Kafka´s Last Trial : The Case of a Literary Legacy

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When Franz Kafka died in 1924, his friend Max Brod defied Kafka's last wish to destroy his manuscripts, dedicating his life to editing and publishing Kafka's work. This act of betrayal not only saved Kafka's legacy from destruction but also led to a significant legal battle regarding the rightful ownership of his papers. The dilemma arose from Kafka's identity as a German writer whose sisters perished in the Holocaust versus his status as a Jewish writer whose work could be viewed as a cultural inheritance of Israel, a nation that did not exist at his death. Benjamin Balint provides an insightful portrait of Kafka while recounting the journey of the manuscripts that Brod rescued during his escape from Prague to Palestine in 1939. The narrative includes a gripping account of the Israeli court case that decided the fate of these manuscripts, detailing Brod's harrowing escape from the Nazis and a love affair among exiles in Tel Aviv. Balint explores the conflicting national obsessions with the past that culminated in a courtroom showdown. This exploration invites readers to reflect on Kafka's legacy and the complexities of national claims over a writer's work, questioning whether any nation can truly own such a legacy.