Quote by Christopher Hitchens
When I was a schoolboy in England, the old bound volumes of Kipling in the library had gilt swastikas embossed on their covers. The symbol's 'hooks' were left-handed, as opposed to the right-handed ones of the Nazi , but for a boy growing up after 1945 the shock of encountering the emblem at all was a memorable one. I later learned that in the mid-1930s Kipling had caused this 'signature' to be removed from all his future editions. Having initially sympathized with some of the early European fascist movements, he wanted to express his repudiation of Hitlerism (or 'the Hun,' as he would perhaps have preferred to say), and wanted no part in tainting the ancient Indian rune by association. In its origin it is a Hindu and Jainas symbol for light, and well worth rescuing.
Summary
This quote explains the author's personal experience as a schoolboy encountering Kipling's books with gilt swastikas embossed on them. Although the symbol had left-handed "hooks" compared to the right-handed ones used by the Nazis, the encounter was still shocking given its association with the horrors of World War II. The author later discovered that Kipling had intentionally removed the symbol from his future editions in the mid-1930s, as he wanted to disassociate himself from Hitlerism. Kipling viewed the swastika as an ancient Hindu and Jain symbol representing light, and he wanted it to be rescued from the stain of fascism.
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