Source: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/04/kafka-letters-
oxford-german-literary-archive>.
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Franz Kafka letters jointly purchased by Oxford and German Literary
Archive
Bodleian Library hopes its collaboration with rival institution to
raise money needed becomes a model for future
Mark Brown, arts correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Monday 4 April 2011 18.19 BST
More than 100 letters and postcards sent by Franz Kafka to his
favourite sister Ottla have been jointly purchased by Oxford's Bodleian
library and a rival institution in Germany.
The acquisition amounts to something of a first as they were bought in
partnership with a direct competitor, the Deutsches Literaturarchiv
(German Literary Archive) in Marbach - an unprecedented collaboration
which Bodley's librarian Sarah Thomas hopes will become a model for the
future.
The letters have been on deposit in Oxford for 40 years but only for
safe-keeping. About a year ago the owners, Kafka's descendants, said
they were minded to put the letters to Ottla up for sale and it became
clear that the Bodleian would not be able to afford the full amount,
hence the successful approach to Germany.
Thomas said the Bodleian had relied on many private donors and it had
felt, at times, like an American-style barn raising as they approached
the scheduled auction date of 19 April.
"Living it has been much more of a rollercoaster ride or a soap opera
because we kept thinking, 'well, maybe they won't be sold' or 'maybe we
can raise the money to buy them independently'. At times it seemed
quite grim. On Friday, we had messages from donors saying 'whatever you
need, I'll top you up. As a result we're able to fund our half."
The Germans, revealingly, reached their 50% helped by public money
supplied by both the state and local government.
The purchase price is not being revealed, nor is the exact arrangement
between the libraries although the letters will spend time in both
institutions.
Their loss would have been a huge disappointment to the Bodleian which
has one of the most impressive Kafka collections anywhere - not least
his original handwritten manuscript of The Metamorphosis.
The letters to Ottla, his youngest sister to whom he was closest, are
especially revealing. "He had a very special relationship with her -
less formal, more teasing, more loving," said Thomas.
The man who made the approach to Marbach and spent much time working
the phones fund raising was Richard Ovenden, the associate director and
keeper of special collections at Bodleian Libraries. He said the joint
purchase was "a cause for celebration for international scholarship"
which recognised "that the pursuit of academic collaboration crosses
national boundaries."
© Guardian News and Media Limited 2011
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