EXCERPT: INTRODUCTION to BURNT BOOKS

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INTRODUCTION

Parallel Lives

Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav and Franz Kafka. A nineteenth-century rebbe. A twentieth-century literary master. Two Jewish souls. When I hear the voice of one, I can’t help but hear the other. Kafka is thoroughly secular and Rabbi Nachman is deeply religious. Kafka is a master of irony and Rabbi Nachman is a master of faith. Yet I feel a secret con­versation between them and want to know how this can be.MORE

THE FIGHT OVER KAFKA

Franz Kafka


In a bank vault in staid Zurich an episode of high literary drama unfolded recently. A safety deposit box was opened and inside was revealed a handwritten manuscript of a story by Franz Kafka. At that same moment, an Israeli woman named Eve Hoffe ran into the bank building seeking to prevent the box from being opened, shouting: "It's mine, it's mine."

Who does Kafka belong to? Read on..

An Italian dream colleague

I was delighted to read this response to my NY Times article on Nightmares from an Italian colleague, Marzia Mazzavillani.