(JTA) — Original manuscripts by Franz Kafka reportedly were found in safety boxes opened in Zurich, Switzerland.
More manuscripts reportedly are stored in vaults in Tel Aviv, six of which were opened last week.
The manuscripts were revealed as part of a trial over the estate of the Jewish writer’s close friend and literary executor, Max Brod.
Brod had left his estate to his secretary, Esther Hoffe, who died three years ago. The estate is now under the control of Hoffe’s daughter Eva.
Kafka had requested that his manuscripts be burned upon his death, which apparently was not honored. The existence of the manuscripts came to light when Eva Hoffe and her sister Ruth began selling pieces of the estate.
Brod had requested that the manuscripts and other papers in his estate be kept at the National Library in Jerusalem or some other public archive in Israel or abroad. The library filed suit against Hoffe to obtain the documents.
The Tel Aviv Family Court is due to rule on a petition filed by Hoffe asking that the contents of the safe deposit boxes not be made public.
