Franz Kafka Books

Gregorio Samsa es el hombre que al despertar una mañana se encuentra convertido en algo muy parecido a una cucaracha. El ser humano reflejado en sus miedos y miserias, se acostumbra a ser cargado simbólicamente por su familia que no puede evitar ser testigo de su deterioro metamorfósico. Este fue el libro que permitió a García Márquez despegar su subversión creativa puesto que en él, la literatura del siglo XX, asume la ficción fantástica como garantía de lo posible y con ello, de lo verosímil. Gregorio Samsa podemos ser cada uno de nosotros, lectores contemporáneos, que en cualquier mañana encontramos la posibilidad de interrogar por qué y para qué existimos.

este pequeno cuento acerca de la extrana conversion de un hombre en un insecto cabria muy bien dentro de la literatura de lo fantastico, donde la suspension de la realidad parece no afectar a los personajes y donde las cosas mas extranas van haciendose cotidianas. es asi como la familia pasa de la inicial sorpresa a la costumbre y despues al tedio para acabar con la muerte de su protagonista. me parecio una metafora sobre alguien que repentinamente cae enfermo para sorpresa de los familiares y despues entra en la etapa final para descanso suyo yde sus familiares que secretamente ansian su muerte...

Music In The Works Of Broch, Mann, And Kafka by John A. Hargraves is a serious, exhaustively researched studies of great literary works such as "The Death of Virgil," "The Sleepwalkers," and "Doctor Faustus" and the role music plays within the depths of the written words. Erudite, persuasively written and adhering to the rigorous demands of scholarship, Music In The Works Of Broch, Mann, And Kafka is a college-level and highly recommended literary study that lends a deepening appreciation to the subtle nuances of three great writers in German literature, music, linguistics, and culture.

Alter is one of the most distinguished of all modern literary critics. Perhaps he is best known for his pioneering literary studies on the Bible. But he has written on diverse subjects from American- Jewish Literature to Fielding and the Comic Novel. Here he examines the relations of three giants of Jewish and world culture, Gershom Scholem, Walter Benjamin and Franz Kafka. Kafka had enormous influence on both Scholem and Benjamin who were close friends and influenced each other intellectually.
This work is a master work in cultural and literary criticism.

was written by A.P. Foulkes when he was a professor in the Gradates School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University, in the mid-1960's.


Foulkes clearly has a deep grasp of the essential details of Kafka's life and work and he draws on them effortlessly in this study.

The first chapter demonstrates that Kafka saw life as absurd and difficult, not because he was afflicted with any particular weakness, but because he was unwilling and finally unable to turn away from evil, ugliness and the distress of his fellow human beings.

To say that Kafka was a pessimist because he was deeply insecure about his sexuality, or any other particular problem, is like saying that Jean Paul Sartre experienced existential nausea because he had poor digestion. The price of the book is worth the first chapter just to have that fact demonstrated clearly.

In chapter 2, Foulkes quotes Kafka, (from Janouch's Conversations with Kafka my translation):

"Life signifies for the healthy only an unconscious and really unallowed flight from the consciousness that man must one day die. Sickness is always a reminder and a challenge at the same time. In that way sickness, pain and suffering are the most important springs of religiosity."

Thus, in chapter 2 Foulkes hints that Kafka is closer to the religiosity of Kierkegaard who finds the ordinary world evil and full of sin but welcomes another blessed life in the world lived entirely "in Christ."

In chapter 3 he refutes this suggestion. Chapter 3 ends with a quote from Preparations for a Wedding (my translation): "I am not, of course, one of those who have taken the heavy, sinking hand of Christianity, like Kierkegaard, nor am I among those who and have grabbed onto the ragtag of our receding Jewish tradition as the Zionists have. I am an end without a beginning."

Chapter 4 discusses the nature of Kafka's view of reality. He quotes from Preparations for a Wedding (my translation): "The observer of the soul cannot penetrate into the soul, however, there is a periphery around the soul that one touches. The knowledge obtained from this contact is that the soul also knows nothing of itself. This knowledge would only be sad if something else outside the soul existed, but there is nothing else."

Foulkes also discusses Kafka's use of the dream and dream images in chapter 4. He quotes Kafka again in Preparations for a Wedding (my translation): "It is not necessary that you even leave the house. Just stay seated at your table and listen. Don't even listen, just wait. No, don't wait, just be fully still and alone. The world will open itself to you; it can't do anything else. It will wind itself entrancingly around you."

Chapter 6 ties together themes from The Metamorphosis, the Penal Colony and The Judgment.

In The Judgment we see Kafka struggling against the "illusions" of marriage and work, and deciding that he is unfit for either.

Kafka considered The Metamorphosis to be middle point between The Judgment and his most pessimistic novel, The Penal Colony. Gregor Samsa of The Metamorphosis is certainly unfit to live as a giant bug, and finally, like his homolog the hunger artist, Gregor Samsa has no appetite for food or life. At the end, his sister, who at first showed much concern for him, declares him unworthy of life and commands him to die. "Sink," she says, using a meaning of the word "swim" which in Kafka's German also means 'to live.'

The Penal Colony, which appeared two years later, is Kafka's most starkly pessimistic work. It is explored in the last section of this chapter.

Before World War II, very few could believe the cruel, unfeeling characters portrayed in the Penal Colony, who were "only following orders." After the Nuremberg Trials, we can all believe them.

The relationship between Kafka's dreams, autobiography and writings is revealed to be complex and uncertain but the conclusion is that his work should stand by itself without external "explanations."

Chapter 7 is called Reality and Illusion and it illustrates Kafka's belief that" "most people do not want Erkenntnis (knowledge, Reality) and have obscured their awareness with a world of "Motivationen." (Motivations, desires.) p.120

"The man who insists on living in truth will be cursed just as was truth itself." p. 120

"one must either betray truth, as the New Commander of the Penal Colony did, or else be crushed by it, as was the Hunger Artist." p.136

This chapter cites passages, mostly from the short stories, to prove the thesis of the book, that Kafka was a "reluctant pessimist."

The chapter ends with a quote from Conversations with Janouch. Kafka is reported by Janouch, to have said to him: "Don't brood over what I said to you ... My earnestness might act on you as a poison... Your misunderstanding shields you from my evil pessimism which is a sin." (my translation.)

The last chapter looks at Rahmenerzählungen (Stories within stories) in Amerika, The Penal Colony and The Castle.

This chapter breaks with the former chapters in looking at Kafka's biography relates it to his writings.

For example, there have been attempts to see Kafka's work as inspired by his early interest in communism but these attempts are discounted by Foulkes. Kafka is quoted, again from Janouch: "People in Russia are trying to build a completely just world. That is a religious occupation." (my translation.)

Foulkes ends the last chapter on an ambiguously optimistic note. He relates Kafka's experience with his fiancee Milena Jesenska to the relationship of K with Amalia in a Rahmenerzählung in the novel, The Castle.


"The name (Milena) is really prodigious in form and color; a woman that one takes in one's arms and caries out of the world, out of the fire." (my translation.) p 171

"Kafka never fulfilled his wish in life; but he did in his novel. For he has not only given Amalia Erkenntis; he has endowed her with the strength to live with it as well, a strength which he knew men did not posses." p. 171

My only quibble with this excellent study is its complete indifference to the humor of Kafka. For, as David Foster Wallace said, "For me, a signal frustration in trying to read Kafka with college students is that it is next to impossible to get them to see that Kafka is funny... Nor to appreciate the way funniness is bound up with the extraordinary power of his stories. Because, of course, great short stories and great jokes have a lot in common."

To end, it is fair to warn the reader that a good knowledge of German is a prerequisite to a full appreciation of this fine book. It can be appreciated without German but not fully.

In all my years I've never read a more thrilling account of Kafka's relation to the Western literary tradition. This is the sort of thing Stephen King might write if comparative literature was his field. Schur's insight about the role of the path in the Western canon was so profound that when I first read it I slid out of my rocking chair onto the floor. Fantastic.

Most of the stroies are gems.
Kafka's unique style lies with the way he uses the language - he manages in bringing the reader to the darkest corners of the psyche using a matter-of-fact, almost bland collection of allegedly objective observations on his protagonists' emotions, thoughts and behaviours. These protagonists are sometimes human beings but some are neither human nor animals...One could call them Kafka imagination's progeny.
The reason I give it only 4 stars is because some of the stories are bordering on ...boring. I guess the reason in having them in this edition is in order to be able to call it 'The Complete Stories'.
Thus - if you are ready to accept some less than stellar writing, you'll be rewarded in most of the book by an extraordinary style and truly 'kafkaesque' ideas.

Kafka is still "the rage," one supposes, but it is hard to see how, now that he has become an icon. This is a fabulous collection. Updike is right that these stories are excellent. Kafka has had enormous influence on modern fiction. He may be one of a handful of highly important authors. Reading him today is especially interesting; you would think these stories had been written the day before yesterday. Kafka's subject, which is something like 'the estrangement of the soul and modern man's quest for hope in a hopeless universe' sounds awfully familiar.The truth is that little else has been said to expand on Kafka's central insight into modern man's spiritual dilemma. "There is hope, but not for us." Kafka, rather like Poe, writes creepy tales. That his world is ours is the magic of his genius. Yes, we've been there alright, but we cannot explain how it happened. We can, as they say, relate...to Kafka's narratives of anxiety, helplessness, and fear.

This is a collection which first appeared about 60 years ago and has been published a number of times with small variations in the selected works.

Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) was one of the major German-language fiction writers of the 20th century. He was a Jew living in Prague and working for the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute. He wrote in his spare time and was inspired by the problems associated with bureaucratic institutions - such as we read in "The Castle."

I read all of Kafka's work and put together this Listmania list from my notes and experiences. His short novella Metamorphosis is among the best short works ever written. Unfortunately, he did not write and publish much when he was alive. Most of what is available was published after his early death, and some of it is edited (possibly) poorly as in Amerika. His writings vary from novels to one page impressions of life, such as one essay that is about looking out a window. The novels revolve around a young to middle aged protagonist male named "K," who battles the courts and bureaucrats.

At some point while reading his works, I realized that his short stories are just as important as the novels, or even more so, and Metamorphosis is just one of a number of excellent short works involving compulsion and one's view of life. So, the present book is an excellent buy for those who want to learn about Kafka.

Overall, I like "Metamorphosis" for its originality. After reading many of his works I got to the point where I had read enough, because many of his writings are just fragments. Some might want to read all his sort stories in one go, but I did not because of all the fragments. In any case, this collection with a forward by Updike is an excellent buy or read, well worth the time. The following short stores are complete works and not fragments: Hunger Artist, A Country Doctor, A Little Woman, The Penal Colony, and the Judgment. The Penal Colony goes even farther than Metamorphosis; and as such, it is an odd reading experience, having almost a nightmare quality to the story. A few of the others are bizarre as well. In any case, an English reader will always wonder if he completely understands or has fully appreciated the translated German writing.

This is recommended as a basic introduction. It is missing The Stoker but it has his key short works.

This book contains almost all of Kafka's literary works, save his full length novels.

Kafka's writing is representative for a large portion of modern literature. Although one can classify his works as dealing with alienation, assimilation, inferiority, and insecurities, they are, on some level, impenetrable by interpretors. His prose is clear and easily readeable; however, the implications of his story remain troubelsome and confounding.

Kafka's writing style betrays expected norms of literature. In the metamorphisis, the protaganist Gregor Samsa awakens from his sleep to find himself changed into a beetle. The story is about the ramifications of the event, and the expected pinnacle, his transformation itself, is barely attended too. Furthermore, Samsa seems to take his transformation in stride. He recognizes the uniqueness of his case, but thoughts of his own insanity, nor the impossibility of the situation are hardly voiced. By giving us the absurd and simultaneously sidelining it, Kafka is able to focus on other issues. Samsa's "otherness" as a beetle, now being an existential given, leads us to explore how being "other" works in relationship to family and other acquantices.

Kafka is a truly marvelous writer, and if his writing seem paranoid and absurd, it adds to their literary quality. His concerns are not so unique as the positions his literary creations often find themselves in, and he provides an interesting voice on the conditions of modernity.

This is the most authoritative collection of Kafka's immortal short fiction; it includes the most respected translations of each story (mostly by Willa and Edwin Muir), and a fair introduction from John Updike.

Kafka was the greatest writer of short fiction of the modern era. Such stories as 'The Metamorphosis,' 'In the Penal Colony,' 'The Hunger Artist,' and 'The Great Wall of China' encapsulate the tyrannical, dehumanizing regimentation of the modern world. Kafka may be difficult to read, and the allegorical form is not enjoyable for everyone. However, it is impossible to not be drawn into the strange madness of 'The Hunger Artist,' or 'The Country Doctor,' surely two of the most terrifying works of literature of the period.

In many ways, Kafka was a precursor to the sort of self-reflexive artistry that would later be found in Beckett, Sartre, and Brecht; Kafka is always aware that he is working within the literary realm, and he knows that he cannot escape it. Therefore, (brilliantly), he turns it into an advantage, by intoning the mystical, the metaphysical, and the surreal. His characters are often animals, metaphors, or simply moods. This approach has its strengths, but only in the hands of a true master. Fortunately for us, Kafka was just that, in the truest sense: a master of form, and unity of content.

The metaphors and symbolism in this book are so liberating, ironically however, to speak about the oppression of totalitarianism in his time.

I haven't read a Kafka novel before. While reading this, I always find myself internally shouting and complaining about the lack of reason within the book. I complain about Josef K's lack of ability to fight for his situation, but then again I am reminded that this is surrealism at its best. Nothing makes sense in this book. But still, I love it. As long as you are willing to understand that nothing will make sense in this book, then you will enjoy it. If you aren't willing to give up your sense of reason, then don't read this one.

It would be strange to not give a book of this reputation 5 stars. I do so with no reservation either, but this wasn't really what I'd call a literary masterpiece.

The story traces the logic of K a man arrested without cause. The stream of thought never really ends in the book as his thoughts are influenced by his encounters with other people and as he is disillusioned about the society he lives in to some degree. He never becomes disillusioned enough to see what awaits him though.

The tone and style of the writing is immersive, consistent and relentless putting us in the mind of the accused, and the writing is clear and certainly makes a clear and fine exposition out of what the author set out to do, which was to show the madness of giant bureaucracy with little care for the life of others.

Its a good read, and one thing that occured to me is how much smarter the system is than an actual human being, which gives that trapped feeling that the author does so well. How could it not be "smarter" especially today, with pages and pages of rules and paid positions and so forth at that time and now add in computers the power of bureaucracy probably only increases.

On the one hand its not a great literary masterpiece, but on the other hand it is such an important book that I don't really care.

The Trial, by Kafka, is superb work only short of masterpiece because it was never finished. I read the book a few months ago, but it still can give me the shivers when I reflect on the brutal, impersonal environment with which K., the main character, is persecuted. When suspected of a crime, the accused must defend themselves but are not revealed the nature of the crime they committed. This is the dark, helpless world K. is subjugated to. Many times the book feels dreamy as if K. could wake up -- but he can't.

The Trial

The Ubiquity and Impersonal-ness of the Tyrannical State

In this haunting and stifling novel, by Kafka, Mr. K, a normal successful banker, who has affairs with beautiful women and is much envied by his colleagues -- at least until he is arrested (on his 30th birthday), where he descends into an impersonal hell, which apparently in the end, was not at all of his own making.

It seems, but is never altogether clear, that K has been betrayed to the faceless authorities by unknown betrayers. Once in the impersonal bureaucratic grinding machine, K seems unable to get out, or to recover. Being lost in a bureaucratic maze is a theme that Kafka has milked to perfection before, as it was also used in his other novels, "Metamorphosis," in particular.

Once he is arrested, the "bill of particulars" of the crime for which he is "being held over" for is never given to him; no judgment is made against him; he waits interminably to be seen by the courts but only tricky lawyer appear to give him information that invariably is useless to his case. His frustration mounts but is never completely resolved. Until in the end, where a priests offers him a parable about a man who waits his whole life to enter the doorway of the law, K seems completely lost. He interprets the parable to mean that the state itself is but one big lie made into the rule of the world.

The novel is scary in the almost imperceptible and seamless way that the faceless state apparatus snags, sucks one into, and then takes over, and entraps Mr. K's life. Kafka makes it seem that it is possible for it to happen to any one in almost any society, including in our "so-called" safe democracy. All one has to do is look at what has happened to many of the innocent people arrested as "suspected terrorists," and who were not allowed to contact their families or see lawyers, some of whom are still kept incommunicado even today. It is a cautionary tale that freedom must be defended everyday, and then defended some more.

Five stars

This is a definitive collection of the short work of Franz Kafka, encompassing all of the greatest moods of his writing. The following stories are included.

The Judgment is a tale of what is and what is not. A young man reveals, through a letter, that he's engaged. He reveals this to an estranged friend in St. Petersburg, but then things start to unravel as he's undone by his father's probing and accusations. His father questions him extensively and demoralizes him, while revealing his own frailty.

The Metamorphosis. What can I say about this classic that hasn't been said by many more insightful and austere than myself? What I love about the story is that the action has occurred before the tale begins and the whole story is the aftermath, the coping, the results. It's quite a bit of masterful technique to pull that off.

In the Penal Colony is a devilish story of torture, execution and the morality of punishment. A machine is used for capital punishment and it's greatest advocate is a salesman for its continued use. Wicked.

A Country Doctor deals with Kafka's own issues of faith as told through a story about a doctor's ability or inability to treat patients. It's very much a theological tale, questioning faith and the foundations of morality. Kafka was an unbeliever but in this story he gives a fair analysis of the possibility of a greater power.

A Report to an Academy is the most fun of all the Kafka stories. At least to me. It's the story of an outsider trying to fit in - the ape rejecting his ape past, his heredity, his roots. It's the Jew rejecting his Jewish heritage. It's the European abandoning Europe for the promises of America. It's a grand journey told through an ape that takes on humanism in order to advance beyond his station, yet revealing that this is a false promise because one's true nature can't be avoided, can't be buried.

This volume ought to be, and probably is, required reading for all educated people.

- CV Rick

Three of these stories , " The Metamorphosis ' ' The Penal Colony' ' The Country Doctor' are among the most Kafkaesque of Kafka's stories. They awaken in the reader a vague anxiety, a confusion, a sense of disturbance it is difficult to adequately describe. They give us a sense of life as something more menacing and threatening than we had imagined. And yet they do this with such a precise and even beautiful description of inner and outer reality so as to fascinate us completely. They hold us as their narratives procede in their own incredible ways to an ending which too is forever vague and unclear.
Kafka makes the human soul a startling juxtaposition of anxiety and beauty- in a destiny lost and unclear.

Kafka is one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. He masterfulyl portrays the absolute meaninglessness of life in an existence devoid of any spiritual meaning. He accomplishes this in a way that completely captivates the reader, and impresses them with the sheer futility of it all. You may not have fun reading Kafka, but you will be stretched, and it will make you think. The Trial is also another brilliant example of Kafka's literary skill

The metamorphosis is perhaps Kafka's most famous story. It is about a man who suddenly wakes up as horrible creature (whose appearence is left to the imagination of the reader). His whole life changes and his room becomes his world. His family begins to forget him as he becomes an embarassment for them. The end comes as unexpected as the metarphosis itself.
I found the other stories not as interesting as the described above, and some of them have a very strange end, if we can call it so.

As someone who had only read "The Metamorphosis," I found this collection of Kafka's works to be very refreshing. Since I had not enjoyed reading "The Metamorphosis" in high school I was skeptical about reading other works by Kafka. I was pleasantly surprised when I read "In the Penal Colony", "A Country Doctor", and "A Report to an Academy." These works were assigned as part of a college class I had, and I found that they were not only very personally thought provoking, but they inspired a lot of insightful in-class discussion. I would recommend this collection to anyone who has not yet read any of Kafka's works, or who have only read The Metamorphosis.

Item came quickly, well wrapped and in perfect condition. What more could I want? Thanks!

Having recently returned from a few days in Prague, I was impressed with both the artwork and the serious history of this book. I highly recommend it for those reasons, as well as its clever summaries of several Kafka tales.

Kafka's life in itself is a very interesting tale, and I would recommend any book concerning the actual events of his life and the strange things that went through his mind. There are so many to choose from. From the multitude of books written about Kafka, R. Crumb's is actually a good addition. It provides something new to the world of Kafka, just as Maus provides something new to the WWII genre. It is sophisticated, intriguing, and downright creepy: definitely a great addition to your library.

Reviewed by: Tom Hendricks, Musea Review Service. Posted courtesy of the Underground Literary Alliance Book Review Blog.

Tom Hendricks is a ULA member. He has probably never met Robert Crumb, but might want to. I'd like to meet Robert Crumb.

What is it? : Franz Kafka's biography with text by David Mairowitz, and illustrations by celebrated underground comic artist Robert Crumb.

Technical Quality: High. Book is a well made, 175 page, trade paperback. Note the somewhat chilling cover with an orange Prague cityscape drawing , with a green insert of Kafka writing.

Innovative Quality: High. The book uses the graphic novel approach to tell the life story of the troubled but brilliant Franz Kafka. Crumb illustrates the main biographical events and portions from some of Kafka's most celebrated works.

Review: Three parts come together to make this a memorable and notable read: Franz Kafka's life and works, Robert Crumb's illustrations on every page, and an informative biographical text by David Zane Mairowitz.

Mairowitz writes: "Before ever becoming the ADJECTIVE (Kafkaesque) Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Jew from Prague, born into its inescapable tradition of story-tellers and fantasists, ghetto-dwellers and eternal refugees. His Prague, "a little mother' with 'claws' was a place that suffocated him, but where he nonetheless chose to live all but the last eight months of his life."

That well sums up a lot of the main threads of Kafka's life too. He was a Jew in a country that more and more hated and persecuted the Jews. He had an oppressive and abusive father that, like Prague, he could never escape. He had troubled relationships with all the women he was attracted to, and he never got the respect for his writing in his life time that he deserved.

The book goes into detail on all these issues and lets us see his world - a depressing world where it seems his only escape was his writing. And what writing he did. Throughout the book are illustrated excerpts of major Kafka works including: an early story 'The Judgement', the famous "Metamorphosis' where Gregor Samsa turns into an enormous bug; "The Burrow" an animal fable; "In the Penal Colony" with the new killing machine invention; his best known work, the novel, "The Trial" where 'K' is arrested - but for what?; "The Castle" the 2nd of 3 novels; "A Hunger Artist" who is a sideshow freak for his ability to starve himself, and "Amerika" his last unfinished novel.

At the age of 39 he retired from his insurance job (one that by improving safety standards actually saved many lives) due to tuberculosis. Kafka instructed his friend Max Brod, to destroy almost all his works upon his death. Fortunately for us, Brod did not carry that wish out.

The bio is fascinating, and the excerpts cover some of the best of Kafka's work. Now add to that the superb black and white illustrations of Crumb and we get a very great book indeed.

Crumb, known for his underground comics, has taken that style of art to high art here. His drawing style is the technical equal of any illustrator. Yet beyond that he has a gift for characterization , an eye for detail, and the ability to illustrate any scene. Had the bio and excerpts been any less compelling, the illustrations would have still been notable. Each page was filled with drawings and many of them are minor masterpieces on their own. An example are the illustrations on page 64 and 65. Kafka wrote many letters to Felice Bauer one of 4 women that he had important
relationships with. On the left side we see the couple up to their chests in pages of letters. On the right side of the page, we see Kafka writing at his desk in the bottom right corner with letter after letter stacked through the air, all the way up to the upper left corner.

Wisely Mairowitz, who wrote the text, does not try to embellish his work, instead his comments are sparse and to the point , thus better allowing Kafka the classic writer, and Crumb a world class gifted illustrator, to shine.

High marks all around in this new classic.

A find collaboration with Robert Crumb and David Z. Mairowitz. This opus reveals two things about Crumb: Crumb's attempt to vent his childhood Hell with his own father and a depth of related emotion uncharacteristic of his personality.