National Library of Israel's Franz Kafka collection now online

Newly digitized work by the Jewish author includes three different draft versions of Kafka's story "Wedding Preparations in the Country," as well as a notebook in which he practiced learning Hebrew. 

Kafka is perhaps best known for his novella The Metamorphosis. In it, he tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a large insect.

His papers were safeguarded by The Max Brod Archive for many years before being brought to the National Library of Israel. Brod is primarily responsible for Kafka's success, having published many of his works after the author's death, including popular novels such as The Trial, Amerika and The Castle, and even writing the first biography of the Jewish writer. 

An accomplished composer and writer himself, Brod wished for Kafka's works to be preserved and made available to the public. Before his death, Kafka was conflicted as to whether or not we wanted all of his writings destroyed, according to Brod. 

Right after Kafka's death, Brod went to great lengths to preserve his writings, having contacted the director of the National Library in Jerusalem at the time, Samuel Hugo Bergman, and informing him of Kafka's novels and his Hebrew notebooks. He later immigrated to British Mandatory Palestine in 1939, bringing Kafka's writings with him. 

In 1961, Brod's secretary, Esther Hoffe, refused to transfer Kafka's writings to the National Library, and even began selling some of Kafka's letters and manuscripts to private collectors.

However, the following year saw most of Kafka's works transferred to his family, many of whom survived the Holocaust. From 2016-2019, the National Library worked to recover all of the archive's materials from multiple locations in Israel and abroad. 

"The Franz Kafka papers will now join millions of other items we have brought online in recent years as part of our efforts to preserve and pass down cultural assets to future generations," said Oren Weinberg, director of the National Library of Israel. "We are proud to now offer free, open access to them for scholars and millions of Kafka fans in Israel and across the globe."

The National Library of Israel campus is currently under construction and is scheduled to open next year to provide venues for exhibitions.