A suitcase containing unpublished manuscripts by Franz Kafka was carried out of Prague by Max Brod in 1939, a decisive act that preserved the literary remains of his closest friend. While Brod established himself as a prolific writer, composer, and critic during his decades in Europe and Israel, his legacy remains anchored to his refusal to destroy Kafka's archive.
Formative Years in Prague
Born in 1884 in Prague, Austria-Hungary, Brod was diagnosed at age four with a severe spinal curvature, which necessitated a year in a corrective harness and resulted in a permanent hunchback. He attended the Piarist school, where he began a 75-year friendship with Felix Weltsch. Brod later studied law at the German University in Prague, graduating in 1907. Before moving into full-time writing, he served briefly in the civil service.
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Brod emerged as a prominent figure in German-language expressionism. His first novel, Schloss Nornepygge, appeared in 1908 when he was 24 and achieved immediate recognition in Berlin. Over his career, he published 83 titles, working as a novelist, playwright, and journalist. His 1913 work, Anschauung und Begriff, written with Weltsch, solidified his influence in intellectual circles in Berlin and Leipzig. He also served as a critic for the Prager Tagblatt starting in 1924.
The Kafka Estate
Brod met Franz Kafka in 1902 after a lecture on Schopenhauer. The two maintained a daily friendship, which Brod documented as part of the 'enge Prager Kreis.' Upon Kafka's death in 1924, Brod was named executor of his estate. Despite instructions to burn the unpublished papers, Brod refused, later publishing masterpieces including The Trial in 1925, The Castle in 1926, and Amerika in 1927. He justified the decision by arguing that Kafka should have chosen a different executor if he truly intended for the works to be destroyed.
Exile and Life in Israel
In 1939, fleeing the Nazi occupation of Prague, Brod immigrated to Mandatory Palestine with his wife, Elsa Taussig. Settling in Tel Aviv, he worked for 30 years as a dramaturge for the Habimah theatre. Following the death of his wife in 1942, his literary output slowed. During his later years, he cultivated close relationships with Otto and Esther Hoffe and the author Aharon Megged. Brod died in Tel Aviv on 20 December 1968 and was buried in the Trumpeldor cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1884, Prague
- Died: 20 December 1968, Tel Aviv
- Education: Faculty of Law, German University in Prague
- Notable Awards: Bialik Prize (1948), Willibald-Pirckheimer-Medaille (1964)
- Movement: Expressionism
- Citizenship: Cisleithania, Israel
- Primary Languages: German, Czech
- Burial Site: Trumpeldor Cemetery, Tel Aviv
Questions readers ask
Why did Max Brod keep Kafka's manuscripts?
Brod believed Kafka's work was of immense value and argued that if Kafka had been absolutely determined to destroy the papers, he would have appointed a different executor.
What was Brod's role in the Israeli theater?
After arriving in Mandatory Palestine in 1939, he worked as a dramaturge for the Habimah theatre in Tel Aviv for three decades.
Achievements
- Bialik Prize — 1948
