Kafka's Porn Stash and Edinburgh Off to a Good Start

by Zoe Strimpel
Tue, 5 Aug 2008 at 12:28 PM

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A collection of pornography belonging to Franz Kafka has been discovered in the British Library in London and the Bodleian in Oxford. It appears that the stash had been concealed by scholars in an attempt to preserve the writer's image. The naughty material was unearthed by the academic James Hawes, whose forthcoming book, "Excavating Kafka," will reveal some of the pornographic material. "These are not naughty post-cards from the beach," Mr. Hawes was quoted as saying in the Times of London, to counter any objections that Kafka would never have gone in for this sort of thing. "They are undoubtedly porn, pure and simple. Some of it is quite dark. It's quite unpleasant."

As for the long-standing secret of Kafka's tastes, Mr. Hawes said: "Academics have pretended it did not exist. The Kafka industry doesn't want to know such things about its idol." Mr. Hawes was also quoted in the Times as saying there are more dissertations written on Kafka than on any other author except Shakespeare. The number should only increase with these findings.

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August is the month that comedy and theater — or at least their spirits — leave London for Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Festival, under whose umbrella exists the Fringe (regarded as the last word in British comedy) and a variety of other festivals, has got off to a rollicking start. This is despite fears that the move by the Festival's big four venue operators to launch a breakaway Comedy Festival within the Fringe would create a bad atmosphere. Quite the contrary: initial reviews describe an excited atmosphere and lots of new talent. Felix Dexter, of "The Real McCoy" and "Absolutely Fabulous" fame, launched an hour-long show that went down a storm, as did newcomers Josh Howie and Sarah Millican. Newcomers at Edinburgh are watched closely; those that prove a hit often become major comedy stars: Think Ricky Gervais and Brendan Burns.

Wrote author and books editor Stephanie Merritt in the Observer: "Even the grisly weather couldn't dampen the anticipation of comics and
audiences embarking on a month-long marathon of comedy in which some of the most exciting work is coming from first-timers." And it's only just beginning.

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