Malcolm Pasley
Encyclopedia
Sir John Malcolm Sabine Pasley, 5th Baronet, FBA
(5 April 1926 – 4 March 2004), commonly known as Malcolm Pasley, was a literary scholar best known for his dedication to and publication of the works of Franz Kafka
.
, who distinguished himself in the revolutionary wars against the French and was made a baronet in 1794.
1944-1946 served in the Royal Navy.
in particular, gaining him much fame. Pasley's work in this area was pioneering; his book Germany: A Companion to German Studies, first published in 1972, is still in heavy demand.
In 1956, Salmen Schocken and Max Brod placed Kafka's works in a Swiss vault due to concerns surrounding unrest in the Middle East and the safety of the manuscripts, which were with Brod in Tel Aviv
. After significant negotiation, Pasley took personal possession of Kafka's works that were in Brod's possession. In 1961, Pasley transported them by car from Switzerland to Oxford. Pasley reflected on the adventure as one that "made his own hair stand on end".
The papers, except The Trial
, were deposited in Oxford's Bodleian library
. The Trial remained in the possession of Brod heiress Ilse Ester Hoffe, and in November 1988 the German Literary Archives at Marbach
, Germany purchased the manuscript for £ 1.1 million in an auction conducted by Sotheby's
.
At Oxford, Pasley headed a team of scholars (Gerhard Neumann
, Jost Schillemeit, and Jürgen Born) that recompiled the text, removed Max Brod's edits and changes, and began publishing the works in 1982. This team restored the original German text to its full (and in some cases incomplete) state, with special attention paid to the unique Kafka punctuation, considered to be critical to his style.
Aside from completeness, they cited a concern for the preservation of the works; some were written in pencil, and many were fading and crumbling.
Pasley refused their requests. He is joined by Marianne Steiner, who in 1998, told The Observer "I cannot forgive them for [the terrible things they had said about Pasley]. I do not want them to have anything to do with the manuscripts."
In April 1998, Stroemfeld published a facsimile version of The Trial. This manuscript, being owned by the German government, was accessible to them. In this publication the manuscript and transcription are listed side by side.
Scholars in favor of the Stroemfeld editions include Jeremy Adler
, professor of German at King's College London
, American writers Louis Begley
and Harold Bloom
, professor of Humanities at Yale
.
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
(5 April 1926 – 4 March 2004), commonly known as Malcolm Pasley, was a literary scholar best known for his dedication to and publication of the works of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
.
Early life
Born in Rajkot, India, Pasley was a direct descendant of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet was a senior and highly-experienced British Royal Navy officer of the eighteenth century, who served with distinction at numerous actions of the Seven Years War, American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars...
, who distinguished himself in the revolutionary wars against the French and was made a baronet in 1794.
1944-1946 served in the Royal Navy.
Academics and Honors
Following is the outline of the academic career of Sir Malcolm Pasley:- 1947: Attended Trinity College, OxfordTrinity College, OxfordThe College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
- 1949: Graduated with a First in Modern Languages
- 1949-50: Laming Travelling Fellow at The Queen's College, OxfordThe Queen's College, OxfordThe Queen's College, founded 1341, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Queen's is centrally situated on the High Street, and is renowned for its 18th-century architecture...
- 1950-58: Appointed Lecturer in German at BrasenoseBrasenose College, OxfordBrasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
and MagdalenMagdalen College, OxfordMagdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
Colleges (University of Oxford) - 1958-86: Emeritus Fellow, Magdalen College
- 1979-80: Vice-President, Magdalen College
- 1980: Honorary doctorate from the University of GiessenUniversity of GiessenThe University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
- 1982: Succeeded to the family baronetBaronetA baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy - 1983: Elected to the German Academy of Language and Literature in Darmstadt
- 1986: Retired
- 1987: Austrian Cross of Honour for Learning and the Arts
- 1991: Fellowship of the British Academy
Marriage and Children
Sir Malcolm Pasley was married in 1965 to Virginia Wait they had two sons:- Robert Killigrew Sabine Pasley, born 25 October 1965
- Humphrey Sabine Pasley, born 1967
German Language
Pasley wrote of many German authors, with his initial works on the German language, NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
in particular, gaining him much fame. Pasley's work in this area was pioneering; his book Germany: A Companion to German Studies, first published in 1972, is still in heavy demand.
Kafka
Pasley is best known for his work on the Kafka writings. He began studying Kafka in the early part of his career and was introduced to Marianne Steiner born Pollak, Kafka's niece and daughter of his sister Valli, by her son Michael, who was a student at Oxford. Through this friendship Pasley became the key adviser to Kafka's heirs. Pasley regarded Kafka as "a younger brother".In 1956, Salmen Schocken and Max Brod placed Kafka's works in a Swiss vault due to concerns surrounding unrest in the Middle East and the safety of the manuscripts, which were with Brod in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. After significant negotiation, Pasley took personal possession of Kafka's works that were in Brod's possession. In 1961, Pasley transported them by car from Switzerland to Oxford. Pasley reflected on the adventure as one that "made his own hair stand on end".
The papers, except The Trial
The Trial
The Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
, were deposited in Oxford's Bodleian library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
. The Trial remained in the possession of Brod heiress Ilse Ester Hoffe, and in November 1988 the German Literary Archives at Marbach
Marbach am Neckar
Marbach am Neckar is a town on the river Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The nearest larger cities are Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart ....
, Germany purchased the manuscript for £ 1.1 million in an auction conducted by Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
.
At Oxford, Pasley headed a team of scholars (Gerhard Neumann
Gerhard Neumann
Gerhard Neumann was a German-American aviation engineer and executive for General Electric's aircraft engine division .-Childhood and education:...
, Jost Schillemeit, and Jürgen Born) that recompiled the text, removed Max Brod's edits and changes, and began publishing the works in 1982. This team restored the original German text to its full (and in some cases incomplete) state, with special attention paid to the unique Kafka punctuation, considered to be critical to his style.
Criticism of Pasley's Work on Kafka
Subsequent to the publication of the Kafka works, Pasley began receiving criticism about the completeness of their German publication. To that end, Stroemfeld Verlag has requested permission to scan the manuscripts to produce a facsimile edition and CD-ROM.Aside from completeness, they cited a concern for the preservation of the works; some were written in pencil, and many were fading and crumbling.
Pasley refused their requests. He is joined by Marianne Steiner, who in 1998, told The Observer "I cannot forgive them for [the terrible things they had said about Pasley]. I do not want them to have anything to do with the manuscripts."
In April 1998, Stroemfeld published a facsimile version of The Trial. This manuscript, being owned by the German government, was accessible to them. In this publication the manuscript and transcription are listed side by side.
Scholars in favor of the Stroemfeld editions include Jeremy Adler
Jeremy Adler
Jeremy Adler is a British poet and professor of German at King's College London.-Education:Adler completed his PhD dissertation in 1977 on the chemistry of German polymath Johann Goethe's Elective Affinities under Claus Bock....
, professor of German at King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, American writers Louis Begley
Louis Begley
Louis Begley is an American novelist.-Early life:Begley was born Ludwik Begleiter in Stryj at the time part of Poland and now in Ukraine, as the only child of a physician...
and Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, and is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He is known for his defense of 19th-century Romantic poets, his unique and controversial theories of poetic influence, and his prodigious literary output, particularly for a literary...
, professor of Humanities at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
.
Published works
- 1965 Kafka-Symposion, Co-author with Klaus Wagenbach
- 1972 Germany: a companion to German studies (second edition, 1982) ISBN 0-416-33660-4
- 1978 Nietzsche: Imagery and Thought, ISBN 0-520-03577-1
- 1982 Das Schloß (The CastleThe CastleThe Castle is a novel by Franz Kafka. In it a protagonist, known only as K., struggles to gain access to the mysterious authorities of a castle who govern the village for unknown reasons...
) ISBN 3-596-12444-1 - 1987/89 Max Brod, Franz Kafka: eine Freundschaft
- 1990 Der Prozeß (The TrialThe TrialThe Trial is a novel by Franz Kafka, first published in 1925. One of Kafka's best-known works, it tells the story of a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, with the nature of his crime revealed neither to him nor the reader.Like Kafka's other novels, The Trial was never...
) ISBN 3-596-12443-3 - 1990 Reise- Tagebucher, Kafka's travel diaries
- 1991 Die Handschrift redet (The Manuscript Talks)
- 1991 The Great Wall of China and Other Stories
- 1992 The Transformation and Other Stories ISBN 0-14-018478-3
- 1993 Nachgelassene Schriften und Fragmente I
- 1995 Die Schrift ist unveranderlich (The Script is Unchangeable)
- 1996 Judgment & In the Penal Colony ISBN 0-14-600178-8