Suffering from ill-health and fearful that his completed but unrevised masterpiece would be read without his corrections after his death, this famed poet instructed friends to burn it. They refused, and under the authority of the writer's celebrated sponsor, they published it posthumously, adding greatly to the store of myths connected with the city in which they lived. Who was the writer, and what is the work, for which he is now best known?

wendypj

That would be Franz Kafka and I think 'The Castle' is his best known work. "No will was found among Kafka's literary remains. In his desk among a mass of papers lay a folded note written in ink and addressed to his would-be publisher and best friend Max Brod:[10] Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave behind me (in my bookcase, linen-cupboard, and my desk both at home and in the office, or anywhere else where anything may have got to and meet your eyes), in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'), sketches, and so on, to be burned unread; also all writings and sketches which you or others may possess; and ask those other for them in my name. Letters which they do not want to hand over to you, they should at least promise faithfully to burn themselves. Yours, Franz Kafka" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka Dec 20 06, 8:20 PM

lanfranco

A lovely guess, wendy, but no, not the guy I had in mind, fond of Kafka as I am. Think "city" and "myths." Dec 20 06, 8:39 PM

smartie806

Virgil ordered his Aeneid be burned, but Augustus told his executors to disregard the order. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil Dec 20 06, 8:54 PM

lanfranco

And the silver mace goes to you, smartie! Virgil's "Aeneid" is correct. Possibly not as elegant as Homer, but in many ways more fun. A new translation by Robert Fagles has just been published: http://www.amazon.com/Aeneid-Virgil/dp/0670038032 Dec 20 06, 9:14 PM