National Library to get Kafka manuscripts
After four-year legal battle, Tel Aviv Family Court rules influential writer's documents will be transferred to Jerusalem library's archive
The ruling was issued after a four-year legal battle.
The battle over the documents began after Brod's death in 1968. Brod, who was considered the right hand of one of the most important authors of the 20th century, left the valuable papers to his secretary, Esther Hoffe, but instructed her to transfer them to a public archive of her choice.
Brod mentioned the National Library in Jerusalem at the top of the list, followed by the Tel Aviv Municipal Library or any other public repository in Israel or abroad. Despite his request, Hoffe failed to hand over the documents and even sold some of them for a lot of money.
Five years ago, Hoffe died and left the inheritance to her daughters. Throughout this time, the Kafka manuscripts and other valuable papers belonging to Max Brod were kept in the Tel Aviv apartment of one of her daughters under disputable conditions.
According to the ruling, "It is time that Max Brod's inheritance, which has not been deposited in a library or repository throughout the life of Esther Hoffe, be deposited now."
The ruling added that the inheritance would be placed from now on at the National Library in Jerusalem.
