July 19, 2010
Kafka estate case lurches forward
Franz Kafka once asked that his papers be destroyed after he died. Luckily, his friend and literary executor, Max Brod, ignored that request after Kafka’s death at age 40 in 1924 following a lengthy bout with tuberculosis. Indeed, many of the author’s great works were published posthumously, including The Trial, Amerika and The Castle.
Kafka has been dead for about 86 years but we may see even more new work from him soon thanks to a treasure trove of materials recently discovered in Tel Aviv and Zurich. According to Ha’Aretz, part of the collection was inspected earlier this week for the first time as part of a legal dispute that has dragged on more than two years in a Tel Aviv court.
Here’s more from Ha’Aretz:
Among the many manuscripts is one of a well-known short story by the Jewish writer, in the author’s own hand.
The literary treasure was discovered during the course of the trial that has been under way during the past two years over the fate of the estate left behind by Max Brod, a close friend of Kafka, who also was his literary executor. The estate, which has been held in a number of safe-deposit boxes in Israel and Switzerland, is under the control of Eva Hoffe, the daughter of Brod’s secretary, Esther Hoffe, who died three years ago.
The Tel Aviv Family Court ordered the opening of four safe deposit boxes, and yesterday, in a Zurich bank, a number of Israeli lawyers, of experts on manuscripts and German literature, and a few bank clerks, showed up to verify the contents that had been kept under lock and key for decades.
Apparently, other safe deposit boxes from the estate were opened in Tel Aviv last week, according to Ha’Aretz. Ultimately, Ha’Aretz reports, the court will determine whether the estate will remain in Hoffe’s control or whether it “will be bequeathed to either German Literature Archive, in Marbach, Germany, or the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem.”
Read an earlier post about this case: “The Kafka ‘treasure trove’ story goes on …“
This has become a fascinating case, and one I’ve watched for quite some time, now.