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Franz Kafka: The Complete Novels
Content : Unhappiness The Judgment Before the Law The Metamorphosis A Report to an Academy Jackals and Arabs A Country Doctor In the Penal Colony A Hunger Artist The Trial The Castle Amerika A Little Fable The Great Wall of China The Hunter Gracchus The Burrow
987 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 28, 2019
1265 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,047 books37.1k followersPrague-born writer Franz Kafka wrote in German, and his stories, such as "
The Metamorphosis
" (1916), and posthumously published novels, including
The Trial
(1925), concern troubled individuals in a nightmarishly impersonal world.
Jewish middle-class family of this major fiction writer of the 20th century spoke German. People consider his unique body of much incomplete writing, mainly published posthumously, among the most influential in European literature.
His stories include "The Metamorphosis" (1912) and " In the Penal Colony " (1914), whereas his posthumous novels include The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927).
Despite first language, Kafka also spoke fluent Czech. Later, Kafka acquired some knowledge of the French language and culture from Flaubert, one of his favorite authors.
Kafka first studied chemistry at the Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague but after two weeks switched to law. This study offered a range of career possibilities, which pleased his father, and required a longer course of study that gave Kafka time to take classes in German studies and art history. At the university, he joined a student club, named Lese- und Redehalle der Deutschen Studenten, which organized literary events, readings, and other activities. In the end of his first year of studies, he met Max Brod, a close friend of his throughout his life, together with the journalist Felix Weltsch, who also studied law. Kafka obtained the degree of doctor of law on 18 June 1906 and performed an obligatory year of unpaid service as law clerk for the civil and criminal courts.
Writing of Kafka attracted little attention before his death. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories and never finished any of his novels except the very short "The Metamorphosis." Kafka wrote to Max Brod, his friend and literary executor: "Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave behind me ... in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'), sketches, and so on, [is] to be burned unread." Brod told Kafka that he intended not to honor these wishes, but Kafka, so knowing, nevertheless consequently gave these directions specifically to Brod, who, so reasoning, overrode these wishes. Brod in fact oversaw the publication of most of work of Kafka in his possession; these works quickly began to attract attention and high critical regard.
Max Brod encountered significant difficulty in compiling notebooks of Kafka into any chronological order as Kafka started writing in the middle of notebooks, from the last towards the first, et cetera.
Kafka wrote all his published works in German except several letters in Czech to Milena Jesenská.
Jewish middle-class family of this major fiction writer of the 20th century spoke German. People consider his unique body of much incomplete writing, mainly published posthumously, among the most influential in European literature.
His stories include "The Metamorphosis" (1912) and " In the Penal Colony " (1914), whereas his posthumous novels include The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927).
Despite first language, Kafka also spoke fluent Czech. Later, Kafka acquired some knowledge of the French language and culture from Flaubert, one of his favorite authors.
Kafka first studied chemistry at the Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague but after two weeks switched to law. This study offered a range of career possibilities, which pleased his father, and required a longer course of study that gave Kafka time to take classes in German studies and art history. At the university, he joined a student club, named Lese- und Redehalle der Deutschen Studenten, which organized literary events, readings, and other activities. In the end of his first year of studies, he met Max Brod, a close friend of his throughout his life, together with the journalist Felix Weltsch, who also studied law. Kafka obtained the degree of doctor of law on 18 June 1906 and performed an obligatory year of unpaid service as law clerk for the civil and criminal courts.
Writing of Kafka attracted little attention before his death. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories and never finished any of his novels except the very short "The Metamorphosis." Kafka wrote to Max Brod, his friend and literary executor: "Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave behind me ... in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'), sketches, and so on, [is] to be burned unread." Brod told Kafka that he intended not to honor these wishes, but Kafka, so knowing, nevertheless consequently gave these directions specifically to Brod, who, so reasoning, overrode these wishes. Brod in fact oversaw the publication of most of work of Kafka in his possession; these works quickly began to attract attention and high critical regard.
Max Brod encountered significant difficulty in compiling notebooks of Kafka into any chronological order as Kafka started writing in the middle of notebooks, from the last towards the first, et cetera.
Kafka wrote all his published works in German except several letters in Czech to Milena Jesenská.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 19, 2020
I really loved reading these short stories by this new to me author. I wish I had learned about him in High School, but now that I've been introduced to his writing I plan to seek out more of his work. ♡
June 22, 2020
I have only managed to get halfway through this before giving up. The only reason I carried on so far is that he is an author of such great renown. However, I cannot see why. He is very difficult to read and if not for his reputation I would have stopped in the first chapter. His writing left me feeling that I had just woken from a confused dream and was trying to figure out what it meant. Not an enjoyable experience and I doubt I will return to try to finish or reread it.
March 11, 2020
A lot like a dream sequence !
Entertaining , confusing, well written in many respects. Often has a dream like feeling to it. Like an unexplainable dream that you remember.
Entertaining , confusing, well written in many respects. Often has a dream like feeling to it. Like an unexplainable dream that you remember.
April 8, 2020
Kafka é Kafka.
Não tenho conhecimento literário para fazer justiça ao que ele escreve numa recomendação.
Só me arrependo de na ignorância da minha adolescência o ter criticado tanto.
Especialmente interessante para quem quer que já tenha trabalhado ou lidado continuamente com serviços burocráticos do que quer que seja.
Não tenho conhecimento literário para fazer justiça ao que ele escreve numa recomendação.
Só me arrependo de na ignorância da minha adolescência o ter criticado tanto.
Especialmente interessante para quem quer que já tenha trabalhado ou lidado continuamente com serviços burocráticos do que quer que seja.
November 7, 2019
VERYGLAD TO READ THE EAUTIFUL BOOK ~ THANKS LOT TO AUTHOR AN MAKER!
I am glad to read this book
It is a interesying story
I had read it for many times
Thanks
I'm advise you buy and read
I am glad to read this book
It is a interesying story
I had read it for many times
Thanks
I'm advise you buy and read
May 13, 2021
A must read
November 8, 2021
I read Metamorphoses a few years earlier which brought me to Kafka and his complete collections. To date Metamorphoses remains the best of his work for me, for his dream-like stance, language, concepts and meaninglessness.
I embarked on reading this collection somewhere around the beginning of the year and made slow progress through his other short stories, Amerika, The Castle and other works. Needless to say Kafka is a gem and a captive through his works. However, I must admit that I preferred his short stories more to his other longer works, Metamorphoses and Amerika barred.
I embarked on reading this collection somewhere around the beginning of the year and made slow progress through his other short stories, Amerika, The Castle and other works. Needless to say Kafka is a gem and a captive through his works. However, I must admit that I preferred his short stories more to his other longer works, Metamorphoses and Amerika barred.
November 24, 2022
Kafkaesque
I liked it of course. But the text was riddled with typos. It should have been proof-read by an expert.
I liked it of course. But the text was riddled with typos. It should have been proof-read by an expert.
June 6, 2024
Terrible edition. No Table of Contents or index. Novels mixed up with short stories, essays etc. Definitely better Kafka editions out there.
April 25, 2025
why was i so invested in that little animal and his burrow ?
November 14, 2020
Forced myself to read all three of these long torrid books... Wasn't worth it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews