, psychological and cultural domination of the Indian people.
 
As a broad, all encompassing movement, the national movement accommodated in it various ideological strands from the conservatives to the leftists. During the 1920s, it even admitted communalists into its ranks so long as they accepted the objectives of Hindu-Muslim unity, the reality of the composite Indian culture, did not preach communal hatred and participated in the united struggle against colonialism.
 
But once the communalists, Hindu or Muslim, talked of communal separatism, of Hindu nation and Muslim nation, preached hatred against the followers of other religions, refused to cooperated in the struggle against colonialism and even tried to disrupt it and, in practice, cooperated with colonial authorities, the movement turned against the communalists, to whichever religion they might belong. In 1938 the Indian National Congress, under the presidentship of Subhas Chandra Bose, debarred members of the Hindu Mahasabha and the Muslim League from holding any office in the Congress from the lowest village branch upwards.
 
The Indian national movement defined secularism in the same comprehensive manner as discussed in Section I above: The state must be neutral towards all religious faiths or, as religious persons put it, the state must show equal regard for all faiths including atheism; the state must not discriminate in favour of or against any citizen on grounds of his or her religion; and communalism of every variety must be clearly and firmly opposed. Above all, religion must be separated from politics, economy and education and treated as a private or personal affair.
 
In this respect, some people mistakenly hold that Gandhiji’s understanding of secularism was very different. This is not true. Gandhiji too defined, and ‘lived’ secularism in the same manner as the national movement as a whole. That Gandhiji was totally opposed to communalism and that was Nathuram Godse killed him is well-known. Also well-known is his belief that a person should have the right to pursue his or her religion and not face any discrimination on the grounds of religion and that all persons should show equal regard for all religions including atheism.
 
It is, however, because of Gandhiji’s oft-repeated formulation that politics could not be divorced for religion – from example, his statement in his Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth, in 1925 – that many assert that the definition of secularism as separation of religion from politics was not acceptable to Gandhiji. But a gross misunderstanding as well as ignorance of Gandhiji’s views is involved here. Gandhiji was a deeply religious person and a very moral being.

Gandhi In 1942: ‘Religion is a personal matter which should have no place in politics’. In 1947: ‘Religion is the personal affair of each individual, it must not be mixed up with politics or national affairs.’
 
He used the word ‘religion’ in two different senses: one in its denominational sense, that is in terms of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc., and the other in the sense of belief in God and Truth and the traditional concept of Dharma – the moral code which guided a person’s life. In asserting that politics should be based on religion, he did not mean it should be based on Hinduism, Islam, etc., but that it should be based on morality and ethics, that is Dharma– and religion was to him the fountainhead of morality. But he also repeatedly asserted that ‘the fundamental ethics is common to all religions’ and urged: ‘Do not mix up religion and ethics’. It was in part to emphasize this commonness that he changed his earlier formulation ‘God is Truth’ to ‘Truth is God’.
 
But later, in the late 1930s and 1940s, when he saw that the communalists, both Hindu and Muslim communalists, were using religion in the organized, denominational and doctrinal form to divide the Indian people politically, to promote communal strife and hatred against followers of other religions, to propagate theories of ‘Hindu Nation’ and ‘Muslim Nation’, and to demand religion-based states, he completely changed his formulation regarding the relationship between religion and politics.
 
He now asserted that religion, in the sense of Hinduism, Islam, etc., and politics should be kept separate, that religion must not be brought into politics and public sphere, and that it must be treated as a private affair of the individual. He said this not once, but tens of times, day after day, in his evening prayer meetings and in his weekly Harijan from 1940 till the day of his death. Some of his exhortations are recorded in his Collected Works.
 
Thus, he said in 1940: ‘If religion is allowed to be as it is, a personal concern and a matter between God and Man.’ In 1942: ‘Religion is a personal matter which should have no place in politics’. In 1947: ‘Religion is the personal affair of each individual, it must not be mixed up with politics or national affairs.’ Also in 1947, he asserted: ‘The state is bound to be wholly secular.’ In 1946, he told a missionary: ‘If I were a dictator, religion and state would be separate. I swear by my religion. I will die for it. It is my personal affair. The state has nothing to do with it.’
 
One weakness of the national movement in its struggle against communalism was the relative absence of a mass ideological campaign against it and for the spread of a secular outlook. The result was that the communal forces were not fully contained, they remained a running sore in the Indian polity, and even succeeded in partitioning the country.
 
Even so, as pointed out earlier, it was one of the great triumphs of the Indian national movement that independent India succeeded in framing a secular Constitution and laying the foundations of a secular state and society despite the partition and the resurgence of communalism during 1946-47.
 
That major leaders of the national movement were fully committed to secularism, totally, opposed to communalism and would make no compromise on this question may be very briefly illustrated, though we could give many more examples – examples enough to fill a thick book.
 
II.A.    We may take up Gandhiji first. It was because of his total opposition to communalism that Nathuram Godse, a communal fanatic, killed him. We have already quoted above Gandhiji’s exhortations in the 1940s to keep religion out of politics.
 
He was also opposed to communalism in all its variants-Hindu, Muslim or Sikh. As he put it in 1942: ‘I hold it to be utterly wrong to divide men from men by reasons of religion.’ He also refuted the basic communal assumption that the political and economic interests of Hindus and Muslims are different because of their following different religions. He wrote: ‘What conflict of interest there can be between Hindus and Muslim in the matter of revenue, sanitation, police, justice or the use of public conveniences? The difference can only be in religious usage and observance with which a secular state has no concern.’

Also in 1947, he (Gandhi)  asserted: ‘The state is bound to be wholly secular.’ In 1946, he told a missionary: ‘If I were a dictator, religion and state would be separate. I swear by my religion. I will die for it. It is my personal affair. The state has nothing to do with it.’

 
Gandhiji was totally committed to civil liberties. But he made one exception. He advocated taking away the freedom of speech and writing of those who spread communal hatred. He wrote in 1936: ‘If I had the power, I shall taboo all literature calculated to promote communalism.’ Communalism was, he regularly asserted, not only anti-national but also anti-Hinduism in the case of Hindu communalism and anti-Islam in the case of Muslim communalism.
 

(From Communalism A Primer, Appendix I, National Book Trust, ISBN 9788123753607
Published  Year, 2008, Price: Rs. 55/-)
 

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The history of its English version is relatively well-known, thanks to historians James and Patience Barnes. Its history in French is not. While French journalist Antoine Vitkine wrote a 2009 global history of “Mein Kampf” and two French lawyers and a historian recently shed light on the French-language editions of “Mein Kampf,” neither book has been translated into English.

Beginning in 1934 – and into the 21st century – a tug-of-war over the French version of the text took place among an eccentric, right-wing publisher named Fernand Sorlot, Hitler’s lawyers, German censors, and the International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism.

With a much-anticipated critical edition of Hitler’s hateful screed in the pipeline, it’s worth revisiting how the French translation endured decades of dubious sales, editing and censorship.

From ‘My Struggle’ to ‘My Doctrine’

When Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933, people around the world were fascinated with the Nazi leader known for his fiery rhetoric. Many were curious to learn more about the man’s life and his true beliefs.

An obvious entry point into Hitler’s mind and political agenda was “Mein Kampf,” first published in Germany in two editions, the first in 1925 and the second in 1926. Referred to as the “Nazi bible,” international publishing houses started translating it into different languages.

The Nouvelles Éditions Latines edition of ‘Mon Combat.’ Amazon.com

The first French edition of “Mein Kampf” – entitled “Mein Kampf: Mon Combat” (Mon Combat simply means “My Struggle” in French) – was published in 1934 by the Nouvelles Éditions Latines (New Latin Editions), a publishing house founded a few years earlier by Sorlot. Though Sorlot was sympathetic to anti-Semitism and fascism, he seemed motivated more by turning a profit than advancing any political agenda. Sorlot was also publishing the book illegally: He hadn’t even secured the rights to publish a French edition of Hitler’s tome.

When Adolf Hitler caught wind of the French version, he and his publisher brought Sorlot to court, demanding that he cease publication. Hitler knew that Germany was not ready for war, and, on the international stage, he was doing his best to conceal his plans. In “Mein Kampf,” Hitler had called for the destruction of France, a country referred to, at various points, as the “irreconcilable mortal enemy,” “the most terrible enemy,” and “the mortal enemy of our nation.” The last thing he wanted was to tip his hand by having a translated copy circulating among the French.

During his trial, Sorlot claimed that he was acting out of patriotism, that he wanted to warn the French public of the looming German threat. Even before the rise of Nazism, France was highly suspicious of its Eastern neighbor. In the late-19th century, following the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71, Germany had annexed the French Alsace and Moselle, two border regions disputed by the two countries for centuries. World War I, of course, did nothing to ease the tensions between France and Germany.

But, in 1934, Hitler had the law on his side, and Sorlot lost the trial, forcing him to withdraw the unauthorized French translation from the market. Whether it was out of patriotism or to earn a quick buck, Sorlot continued to covertly sell the translated version.

The Fayard edition of ‘Ma Doctrine.’

In 1938, Adolf Hitler authorized Fayard, a leading French publishing house, to print a French translation of “Mein Kampf.”

When the first translation into English was published in the United States by Houghton Mifflin in 1933, it softened Hitler’s rhetoric and visions of expansion. Similarly, Hitler ensured that the French version was also significantly edited. The numerous anti-French passages that the original edition contained were toned down or cut altogether.

Sorlot’s 1934 unabridged translation was 687 pages. Fayard’s 1938 edition, published under the much gentler title “Ma Doctrine” (“My Doctrine”), would only be 347 pages.

Blacklisted

In 1940, Hitler invaded Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France.

In the wake of the invasion, the German authorities wanted to exploit the countries' natural and industrial resources while also being able to devote as many troops to the front lines. The best way to do both was a mollified public, so they sought to blacklist any texts – “Mein Kampf” included – that could fuel existing anti-German feelings. In all occupied countries, the German authorities created “indexes” of prohibited books or authors.

In France, since Sorlot’s original translation, two additional unauthorized translations of “Mein Kampf” had been published, as well as a few other book-length commentaries that quoted extensive excerpts from Hitler’s book. All were placed on the list of “books withdrawn from sale by the publishers or forbidden by the Germans,” often referred to as “Otto’s List” after Otto Abetz, the German ambassador to France during the war.

The portion of ‘Otto’s List’ featuring ‘Mon Combat.’ Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Postwar angst over racism and anti-Semitism

After the war, Sorlot resumed publishing, which included printing and selling “Mein Kampf.” He initially did so discreetly, but with time, encouraged by the absence of backlash from the French authorities and the public, he started selling Hitler’s book more openly.

This ended in 1978. The 1970s had seen a sharp rise in racism and anti-Semitism in France, and Holocaust deniers were becoming increasingly vocal. An 1881 French law against defamation and insults was reinforced in 1972 by an anti-racism law (known as “Pleven Law”), which criminalized racist insults and the incitement of racial hatred.

For obvious reasons, “Mein Kampf” didn’t comply. The fact that Hitler’s book was still being sold by Sorlot’s Nouvelles Éditions Latines – by then considered a right-wing publishing house – garnered the attention of the Ligue Internationale Contre le Racisme et l’Antisémitisme (International League Against Racism and Anti-Semitism). By the late 1970s, Sorlot could hardly argue that he was selling a translation of “Mein Kampf” out of patriotism. This time, he played the “historical document” card. It didn’t work, and Sorlot was given a hefty fine of 80,000 francs (the equivalent of approximately US$250,000 today).

Surprisingly, he was allowed to continue publishing “Mein Kampf” as long as it contained a reminder of the 1972 French anti-racism law, as well as a summary of Nazi atrocities and the Nuremberg trials. After much legal wrangling between the two sides, an eight-page text was finally written by a historian and included in all subsequent editions of “Mein Kampf: Mon Combat.”

Today, in France – as in most democratic countries – there’s a general consensus that “Mein Kampf” should be republished because it’s an important historical document and to demystify it. It’s also already widely available on the web, often on dubious sites that don’t offer context.

A critical edition in French is in the works and will almost certainly be published by the end of the year by Fayard, the original publisher of the radically edited “My Doctrine.” This time, the publishing house will set the record straight: rather than massage the language and condense the text, it will take pains to explain and contextualize much of the “Nazi Bible’s” racist, anti-Semitic ideology – and its devastating consequences.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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