The Metamorphosis and Other Stories
- Downloads：1963
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-11-17 05:51:29
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Franz Kafka
- ISBN：0199238553
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
'When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from uneasy dreams， he found himself transformed into some kind of monstrous vermin。'
With a bewildering blend of the everyday and the fantastical， Kafka thus begins his most famous short story， The Metamorphosis。 A commercial traveller is unexpectedly freed from his dreary job by his inexplicable transformation into an insect， which drastically alters his relationship with his family。 Kafka considered publishing it with two of the stories included here in a volume to be called Punishments。 The Judgement also concerns family tensions， when a power struggle between father and son ends with the father passing an enigmatic judgement on the helpless son。 The third story， In the Penal Colony， explores questions of power， justice， punishment， and the meaning of pain in a colonial setting。 These three stories are flanked by two very different works。 Meditation， the first book Kafka published， consists of light， whimsical， often poignant mood-pictures， while in the autobiographical Letter to his Father， Kafka analyses his difficult relationship in forensic and devastating detail。
For the 125th anniversary of Kafka's birth comes an astonishing new translation of his best-known stories， in a spectacular graphic package。
Table of contents:
Meditation
The Judgement
The Metamorphosis
In the Penal Colony
（Autobiographical） Letter to his Father
With a bewildering blend of the everyday and the fantastical， Kafka thus begins his most famous short story， The Metamorphosis。 A commercial traveller is unexpectedly freed from his dreary job by his inexplicable transformation into an insect， which drastically alters his relationship with his family。 Kafka considered publishing it with two of the stories included here in a volume to be called Punishments。 The Judgement also concerns family tensions， when a power struggle between father and son ends with the father passing an enigmatic judgement on the helpless son。 The third story， In the Penal Colony， explores questions of power， justice， punishment， and the meaning of pain in a colonial setting。 These three stories are flanked by two very different works。 Meditation， the first book Kafka published， consists of light， whimsical， often poignant mood-pictures， while in the autobiographical Letter to his Father， Kafka analyses his difficult relationship in forensic and devastating detail。
For the 125th anniversary of Kafka's birth comes an astonishing new translation of his best-known stories， in a spectacular graphic package。
Table of contents:
Meditation
The Judgement
The Metamorphosis
In the Penal Colony
（Autobiographical） Letter to his Father
Reviews
Lorena || ilunabooks
，
i'm gonna wait for a bit to write a review because I always get a better perspective on books after discussing them with other and we'll be working on this one in class so I'll write a review after that。 but for now I can say that I loved Metamorphosis and it was an interesting read i'm gonna wait for a bit to write a review because I always get a better perspective on books after discussing them with other and we'll be working on this one in class so I'll write a review after that。 but for now I can say that I loved Metamorphosis and it was an interesting read 。。。more
Aleksandr
，
The metamorphosis， in the penal colony and a report to the academy were great。 A report to the academy especially surprised me since it's only about 8 pages。 However the weakest story for me was the judgment。 Half of if is just useless information and when the main conflict happens it's too rushed。 It was so confusing that i had to look up a plot summary online。 The metamorphosis， in the penal colony and a report to the academy were great。 A report to the academy especially surprised me since it's only about 8 pages。 However the weakest story for me was the judgment。 Half of if is just useless information and when the main conflict happens it's too rushed。 It was so confusing that i had to look up a plot summary online。 。。。more
J
，
Meditation 2。5/5The Judgement 3/5Metamorphosis 3。5/5In The Penal Colony 3/5Letter To His Father -/-
John Reis
，
Gregor Samsa， a traveling salesman， wakes one morning to discover he has turned into a bug。 It is not clear whether he is a man-sized bug or bug-sized bug。 It does not become clearer later on。 He has difficulty getting out of bed。 His employer arrives and wonders why he has not arrived at work， though he is only 15 minutes late。 He is talking but it is not clear that he is speaking a human language。 Frustrated， the employer fires him。 This puts the family in financial peril。His sister visits his Gregor Samsa， a traveling salesman， wakes one morning to discover he has turned into a bug。 It is not clear whether he is a man-sized bug or bug-sized bug。 It does not become clearer later on。 He has difficulty getting out of bed。 His employer arrives and wonders why he has not arrived at work， though he is only 15 minutes late。 He is talking but it is not clear that he is speaking a human language。 Frustrated， the employer fires him。 This puts the family in financial peril。His sister visits his room every day and leaves food。The mother and father take on work to make ends meet。 All this time， Gregor is getting weaker due to an injury。 It is not clear if he is eating。They take in three lodgers。 One of the lodgers sees Gregor after a few days and announces he is leaving。 The other lodgers follow suit。 Shortly after， the short story ends。It is well-written but is not my cup of tea。 I don’t mind the transformation but would like to know its cause and frequency in the general public。 。。。more
Anna
，
The two best stories were "The Metamorphosis" and "In the Penal Colony。" "A Country Doctor" and "A Report to an Academy" were pretty good and "The Judgment" sucked。 The two best stories were "The Metamorphosis" and "In the Penal Colony。" "A Country Doctor" and "A Report to an Academy" were pretty good and "The Judgment" sucked。 。。。more
kotku
，
incredible stories， average translation
yuefei
，
Brutal like a cold slap on the face that leaves behind a numb throbbing， indistinct yet inexhaustible。 An evacuation of subjectivity and spiritual transcendence/deliverance converging， perversely， under the weight of an infinite， overbearing （patriarchal） authority—autobiographically this figure lies between Kafka's father and God， but it's equally reminiscent of all those seemingly infallible figures looming over us （the state， bureaucracy， the flow of capital， information networks）。 Didn't rea Brutal like a cold slap on the face that leaves behind a numb throbbing， indistinct yet inexhaustible。 An evacuation of subjectivity and spiritual transcendence/deliverance converging， perversely， under the weight of an infinite， overbearing （patriarchal） authority—autobiographically this figure lies between Kafka's father and God， but it's equally reminiscent of all those seemingly infallible figures looming over us （the state， bureaucracy， the flow of capital， information networks）。 Didn't really resonate with Kafka's writing style at first—he draws from an eclectic range of sources （e。g。， von Kleist， Freud， religious scripture， figures-of-speech which have now been worn out by time， and the gestures of silent cinema）—but I'm warming up to it now。 "In the Penal Colony" is chilling; "The Metamorphosis" has left its traces all over the culture we take in （and is also really good）。 。。。more
Yana
，
Letters to his father BROKE ME
Thomas
，
I was first exposed to Franz Kafka 10 years ago in a German Literature class that I took。 The required reading was The Metamorphosis。 I was never the same after that story which I've probably read ten times in English， Spanish， and even the original German。 What a trip。 Then there was "The Hunger Artist"（not included in this book）。。。 What really blew my mind about these stories， where how deeply I related to them。 I mean， I know I'm not a normal person， but these stories hit really close to home I was first exposed to Franz Kafka 10 years ago in a German Literature class that I took。 The required reading was The Metamorphosis。 I was never the same after that story which I've probably read ten times in English， Spanish， and even the original German。 What a trip。 Then there was "The Hunger Artist"（not included in this book）。。。 What really blew my mind about these stories， where how deeply I related to them。 I mean， I know I'm not a normal person， but these stories hit really close to home for me。These stories were translated by Stanley Appelbaum。 The translation wasn't as good as the work of Willa and Edwin Muir， so I'd probably not even recommend this particular book for someone unfamiliar with Kafka。 Look for the Muir translations first。 Shouldn't be too hard to find。 The convenient thing about a lot of Kafka's work is that it's in the Public Domain。 。。。more
Summer
，
The Metamorphosis: I've been meaning to read this short story for years。 For some reason I believed I read it in primary school， but now I'm not sure if that's the case。 Would you really read this to a bunch of 7 year olds？ Nevertheless， I've held a fondness for this story like I've known it for years。 So this may be a reread decades later， or it may be my first read。What I didn't realise was how sad it would be。 It's one of those things that could either be comical， or sad。 And this one was sad The Metamorphosis: I've been meaning to read this short story for years。 For some reason I believed I read it in primary school， but now I'm not sure if that's the case。 Would you really read this to a bunch of 7 year olds？ Nevertheless， I've held a fondness for this story like I've known it for years。 So this may be a reread decades later， or it may be my first read。What I didn't realise was how sad it would be。 It's one of those things that could either be comical， or sad。 And this one was sad。*spoilers* The biggest commentary I got from this story was the reliance on health。 How intrinsically our wealth is tied to our health。 This family had been making ends meet by relying on the only healthy and productive member of the family， but then suddenly he's incapacitated and they start to struggle and suffer。We also get the commentary on Gregor's life as a commercial traveller/salesman。 As someone who worked in tourism the fifth paragraph resonated with me，"what a strenuous career it is that I’ve chosen！ Travelling day in and day out。 Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home， and on top of that there’s the curse of travelling， worries about making train connections， bad and irregular food， contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them。 It can all go to Hell！"It was also interesting what he was saying to the company secretary。 Pleading with the secretary to give him a chance， have some understanding and cut him some slack。The stress is real in this book。 We get the vivid descriptions of his now grotesque body， his difficulty and struggle to move， the uncomfortable-ness of the sensations of his now hairy and sticky body， the stinging and pain and attacks he recieves。 His battle to be understood， while he attempts to do the basics such as simply move， eat， and try to get some entertainment。The rejection he receives from his family， who refuse to look at him， talk to him， and eventually care for him。 How he was just cast aside and essentially left to rot。 How the little care he recieved slowly disintegrates into outright malice towards him。 How he still retained his love and care for his family despite his now mistreatment。 It was all a very real and stressful description of struggle。And that ending！ The cleaner was the only character who brought some respite， finally someone who cared， showed him some respect， recognised his intelligence and treated him with compassion。 And how the family treated her！ The ungrateful， impatient， selfish family。 Casting her off before she explained what was obviously going to be an exciting explanation。 And it just gets cut off， she's cast away and then the family goes for a jolly old walk and realises they're fine。 We didn't even get any remorse for their actions。。。How did he go away？ For that matter， how did it even happen to him。 I was expecting him to revert back to a human and they would find him like that in his room， but the ending was very abrupt and leaves us with a lot of questions。 Questions， and sadness。 Poor Gregor！ 。。。more
Sophie Kimber
，
*4。5/5* Review to come soon！ Spoiler alert: who knew that Kafka was a genius？
Morven
，
I consulted this book to read the short stories in the meditations in the beginning as well as the various introductions in the beginning。 It is interesting to hear about the reception of Kafka， the perceptions of his stories， their relations and the tribulations of the translator to try and preserve the style， cadence， and intentions of Kafka。I have already read the other more substantial stories， but won't comment on them here。 These shorter stories were mostly insights into little thoughts or I consulted this book to read the short stories in the meditations in the beginning as well as the various introductions in the beginning。 It is interesting to hear about the reception of Kafka， the perceptions of his stories， their relations and the tribulations of the translator to try and preserve the style， cadence， and intentions of Kafka。I have already read the other more substantial stories， but won't comment on them here。 These shorter stories were mostly insights into little thoughts or observations。 Although I am not sure how they relate to the canon of his longer works， if that can be said。 The style is similar， but the allegory not so much。 My favourite was "Rebuff"; it is not much different to modern grievances of male/female expectations of each other。 。。。more
caprimooner
，
i enjoyed his prose for like 10 paragraphs max but those 10 paragraphs are always the best thing i’ve ever read
Charlie St-St
，
Second time reading this book。 This time around I enjoyed Metamorphosis more than the first time， since I actually understood what was happening & what Kafka was trying to say。 I also found the family dynamic of the story a lot more engaging， & the philosophical/psychological questions about life and work and society quite relevant。 I found reading about interpretations of Gregor's sister especially fascinating。 However， I found the other short stories quite confusing & had to look each of them Second time reading this book。 This time around I enjoyed Metamorphosis more than the first time， since I actually understood what was happening & what Kafka was trying to say。 I also found the family dynamic of the story a lot more engaging， & the philosophical/psychological questions about life and work and society quite relevant。 I found reading about interpretations of Gregor's sister especially fascinating。 However， I found the other short stories quite confusing & had to look each of them up to fully understand what was happening - especially In the Penal Colony， I got very lost amidst the torture and confusion。 Maybe that's because I didn't pay attention to the stories properly， but I just felt like they were a bit too wacky for what I needed from my reading at this time。On the other hand， I know that Kafka is a genius & his works have gone down in history for a reason。 。。。more
Gemma
，
3。5
Veronica
，
Nobody ever told me Kafka was funny？。。。 This was （sort of） a joy to read， and Kafka might be my new celebrity crush （alongside Dostoevsky）。 My favorites were "The Metamorphosis" （revolutionary， I know） and "In the Penal Colony。" I found "A Country Doctor" and "A Report to the Academy" incomprehensible and dull， respectively。 But whatever。 Gotta admit， ending the collection with those two stories took the wind out of my sails; I lost the specificity with which I wanted to write about the good sto Nobody ever told me Kafka was funny？。。。 This was （sort of） a joy to read， and Kafka might be my new celebrity crush （alongside Dostoevsky）。 My favorites were "The Metamorphosis" （revolutionary， I know） and "In the Penal Colony。" I found "A Country Doctor" and "A Report to the Academy" incomprehensible and dull， respectively。 But whatever。 Gotta admit， ending the collection with those two stories took the wind out of my sails; I lost the specificity with which I wanted to write about the good stories。 And I won't bother with "The Judgment，" which I am mostly indifferent towards。K， peace out。 。。。more
Natalie Dixon
，
Was looking for a book to read and saw this lovely thin one that I’ve been meaning to read。 Good to read metamorphosis and I also liked the penal colony， love some messed up little short stories。 Fairly readable
미카 | mika
，
okay， so I delayed reading this one because I did not enjoy 'metamorphosis' so much last year but still wanted to give Kafka another try。 I still did not enjoy 'metamorphosis' lol but loved reading 'meditation' and 'letter to his father' because it was the closest thing to an autobiography that he wrote and oh my goodness！ I am lowkey mad at his mother for not forwarding the letter to his father and returning Franz the letter back but it's frustrating because I understand why she did what she di okay， so I delayed reading this one because I did not enjoy 'metamorphosis' so much last year but still wanted to give Kafka another try。 I still did not enjoy 'metamorphosis' lol but loved reading 'meditation' and 'letter to his father' because it was the closest thing to an autobiography that he wrote and oh my goodness！ I am lowkey mad at his mother for not forwarding the letter to his father and returning Franz the letter back but it's frustrating because I understand why she did what she did。 reading 'letter to his father' makes sense to all of his other stories in the book。 looking forward to reading 'the trial'！！ 。。。more
Yelizaveta Price
，
Great collection of Kafka。 I love “The Metamorphosis”。
Alex
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Odd that they spend a lot of time on jobs and money。 I mean， guy wakes up as a bug。 I found it plodding and weird。 Problem with the translation/adaptation？ Perhaps。 This did not make me want to read more of his work。
Scruffie
，
I found Crick's translation to be excellent， preserving much of the language ambiguity and other eccentricities that Kafka is known for。 A pretty dark read overall， and very much to my liking。 Quite slow-paced， especially if you also read the explanatory notes （which I recommend）。From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others （"The Judgement"， "The Metamorphosis"， "In the Penal Colony"， "Letter to his Father"） though。 I'm curious to read the r I found Crick's translation to be excellent， preserving much of the language ambiguity and other eccentricities that Kafka is known for。 A pretty dark read overall， and very much to my liking。 Quite slow-paced， especially if you also read the explanatory notes （which I recommend）。From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others （"The Judgement"， "The Metamorphosis"， "In the Penal Colony"， "Letter to his Father"） though。 I'm curious to read the remaining works of Kafka。 。。。more
Marlise
，
So strange。 Nightmarish。 I’ve always wondered what was up with Kafka， seeing references and Kafka quotes from time to time。 Now I have read it。 Darkness， socialist and communist symbolism。 The stuff of dark wartime nightmares with a twist of deranged psychosis。 Maybe I should have waited for a warm summer day to read these stories。 But this dark， foggy， miserable week of winter rain seemed appropriately fitting。
Phillip Is Reading Books
，
I suppose it was ok as a classic， found it quite surreal at times especially The Metamorphosis。 Yet that was the best out the lot and at least it had a happy ending。I for one won't be rushing back to read this book。 I suppose it was ok as a classic， found it quite surreal at times especially The Metamorphosis。 Yet that was the best out the lot and at least it had a happy ending。I for one won't be rushing back to read this book。 。。。more
Marta Cruz
，
E/LE（M）0046-KAF
Kári Þorkelsson
，
Þegar Rikki vaknaði morgun einn af órólegum draumum，komst hann að raun um að hannhafði breyst í skelfilegt súrgrænmeti í bílskúr sínum。 Hann lá á bakinu， sem var mjúkt einsgúmmí， og ef hann lyfti höfði sínu eilítið sá hann hvelfdan， grænan kvið sinn， markaðanhrukkum; efst á honum hafði bílskúrsborðið vart nokkuð haldið lengur og var hann að þvíkominn að renna alla leið niður。 Engir fætur hans， ekki til staðar vingsuðust því ekki fyriraugum hans。“Hvað hefur komið fyrir mig？” hugsaði hann。 Þetta v Þegar Rikki vaknaði morgun einn af órólegum draumum，komst hann að raun um að hannhafði breyst í skelfilegt súrgrænmeti í bílskúr sínum。 Hann lá á bakinu， sem var mjúkt einsgúmmí， og ef hann lyfti höfði sínu eilítið sá hann hvelfdan， grænan kvið sinn， markaðanhrukkum; efst á honum hafði bílskúrsborðið vart nokkuð haldið lengur og var hann að þvíkominn að renna alla leið niður。 Engir fætur hans， ekki til staðar vingsuðust því ekki fyriraugum hans。“Hvað hefur komið fyrir mig？” hugsaði hann。 Þetta var ekki draumur。 Bílskúrinn hans， ágæturmannabústaður en þó fulllítill， hvíldi í rósemd milli fjögurra kunnuglegra veggja。 Fyrir ofanborðið þar sem dreift hafði verið vísindatólum - Rikki var vísindamaður - var tækjaskenkursem hann hafði fyrir skemmstu smíðað og úr snotrum mosagrænum við。 Þar gat að líta áskúffur， sextán talsins sem geymdu ýmis tól sem aðeins gáfaðasti maður veraldar kunni skilá。Augnaráð Rikka beindist þvínæst að opinni bílskúrs hurðinni og milt veðrið - heyra máttifugla söng streyma inn og gerði hann mjög dapran。 “Hvernig væri að ég svæfi aðeins lengurog gleymdi öllum bjánaskap” hugsaði hann， en það var allsendis ógerlegt， því að hann varvanur að sofa á hægri hliðinni en í núverandi ástandi gat hann ekki komið sér þannig fyrir。Hversu kröftuglega sem hann varpaði sér yfir á hægri hlið， þá valt hann ævinlega á magannaftur。 Hann reyndi það sjálfsagt hundrað sinnum， lokaði augunum til að gleyma fótamissinumog hætti ekki fyrr en hann tók fyrir áður óþekktum， vökva og súrum bruna í síðunni。“Vúbbalabba dúbdúb” hugsaði hann， “hvílíkt þrælastarf hef ég valið mér！ Í ævintýrum dageftir dag。 Þessu fylgir miklu argsamri útreikningar en í vísindunum sjálfum og þar að auki eruþessi geimferðalög á mig lögð， áhyggjur af tímaflakki， óreglulegir og vondir drykkir， ogsamskipti sem stöðugt breytast， endast aldrei， verða aldrei innileg。 Til fjandans með það alltsaman！” Hann fann fyrir smá vægilegum fiðringi ofan á bakinu， mjakaði sér hægt ámaganum nær borðbrúninni til að eiga hægara með að lyfta höfðinu; kom auga ábrunablettinn， en hann var þakinn ljósgrænum smápunktum sem hann kunni engin skil á;hann hugðist snerta blettinn með einum fætinum en mundi svo skyndilega að hann hafðienga。Hann rann aftur niður í sína fyrri stellingu。 “Það gerir mann snarruglaðan að fara svonasnemma á fætur” hugsaði hann。 “Menn verða að fá sinn svefn。 Aðrir Rikkar lifa eins ogkindur í fjárhúsi。 Ef ég lít til dæmis aftur inní stórborg Rikkanna að óliðnum morgni til þess aðskrá útreikninga， þá er þessir herramenn nýkomnir í morgunverð。 Ég ætti bara að reyna þaðhjá dóttur minni; ég myndi þurfa að sitja margfalt fleiri fjölskyldumeðferðar tíma。 Ef ég hefðiekki taumhald á mér vegna Marteins minna， hefði ég hætt þessu fyrir löngu， ég hefði gengiðtil Jonna og sagt honum mína hjartans meiningu。 Hann hefði sennilega stokkið upp úrsófanum！ Það er reyndar einkennilegt háttalag að sitja í sófanum og tala úr hæðum niður tilgáfnamennis sem auk þess þarf að einfalda allt því að hann er svo heimskur。 Jæja ekki ervíst að öll von sé úti; Þegar mér hefur tekist að grafa undan trausti hans í fjölskyldunni - þaðgætu verið fimm eða sex vikur í viðbót - þá læt ég hiklaust verða af þessu。 Þá verðastraumhvörfin。 En nú verð ég að koma mér á fætur því Marteinn fer að vakna。”Og hann leit á tímavélina， sem tifaði á skápnum。 “Sviftí！” hugsaði hann。 Tímavélin var biluðog vísarnir stóðu í stað， hún hafði bilað í nótt og það var korter í meðferðartímann。 Afbílskúrsborðinu mátti sjá að hún hafði brætt úr sér; hún hafði áreiðanlega bilað eitthverntímann í nótt。 En gat verið að hann hefði sofið hinn rólegasti á meðan hún bræddi úr sér svoað húsgögnin nötruðu？ Að vísu hafði hann ekki sofið rótt， en sennilega þeim mun fastar。 Enhvað átti hann til bragðs að taka núna？ Meðferðartíminn byrjaði klukkan 11 til að sleppa viðhann þyrfti hann að hraða sér ofboðslega og hann hafði ekki gert útreikningana， og sjálfumfannst honum hreint ekki að hann væri sérlega hress og kvikur。 Og jafnvel þótt hann slyppivið meðferðartímann yrði ekki komist hjá formælingum Jonna， því Sumar hafði bókaðsvipaðan tíma og fyrir löngu greint frá vanrækslu hans。 Þetta var dóttir Jonna， skilningssljóskræfa。 Hvernig væri ef hann tilkynnti um veikindi？ En það væri sérlega vandræðalegt oggrunsamlegt， því að Rikki hafði aldrei nokkurn tíma veikst á ævilöngum vísindaferli sínum。Jonni kæmi áreiðanlega með hitamælinn， myndi atyrða Bettu vegna leti pappa síns og vísa ábug öllum mótbárum með skírskotunum til hitamælisins; að hans áliti eru allir menn allsendisheilsuhraustir en latir til vinnu。 Og hefði hann með öllu á röngu að standa í þessu tilviki？Rikka leið reyndar prýðilega， þótt hann væri með ólíkindum syfjaður þrátt fyrir allan þennansvefn， og hann var meira að segja glorsoltinn。Meðan hann íhugaði allt þetta í mesta flýti án þess að geta tekið ákvörðun um að yfirgefarúmið -í sama bili sló klukkan fjórðung fyrir ellefu - var drepið varfærnislega á dyrnar viðhöfðalag rúmsins。 “Rikki” var kallað - það var Marteinn “hana vantar stundarfjórðung í ellefu。Ætlaru ekki að fara？” Þessi óörugga rödd” Rikki hrökk við þegar hann heyrði rödd sínasvara。 Hún var ótvírætt hans gamla rödd en í hana blandaðist að því er virtist neðanfrá，eitthvert slepjukennt slímhljóð sem ekki var hægt að bæla niður; það olli því að orðin vorueinungis skýr í fyrstu andrá en síðan spilltist hljómurinn svo mjög að enginn gat verið viss umað hafa heyrt rétt。 Rikki hafði ætlað að svara skilmerkilega og útskýra allt en við þessaraðstæður lét hann nægja að segja: “Já， Já Marteinn， ég er að fara。” Þetta var viðarhurð ogþví sennilega ekki hægt að greina breytinguna á rödd Rikka hinumegin， því að Marteinn létsér þessa skýringu nægja og lötraði burt。 En þessar stuttu samræður urðu til þess að aðrir ífjölskyldunni veittu því athugli að Rikki var enn ófarinn， en því höfðu allir búist við， og bráttbankaði Marteinn aftur á einar hliðardyrnar， laust， en með hnefanum “Rikki， Rikki” kallaðihann， “hvað er á seyði？” Og að stundarkorni liðnu bætti hann við í efasemdartóni，mjóraddaðri: “Rikki，Rikki！” við hinar hliðardyrnar sagði Sumar áhyggjufull; ”Rikki？ Líður þérekki vel？ Vantar þig eitthvað？” Rikki svaraði til beggja hliða: “Ég er að verða tilbúinn” ogleitaðist við að afmá alltóvenjulegt úr rödd sinni með vönduðum framburði og með því aðgera langt hlér milli einstakra orða。 Marteinn sneri aftur að morgunverðarborðinu en Sumarhvíslaði: “Rikki， opnaðu， ég grátbið þig” En Rikka kom ekki til hugar að opna， heldur hrósaðihappi yfir þeirri varkárni， sem hann hafði tamið sér á geimferðalögum。 að læsa öllum hurðumeinnig heimavið， á næturnar。Fyrst hugðist hann fara á fætur rólega og ótruflað， klæða sig og umfram allt snæðamorgunverð og íhaga framhaldið að því loknu， því að honum var ljóst að á bílskúrsborðinumyndu hugleiðingar hans ekileiða til skynsamlegrar niðurstöðu。 Hann minntist þess að hafastundum áður fundið til lítilsháttar sársauka á maganum， kannski vegna óheppilegssýrustigs， en þegar hann sneri sér við sá hann gúrku líkama sinn， og hann var fullureftirvæntingar að vita hvernig í gúrkulíki gæti hann aldrei setið meðferðartímann。 Hann varekki í minnsta vafa að breytingin á röddinni væri ekkert annað en mjólkursýran， undirstaðasúrgúrkna。Það var lítill vandi að snúa sér við hann þurfti ekki annað en að rugga sér svolítið og rúllaðiaf sjálfu sér á bakið。 En eftir sem áður átti hann í erfiðleikum， einkum vegna þess hveóhemju sívaliningslaga hann var。 Hann hefði þurft handleggi og hendur til að rísa upp; í staðþess hafði hann einungis gúrkuhrukkur sem voru gegnumsósa í ediki og mjólkursýru。 Efhann reyndi að rúlla sér rann hann óðara til baka; og tækist honum að rúlla sér yfir á magannfestist hann þannig， í áköfu， sársaukafullu uppnámi。 “Umfram allt gúrkumenni fara ekki ímeðferðar tíma” sagði Rikki við sjálfan sig。Fyrst ætlaði hann að koma neðir hluta líkamans fram úr rúminu， en þessi neðri hluti， semhann hafði reyndar enn ekki séð og gat ekki gert sér í hugarlund hvernig væri í raun réttri，reyndist vera illhreyfanlegur; Þetta gekk mjög hægt; og þegar hann að lokum var orðinn þvísem næst hamslaus og útti sér af öllu afli fram á við， hvað sem það kostaði， þá hafði hanntekið ranga stefnu og hann rakst óþyrmilega í tækjaskenkinn; hann fann til brennandisársauka sem færði honum heim sanninn um að einmitt neðri hluti líkamans væri einnigsúrgúrka。Þessvegna freistaði hann þess að koma fyrst efri hluta líkamans fram úr rúminu og snerihöfðinu varlega að borðbrúninni。 Þetta tókst auðveldlega og að lokum fylgdi líkamsflykkið，þótt digurt væri og slímugt， hreyfingu höfuðsins hægt og sígandi。 En þegar hann hélt loksthöfiðnu í lausu lofti úti fyrir borðbrúninni， brast hann kjark til að hnika sér þannig áfram; efhann gripi til þess ráðs að láta sig falla á þennan hátt， gengi það kraftverki næst ef hannskaðaðist ekki á höfði。 Og einmitt núna mátti ekki fyrir nokkurn mun missa meðvitund; frekarskyldi hann vera kyrr á borðinu。En þegar hann lá þarna enn sem fyrr andavarðandi eftir endurtekna fyrirhöfnina og sá afturþessar gúrkuhrukkur svitna súrgúrkusafa kunni hann engin ráð önnur en að koma ró ogreglu á þessa óreiðu， sagði hann enn einu sinni við sjálfan sig að hann gæti alls ekki veriðlengur á borðinu og að skynsamlegast væri að kosta öllu til í veikri von um að losna þar meðaf borðinu。 Hann gleymdi samt samt áður ekki að minna sjálfan sig jafnframt á að róleg ogærðulaus íhugun væri miklu betri en örvæntingarfullar ákvarðanir。 Á slíkum augnablikumhvessti hann augun sem mest hann mátti á bílskúrshurðina， en því miður var hvorki huggunné gleði að finna í morgunsólinni sem blasti við og skein meira að segja á hina hlið götunnar:“Klukkan er orðin Ellefu ” sagði hann við sjálfan sig þegar vekjaraklukkan sló á ný， “klukkaner orðin ellefu og enn er svona bjart。” Og stundarkorn lá hann kyrr og dró andann dræmt，eins og hann byggist kannski við að gúrku líkami hans afsakaði hann frá meðferðartímanum。En þá sagði hann við sjálfan sig。 “Ég verð ábyggilega bara súrgúrka það sem eftir er þaðþykir mér nokkuð fyndið” 。。。more
Luciana
，
Bueno es importante recalcar que anteriormente hice una reseña sobre el libro de la metamorfosis como tal pero no de las otras historias de Kafka，por tanto， me parece importante hacer una reseña aparte de estos cuentos ya que son increíblemente ricos y hermosos，maravillosos para una tarde de lectura。
Anete Beinarovica
，
Hadn't read "In the Penal Colony" before， really enjoyed that one。 Each of the stories is different but all of them manage to showcase Kafka's peculiar style。 "Metamorphosis" is， of course， a masterpiece。 Hadn't read "In the Penal Colony" before， really enjoyed that one。 Each of the stories is different but all of them manage to showcase Kafka's peculiar style。 "Metamorphosis" is， of course， a masterpiece。 。。。more
raquel
，
This collection of 5 short Kafka stories was only $2 at my local used bookstore。 I’d love to try and read more classic literature， and this was a great start。 It was easy to read， and while highly absurd， it was still accessible。 “The Metamorphosis” was a lovely reflection on familial obligations as the main character， Gregor， is a provider for his family， but after his ‘transformation’ feels like a burden。 “The Penal Colony” was also a stand-out story reflecting Kafka’s skill at conveying subtl This collection of 5 short Kafka stories was only $2 at my local used bookstore。 I’d love to try and read more classic literature， and this was a great start。 It was easy to read， and while highly absurd， it was still accessible。 “The Metamorphosis” was a lovely reflection on familial obligations as the main character， Gregor， is a provider for his family， but after his ‘transformation’ feels like a burden。 “The Penal Colony” was also a stand-out story reflecting Kafka’s skill at conveying subtle commentary through the strange and absurd。 I also found myself looking forward to the ending of each short story， as he frequently hides the ultimate message in his last lines。 I will absolutely be looking for more Kafka next time I’m at the used bookstore。ig: @raq。reads 。。。more
Eden Kabeer
，
the edition i read had the Judgement， In the Penal Colony， A Country Doctor and A Report for an Academy
Nina
，