World Literatures


Feature Writer: Elizabeth Nelson
Elizabeth Nelson, Elizabeth Nelson

Curious about history’s greatest novelists, like Leo Tolstoy? Interested in contemporary writers making headlines, such as Orhan Pamuk? Striving to understand fundamental texts, like the Koran or Plato’s Republic, from a literary perspective? Want the skinny on brilliant poets and authors yet to be discovered outside their country, such as Erendiz Atasu? Just looking for a good book?

This is the place.

World Literature is a dynamic subject that eliminates boundaries. Vast literary movements and modest stories; pop lit and themes of the human condition; authors rooted in a country and world citizens - they all belong here. This is the topic for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction from around the globe.

Check out our blog and polls, share ideas in the discussions, and indulge your love of reading!

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feature articles
Elizabeth Nelson

War and Peace: Volume II, Part I

In: European Literature

Nicholas Rostov leads a bachelor life in Moscow, Pierre duels over his wife's infidelity, and Prince Andrei loses a wife but gains a son. more...

War and Peace: Volume I, Part III

In: European Literature

Pierre and Marya are entangled in Prince Vassily's plot to marry his children for money; meanwhile, Prince Andrei and Nicholas Rostov fight in the Battle of Austerlitz more...

War and Peace: Volume I, Part II

In: European Literature

The second book of this epic Russian novel introduces the battle with French forces in Austria, revealing the chaos and humanity of war. more...

War and Peace: Volume I, Part I

In: European Literature

The scene for one of the world's greatest novels is set while Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei, and Natasha are introduced in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. more...

Knots: A Novel by Nuruddin Farah

In: African Literature

Cambara, a Somali-American Woman, returns to war-torn Mogadiscio to mourn the death of her son. She builds a new life for herself in the most unlikely of circumstances. more...

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Elizabeth Nelson

May 5, 2008

Books in the News: Mein Kampf

Academics and Anti-Nazi thinkers hope to preempt the influence of Neo-Nazi use of "Mein Kampf" for propaganda in 2015.


Since the end of WWII, Hitler's controversial "Mein Kampf" has been banned in Germany, but this may not last much longer. Some people are pushing for its release, along with critical academic notes. Though it has been widely available in other countries and on the internet, it would be a significant transition to print it for sale in Germany again.

It may surprise some people to learn that it is mainly academics and anti-Nazi figures who are pushing for its release. This is because, according to German copyright law, the book will become public domain 70 years after the author's death. In this case, the book will become public in 2015.

It is argued that the publication of a critical edition may proactively counter the efforts of Neo-Nazis who might use the book as propaganda once the rights to the text are public. German historians would also like more access to the text as a tool for understanding their country's history.

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