Franz Kafka's collection of unpublished letters, drawings now available online

An unpublished collection of letters, manuscripts and drawings by Franz Kafka are now available online. The collection includes a literature and art comprised of manuscripts, notebooks, travel journals, personal letters and drawings. The National Library of Israel has announced on Twitter that Franz Kafka Collection is online for the first time.

Kafka's unpublished collection now available online

According to National Library of Israel, the collection of letters are made available after long process of conservation, restoration, cataloging and digitization. The digitization was performed by photographer Ardon Bar-Hama. The letters written by Franz Kafka over the years have now been digitally scanned and uploaded to the National Library of Israel website. The letters and manuscripts in the Karka Archive include writer's drawings, a self-portrait, portraits of others as well as simple sketches. Kafka had asked his close friend Max Brod to burn his materials after his death, papers of Kafka were safeguarded by The Max Brod Archive for many years and some of them were brought to National Library of Israel. 

The digitized work by the Kafka includes three different draft versions of Kafka's story "Wedding Preparations in the Country". "Autobiographical Writings", "A Travel Journal", "A Lecture on Yiddish", "Hebrew Exercises", "The Castle". a notebook in which he practiced learning Hebrew. His collection of letters include a postcard to Sophie Brod, letters and postcards to his parents, letters to Martin Buber, letters to Elsa Brod. The collection of drawings that are available online are "The Wantonness of Wealth", "A Beggar and a Generous Elegant Man", a portrait of Kafka's mother. 

Franz Kafka is considered one of the greatest 20th century Jewish writers. Born and raised in Prague, he died of tuberculosis at 41. In his will, his asked Max Brod to burn his manuscripts, but his friend went against his wishes and instead collected, edited and published them. The three unfinished novels “The Trial,” “Amerika” and “The Castle are among the most well-known works of Kafka. 

IMAGE: NLISRAEL/Twitter