Sir John Malcolm Sabine Pasley, 5th Baronet, FBA (5 April 1926 – 4 March 2004), commonly known as Malcolm Pasley, was a British philologist affiliated with the University of Oxford. He was considered the foremost British authority of German studies. Pasley is particularly well known for his dedication to and publication of the works of Franz Kafka. Biography Early life Born in Rajkot, India, Pasley was educated at Sherborne. He was a direct descendant of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, 1st Baronet, who distinguished himself in the French Revolutionary Wars and was made a baronet in 1794. He served in the Royal Navy between 1944 and 1946. Academics and honors Following is the outline of the academic career of Sir Malcolm Pasley: 1947: Attended Trinity College, Oxford 1949: Graduated with a First in Modern Languages 1949-50: Laming Travelling Fellow at The Queen's College, Oxford 1950-58: Appointed Lecturer in German at Brasenose and Magdalen Colleges (University of Oxford) 1958-86: Emeritus Fellow, Magdalen College 1979-80: Vice-President, Magdalen College 1980: Honorary doctorate from the University of Giessen 1982: Succeeded to the family baronetcy 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, Nietzsche 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, Salman 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