author
Max Brod
1884–1968
A close friend and early champion of Franz Kafka, he was also a prolific novelist, critic, composer, and cultural figure in his own right. His decision to preserve and publish Kafka’s unfinished work helped shape modern literature as readers know it today.
5 Audiobooks
Arnold Beer: Das Schicksal eines Juden
by Max Brod
Erstes Kapitel des Buches "Richard und Samuel"
by Max Brod, Franz Kafka
Die Höhe des Gefühls: Ein Akt
by Max Brod
About the author
Born in Prague on May 27, 1884, Max Brod grew up in the multilingual, intellectually lively world of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire. He studied law at the German University in Prague, but literature and music quickly became central to his life, and he went on to publish novels, essays, criticism, and works for the stage.
Brod is most often remembered for his friendship with Franz Kafka. The two met as students, and Brod became one of Kafka’s closest confidants, first readers, and strongest supporters. After Kafka’s death, Brod chose not to destroy his manuscripts and instead edited and published major works that might otherwise have been lost, making him one of the key figures behind Kafka’s posthumous reputation.
He later fled Prague in 1939 and settled in what became Israel, where he continued writing and worked in cultural life, including with the Habima Theatre. By the time of his death in Tel Aviv on December 20, 1968, he had produced a large body of work of his own, even as his lasting fame remained closely tied to the literary legacy he helped save.