The Essential Kafka
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- Author：Franz Kafka
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Summary
"I am a cage， in search of a bird。"
Translated and with an Introduction by John R。 Williams
Like George Orwell， Franz Kafka has given his name to a world of nightmare， but in Kafka’s world， it is never completely clear just what the nightmare is。 The Trial， where the rules are hidden from even the highest officials， and if there is any help to be had， it will come from unexpected sources， is a chilling， blackly amusing tale that maintains， to the very end， a relentless atmosphere of disorientation。 Superficially about bureaucracy， it is in the last resort a description of the absurdity of 'normal' human nature。
Still more enigmatic is The Castle。 Is it an allegory of a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject？ The search by a central European Jew for acceptance into a dominant culture？ A spiritual quest for grace or salvation？ An individual's struggle between his sense of independence and his need for approval？ Is it all of these things？ And K？ Is he opportunist， victim， or an outsider battling against elusive authority？
Finally， in his fables， Kafka deals in dark and quirkily humorous terms with the insoluble dilemmas of a world which offers no reassurance， and no reliable guidance to resolving our existential and emotional uncertainties and anxieties。
Translated and with an Introduction by John R。 Williams
Like George Orwell， Franz Kafka has given his name to a world of nightmare， but in Kafka’s world， it is never completely clear just what the nightmare is。 The Trial， where the rules are hidden from even the highest officials， and if there is any help to be had， it will come from unexpected sources， is a chilling， blackly amusing tale that maintains， to the very end， a relentless atmosphere of disorientation。 Superficially about bureaucracy， it is in the last resort a description of the absurdity of 'normal' human nature。
Still more enigmatic is The Castle。 Is it an allegory of a quasi-feudal system giving way to a new freedom for the subject？ The search by a central European Jew for acceptance into a dominant culture？ A spiritual quest for grace or salvation？ An individual's struggle between his sense of independence and his need for approval？ Is it all of these things？ And K？ Is he opportunist， victim， or an outsider battling against elusive authority？
Finally， in his fables， Kafka deals in dark and quirkily humorous terms with the insoluble dilemmas of a world which offers no reassurance， and no reliable guidance to resolving our existential and emotional uncertainties and anxieties。
Reviews
Amarpal
，
A classic that had been on the shelf a long time。 Ws overall okay。 Most interesting were ‘Letter to my Father’， ‘Metamorphosis’ and ‘The Trial’。
Aura Nuraylin
，
I recommend getting the full collection， Kafka is a wonderful writer and his way of describing the world is truly unique and incredible。 His work is addictive， philosophical， yet true。
Ed Schneider
，
The Castle is a classic but beware。 Which edition you read will greatly impact what you take away。 I wound up with three editions and was surprised at how different they were。 The first was a real rip off。 I bought it from a used book site online。 I was amazed at getting a new hardback for a low price。 The cover was very attractive…。too attractive。 When it arrived my first indication that something was wrong was when it was less than half-inch thick。 Opening it I found why it was so thin…the typ The Castle is a classic but beware。 Which edition you read will greatly impact what you take away。 I wound up with three editions and was surprised at how different they were。 The first was a real rip off。 I bought it from a used book site online。 I was amazed at getting a new hardback for a low price。 The cover was very attractive…。too attractive。 When it arrived my first indication that something was wrong was when it was less than half-inch thick。 Opening it I found why it was so thin…the type was so small it was unreadable， and there were NO page numbers， no mention of who translated it， no indication of when a chapter started。 It was "published" by THE DEAD AUTHORS SOCIETY in 2016。 Avoid it。The next edition I bought was a collection of all of Kafka's works appropriately titled The Essential Kafka。 This was much more substantial， a three inch paperback with normal sized type published by Wordsworth Classics 2014。 It also included a introduction by the translator and short notes about each of the works。 While it was the first place I learned that Kafka died without finishing The Caste it did mention what Kafka told a friend about how Kafka intended to finish the work。 I read about a third of the way through The Castle when the library notified me that they had obtained an interlibrary loan to fulfill my long forgotten request。That's what alerted me to the differences in editions。 What came from library was by far better than the others。 It was published by Schocken Books （1992） with an introduction by Irving Howe。 It is based on The Definitive Edition published in 1954 and includes the Homage which Thomas Mann wrote in 1940 and cites four translators。 My first shock came when I tried to find the place I had gotten to in the Wordsworth edition。 The Schocken edition had a different number of chapters and did not include chapter titles as the Wordsworth。 Only by going back and forth between the two did I find my "place。 I also noticed the sentence structure was quite different。 In the Schocken edition The Sixth Chapter started with "Before the inn the landlord was waiting for him。 Without being questioned the man would not have ventured to address him…。" While the Wordsworth edition started the chapter with "Outside the inn the landlord was waiting for him。 He would not have dared to speak unless spoken to。…" Clearly they came from the same source but the impression each left was different。 In the Schocken edition the landlord seems arrogant。 In the Wordsworth edition the landlord comes across more as reticent。 It left me wondering what did Kafka want to imply？ I'm sure there were more differences。 I just happened to notice this quickly。 After finishing reading The Castle I went back to the Introduction by Howe and the Homage by Mann。 The Schocken edition also includes an Appendix with almost seventy pages of pages and fragments deleted by the author。 Clearly this was a field day for editors picking and choosing what to include。 Howe also includes a review of much literary criticism that had accrued through 1992。 He takes to task the religious interpretation that Mann featured in his Homage saying the word "Jew" never appears in the text。 Notably Mann's Homage was written in Princeton in 1940 which was a period where Mann had fled from Nazi persecution so I would guess it would be easier for Mann to see Judaism than for Howe in 1992。I'll leave to other reviewers to give a synopsis of the story。 Yes it represents the futility of K's many attempts to reach the authorities in the Castle and in many ways it's a timeless tale that fits in easily with the rest of Kafka's unique approach to life。 I've not read all the editions nor even all the Appendix in the Schocken edition。 Based on what I've seen I recommend highly finding a copy of the Schocken edition。 Sadly mine goes back to the Library。 。。。more
Mari
，
kafka virou simplesmente um dos meus autores favoritos。 eu já tinha lido colônia penal e metamorfose， mas não conhecia os outros。 os destaques desse livro pra mim foram o retrato do artista da fome e os 109 aforismos
Matthias
，
*3。5 stars*Kafka was kinda dissapointing， but I guess I still liked it。 He's confusing。。。ANYWAY！ Kafka， oh Kafka， Franzie Schwanzie Kafka， I had SUCH high hopes for you， you know， nightmares and shit。 And what did you do with it， dear Franzie Schwanzie Kafka， you let me down！ You treated my hopes like they were but a mere unimportant insect， you stabbed them in the heart with a knife and then twisted it。 You killed my hopes。 Like a dog！ It's not your fault tho。。。Part I: It's not his fault thoAlt *3。5 stars*Kafka was kinda dissapointing， but I guess I still liked it。 He's confusing。。。ANYWAY！ Kafka， oh Kafka， Franzie Schwanzie Kafka， I had SUCH high hopes for you， you know， nightmares and shit。 And what did you do with it， dear Franzie Schwanzie Kafka， you let me down！ You treated my hopes like they were but a mere unimportant insect， you stabbed them in the heart with a knife and then twisted it。 You killed my hopes。 Like a dog！ It's not your fault tho。。。Part I: It's not his fault thoAlthough I didn't enjoy The Castle and The Trial （they were just hard to get thru， but I still got 50 pages a day in） it's not his fault。 As for Metamorphosis， Letter To My Father and some other shorter stories， we'll get to that later， but first this。 I just feel like Kafka was trying to tell me something the whole time in both The Castle and The Trial， but something didn't make sense。 It was off。 You know why？ Wanna know why that is？！ WANNA KNOW WHY THAT IS？！ Well， the reason they felt incomplete and thus were harder to get through was that they WERE in fact incomplete and you simply can't enjoy something unless the writer's entire vision has been conveyed。 As for The Trial， it was puzzled together by his friend and editor with the result of a story that looks finished at first glance， but feels off during further examination。 Now， as for the meaning of it， it's just that bureaucracy is stupid and the main character thus feels lost in the world。 That's it。 Now， The Castle is a bit different and by that I mean that Kafka never intended to finish it and never even finished it。 It stops mid - sentence， out of nowhere。 I've been writing something myself for a couple of months now， but it just was a chaotic mess， so I decided to stop and start something new。 Now， imagine picking up my unfinished chaotic mess that stops mid - sentence， you won't like it， I'm 100% sure of that， and you won't get what I'm trying to tell you either， because IT'S A CHAOTIC MESS！ That's what The Castle is， but then longer and written better and with a whole lotta dialogue。 Speaking of dialogue。。。Part II: Oh my god， there's so much dialogue in here it's insaneOne thing I noticed when reading Kafka is that he writes a LOT of dialogue。 it's quite the peculiar case， because that is the MAIN way Kafka's characters get thru their quest， with dialogue， looooong dialogue that doesn't seem to push the plot forward that much， especially in The Castle， but again， that was unfinished， you can't blame the guy。 The dialogue is good， sure， but it's empty。 It's useless in a way。 I mean， don't get me wrong， if there's one thing Kafka can do， it's pull some long ass monologue out of his ass that is seemingly unrelated to the main character's quest in any way， shape and form。 It's just like Tolstoy and his realism， it ain't enjoyable， but he's perfected it， so it's fine。 Totally fine！I guess in the stories Kafka actually finished， his long – ass dialogues disappear a bit more and it does also depend on the plot。 If you’ve got a well thought – out plot AND your plot doesn’t really allow for that much long dialogue （like Metamorphosis）， you’re not gonna see as much dialogue。 I mean， dialogue is still a relatively big part of EVERY piece of fictional literature， pretty much， but it’s just that Kafka REALLY liked often quasi – plotless and extremely long dialogue and used it very often when he could。 But not in the shit that was actually well thought – out tho…Part III: The shit that was actually well thought – outI was kinda desperate for Kafka to get better after the awfully mediocre and weird ‘I – have – no – idea – what – you’re – trying – to – say’ stories from The Trial and The Castle。 It got SLIGHTLY better with Metamorphosis， The Judgement， In The Penal Colony etc。 Why？ Why does Kafka just get slightly better out of nowhere。 Well， his metaphors （the part where he’s trying to say something） got clearer and it everything was a bit cleaner overall。 The protagonist doesn’t just wander around in the Land of the Plotless Bullshit for 200 pages， it’s just clean。 Something happens or is about to happen， just a LITTLE tiny bit of context and then we see what happens。 That’s it。 It’s CLEAN。Just comes back to knowing what you want。 If your artistic vision is clear， everything’s gonna be way better。 It’s just weird they included these stories where Kafka didn’t even know himself what he wanted， the quality of the stories will of course deteriorate then。 That’s it。 Ok， conclusion time。Part IV: ConclusionI’m tired。 It’s fine， the quality is impacted by the inclusion of two unfinished stories， but I get it， it’s fine。 They’re two of his most important stories and they’re two of his longest works。 Just know that if you’re gonna wanna read it， it can come off as boring and chaotic at first， but it’s getting better when you get to Metamorphosis。 Kafka was…。 Fine。 I still need to finish two of George Orwell’s essays bundled with 1984 AND I need to start The Karamazov Brothers， which I really look forward to。Have a good rest of your day or whatever。 Bye！ 。。。more
Vinícius Macêdo
，
Entre altos e baixosSempre fazendo uso de alegorias e figuras de linguagem a obra tem seus altos e baixos que vão desde uma extrema síntese como em Aforismos， passando por uma longa e maçante prosa como em Metamorfose。 Admito que a diagramação não é tão confortável， mas a tradução é confiável
Paulo Martins
，
Verdade é que eu li de maneira despreocupada， apenas aproveitando aos poucos。 Mas o livro é bem cheio de conteúdo， como os textos de apoio e escritos que não são tão conhecidos assim。 Honestamente o que mais vale a pena é A colônia penal e A metamorfose， com o resto sendo um belo bônus。
Mary Ababat
，
Couldn't finish。 Maybe it's just really not my cup of tea。 This is now my 3rd try having a go at this and I just couldn't find myself caring。 Couldn't finish。 Maybe it's just really not my cup of tea。 This is now my 3rd try having a go at this and I just couldn't find myself caring。 。。。more
Ádrian
，
Franz Kafka nasceu no que hoje é conhecido como a República Tcheca em 1883。 Era formado em direito e passou muito tempo em sanatórios， mas nunca deixou de escrever。 Essa coletânea reúne o que se acredita essencial para entender a obra do autor。Quando eu li 'A Metamorfose' lá em 2018 eu decidi que Kafka seria minha mais nova obsessão， porém levou tempo para que eu voltasse a ler algo dele: só em 2020 que fui pegar 'Na Colônia Penal' nas mãos e， depois de favoritar， decidi que precisava manter ess Franz Kafka nasceu no que hoje é conhecido como a República Tcheca em 1883。 Era formado em direito e passou muito tempo em sanatórios， mas nunca deixou de escrever。 Essa coletânea reúne o que se acredita essencial para entender a obra do autor。Quando eu li 'A Metamorfose' lá em 2018 eu decidi que Kafka seria minha mais nova obsessão， porém levou tempo para que eu voltasse a ler algo dele: só em 2020 que fui pegar 'Na Colônia Penal' nas mãos e， depois de favoritar， decidi que precisava manter essa obsessão。 Comprei esse livro que reúne contos， parábolas e novelas essenciais do autor e， mesmo amando， acho que foi um erro。A graça de ler Franz Kafka é saber dosar e acredito que o que me fez ficar levemente obcecado por ele foi ler essas duas novelas com um espaço considerável de tempo entre elas justamente porque é algo tão único （e brutal） que choca e deixa pensando por um tempão。 Quando se lê tudo de uma vez só como nesse livro， vai chegando um momento que enjoa e aí tudo parece fazer um pouco menos de sentido sabe？Eu aprecio como as obras foram distribuídas， ainda mais por tudo pavimentar um caminho para a obra-prima， 'A Metamorfose'， que vem no final。 Só que algumas obras não me parecem TÃO essenciais assim， ainda mais no caso de 'Aforismos' que tá na cara que foi algo que o autor escreveu sem intenção de publicar， mas depois da sua morte seu melhor amigo publicou também junto com a maior parte da sua obra。Esse é um livro grandioso e brutal。 Recomendo ler em poucas doses para que ele se mantenha assim durante toda a leitura， já que devorar não me parece uma boa ideia， mesmo com a mais excepcional das obras。 。。。more
Peter Reid
，
Difficult reading。 Most of these stories were never published and are clearly incomplete。 Kafka requested they should be destroyed after his death。 Worth reading if you want to understand where the term "Kafkaesque" comes from， otherwise there are better stories and writing elsewhere。 Difficult reading。 Most of these stories were never published and are clearly incomplete。 Kafka requested they should be destroyed after his death。 Worth reading if you want to understand where the term "Kafkaesque" comes from， otherwise there are better stories and writing elsewhere。 。。。more
RJM Dean
，
I've reviewed The Trial， The Castle and Metamorphosis separately。 I finished the remaining stories of this collection - In the penal Colony， The Judgement， Letter to my Father， some shorter stories and the preamble - last night。In the Penal Colony was a turgid story where we have an individual reveling in telling the visitor about his torture machine while the condemned man stands in earshot。 He continues to slather on about its magnificence as the poor unfortunate is strapped in。 However， he ge I've reviewed The Trial， The Castle and Metamorphosis separately。 I finished the remaining stories of this collection - In the penal Colony， The Judgement， Letter to my Father， some shorter stories and the preamble - last night。In the Penal Colony was a turgid story where we have an individual reveling in telling the visitor about his torture machine while the condemned man stands in earshot。 He continues to slather on about its magnificence as the poor unfortunate is strapped in。 However， he gets upset when the visitor isn't showing enough interest ， particularly when the visitor says that he refuses to attend a meeting the next day to get more funds for the maintenance of this machine。 Our machine operator releases the condemned man from his straps and gets into the machine himself to show how it works in all its glory to the visitor。 However， as well as shredding the operator to death， the visitor watches as the machine itself falls apart。 The visitor seems a man of power， from the homeland， who has the power to go to his superiors and stop this barbarism。 However， after the machine and operator are no more， he simply steps on a boat for his departing ship and disappears， doing nothing to change anything on the penal colony。This story hit home with me; there was a feeling of Doctor Strangelove about it， where the mad professor rides the bomb to final destruction， eager to see and feel all its destructive power， his baby come to fruition。 In the same way， this story reminded me of people married to their work in a system， who are defined by their work， becoming unbalanced。 Rather than see the system fail， such people are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the machine （religious zealots， Muslim bombers， IRA killers。。。。）It just so happens I've been watching the series， Deutschland 83 （。。。 not a great series， so many obvious plot inconsistencies。。） where East German spies are prepared to sell their mothers for the greater cause of East Germany （。。。 and Honecker's cronies）。 Are these the type of people Kafka is talking about？ Perhaps he is referring to those determined to exterminate Jews in Europe， who are driven by a cause， no matter how inhumane。 How prophetic when you think of Hitler some decades after。In the letter to his father， all I could imagine was the ranting of a madman （。。。 and my sympathies were more with his father and siblings after listening to Kafka's whining）。 The letter typifies a lot of what I saw in his work - a procrastinator， unable to make decisions （。。 in fact， I'd say he may have suffered from what is now called DPD - Dependent Personality Disorder - a condition where the individual is utterly dependent， submissive and unable to take care of themselves）。 Kafka is also a hypochondriac which must have driven everyone around him nuts。 Kafka's writing in The Tower and The Trial particularly show how he looks at everything from every possible angle （。。。 and then some。。） which makes K。 incapable of making any decision that might impact his life。 In fact， as a complete corollary to what Kafka himself rails against， it would seem Kafka is totally dependent on systems or he couldn't function at all （the systems needed to make the decisions for him in his dependent state）。In The Judgement， Kafka talks about a "make believe" friend he has in St Petersburg; he is trying to tell his dying father why he shouldn't upset this same friend by writing to him - and telling him - that Kafka is happily engaged。 His father doesn't believe he has such a friend and it drives him mad。I found the introduction by John R Williams good and didn't do the "what the author was thinking" routine too much。 Contrast that with the introduction of Kiberd to Ulysses， which is the worst of this gobbledygook speak。Overall， I'm glad to have read Kafka because of the standing in the literary world。 I'm not convinced that his writing isn't just one of a madman， whose mental health was on the edge。 At least now， I can make my own mind up。I found Kafka's writing cold and inhuman， detached and odd， not unlike Joyce。 You don't leave his writing uplifted - rather， despairing。 I'm sure his father worried about his son's mental well-being and took anything Kafka said with a large dose of salt; I can see why， because Kafka doesn't strike me as the most stable of men， or the most believable either。I'd only recommend this book to someone who wanted to study a writer rather than read for pleasure。 It's a matter of taste。 While some love punk music， others hate it。 Some love AC/DC， others detest it。 Some think David Bowie a genius， others are devotees of Adele。 I'm glad to have read Kafka to know what the fuss is all about - but I wouldn't be buying any more of his albums。 。。。more
RJ Deeds
，
I've reviewed The Trial， The Castle and Metamorphosis separately。 I finished the remaining stories of this collection - In the penal Colony， The Judgement， Letter to my Father， some shorter stories and the preamble - last night。 In the Penal Colony was a turgid story where we have an individual reveling in telling the visitor about his torture machine while the condemned man stands in earshot。 He continues to slather on about its magnificence as the poor unfortunate is strapped in。 However， he g I've reviewed The Trial， The Castle and Metamorphosis separately。 I finished the remaining stories of this collection - In the penal Colony， The Judgement， Letter to my Father， some shorter stories and the preamble - last night。 In the Penal Colony was a turgid story where we have an individual reveling in telling the visitor about his torture machine while the condemned man stands in earshot。 He continues to slather on about its magnificence as the poor unfortunate is strapped in。 However， he gets upset when the visitor isn't showing enough interest ， particularly when the visitor says that he refuses to attend a meeting the next day to get more funds for the maintenance of this machine。 Our machine operator releases the condemned man from his straps and gets into the machine himself to show how it works in all its glory to the visitor。 However， as well as shredding the operator to death， the visitor watches as the machine itself falls apart。 The visitor seems a man of power， from the homeland， who has the power to go to his superiors and stop this barbarism。 However， after the machine and operator are no more， he simply steps on a boat for his departing ship and disappears， doing nothing to change anything on the penal colony。 This story hit home with me; there was a feeling of Doctor Strangelove about it， where the mad professor rides the bomb to final destruction， eager to see and feel all its destructive power， his baby come to fruition。 In the same way， this story reminded me of people married to their work in a system， who are defined by their work， becoming unbalanced。 Rather than see the system fail， such people are prepared to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the machine （religious zealots， Muslim bombers， IRA killers。。。。）It just so happens I've been watching the series， Deutschland 83 （。。。 not a great series， so many obvious plot inconsistencies。。） where East German spies are prepared to sell their mothers for the greater cause of East Germany （。。。 and Honecker's cronies）。 Are these the type of people Kafka is talking about？ Perhaps he is referring to those determined to exterminate Jews in Europe， who are driven by a cause， no matter how inhumane。 How prophetic when you think of Hitler some decades after。 In the letter to his father， all I could imagine was the ranting of a madman （。。。 and my sympathies were more with his father and siblings after listening to Kafka's whining）。 The letter typifies a lot of what I saw in his work - a procrastinator， unable to make decisions （。。 in fact， I'd say he may have suffered from what is now called DPD - Dependent Personality Disorder - a condition where the individual is utterly dependent， submissive and unable to take care of themselves）。 Kafka is also a hypochondriac which must have driven everyone around him nuts。 Kafka's writing in The Tower and The Trial particularly show how he looks at everything from every possible angle （。。。 and then some。。） which makes K。 incapable of making any decision that might impact his life。 In fact， as a complete corollary to what Kafka himself rails against， it would seem Kafka is totally dependent on systems or he couldn't function at all （the systems needed to make the decisions for him in his dependent state）。 In The Judgement， Kafka talks about a "make believe" friend he has in St Petersburg; he is trying to tell his dying father why he shouldn't upset this same friend by writing to him - and telling him - that Kafka is happily engaged。 His father doesn't believe he has such a friend and it drives him mad。 I found the introduction by John R Williams good and didn't do the "what the author was thinking" routine too much。 Contrast that with the introduction of Kiberd to Ulysses， which is the worst of this gobbledygook speak。 Overall， I'm glad to have read Kafka because of the standing in the literary world。 I'm not convinced that his writing isn't just one of a madman， whose mental health was on the edge。 At least now， I can make my own mind up。 I found Kafka's writing cold and inhuman， detached and odd， not unlike Joyce。 You don't leave his writing uplifted - rather， despairing。 I'm sure his father worried about his son's mental well-bieing and took anything Kafka said with a large dose of salt; I can see why， because Kafka doesn't strike me as the most stable of men， or the most believable either。 I'd only recommend this book to someone who wanted to study a writer rather than read for pleasure。 It's a matter of taste。 While some love punk music， others hate it。 Some love AC/DC， others detest it。 Some think David Bowie a genius， others are devotees of Adele。 I'm glad to have read Kafka to know what the fuss is all about - but I wouldn't be buying any more of his albums。 。。。more
Daniel Kallin
，
that was very kafkaesque
giulia
，
I really enjoyed “the trial”， “metamorphosis”， “the penal colony” and fell in love with “letter to my father”。One thing's for sure: if you don't get/like philosophy you'll never be able to understand nor appreciate Kafka。 I really enjoyed “the trial”， “metamorphosis”， “the penal colony” and fell in love with “letter to my father”。One thing's for sure: if you don't get/like philosophy you'll never be able to understand nor appreciate Kafka。 。。。more
Zach
，
The Trial， The Castle -- absolute excellence。 In The Penal Colony， god damn。 。 。 。 and Kakfa's letter to his father provides some serious insight into the brutal， powerful influence of Kafka's father on Kafka's perspective， his worldview， his themes: apparently one of the dominant sources of Kafka's Kafkaesqueness。 The Trial， The Castle -- absolute excellence。 In The Penal Colony， god damn。 。 。 。 and Kakfa's letter to his father provides some serious insight into the brutal， powerful influence of Kafka's father on Kafka's perspective， his worldview， his themes: apparently one of the dominant sources of Kafka's Kafkaesqueness。 。。。more
bri
，
kafka really is something else。。。
Riley
，
Skip 'The Castle' Skip 'The Castle' 。。。more
Lav Zeloco
，
I still stand by， that Metamorphosis and Kafka's letter to his father are the better pieces， but some truly surprised me - Trial threw me for a loop， that I didn't expect - it was probably the hardest to read of all and ended up feeling sort of worthless to read。 In the penal colony was probably the scariest one I've read， if you take it as metaphor for bureaucracy。 I still stand by， that Metamorphosis and Kafka's letter to his father are the better pieces， but some truly surprised me - Trial threw me for a loop， that I didn't expect - it was probably the hardest to read of all and ended up feeling sort of worthless to read。 In the penal colony was probably the scariest one I've read， if you take it as metaphor for bureaucracy。 。。。more
Ana Ivan Karamazov
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 □ The trial ☆☆☆☆I think the meaning of slitting his throat and stab and twisted his heart twice means he would get in all possibilities， the worst from the justice。 Because it will wreck him so badly in the end， it doesn't matter if the men is an innocent。 This book explains doomed beurocracy so good。 And His train of thoughts on this novel is similar to Dostoevsky on Notes from Underground。□ Metamorphosis ☆☆☆☆This is my second favorite after Letter to My Father。 It's just a perfect family drama □ The trial ☆☆☆☆I think the meaning of slitting his throat and stab and twisted his heart twice means he would get in all possibilities， the worst from the justice。 Because it will wreck him so badly in the end， it doesn't matter if the men is an innocent。 This book explains doomed beurocracy so good。 And His train of thoughts on this novel is similar to Dostoevsky on Notes from Underground。□ Metamorphosis ☆☆☆☆This is my second favorite after Letter to My Father。 It's just a perfect family drama。 I think this is the closest biographical piece。 I think he really wrote about himself in this story。 The father that doesn't care about his wellbeing and only care about him earning money for the family。 The mother and the sister are kinda in the grey zone （kinda caring about K but wholeheartedly saying yes whatever his husband/father says） □The Castle ☆I think the Castle is the least favorite of Kafka's works。 It's just long boring， pointless conversations。 I think if Kafka had a good editor back then， probably the Castle would have not been this boring。 K encounters the most unnecessary and unluckiest things which the point could be is that is a life。 We encounter pointless stuff in life and life isn't always lucky。 □ Letter to My Father ☆☆☆☆☆If you have a very complicated family or a father issue 。 You should read this touching masterpiece。 □ Other stories ☆ - ☆☆ 。。。more
Ria
，
Kafka sounds like someone i should love but everytime i read his works i feel like i'm gonna fall asleep。。。。 love the vibe。 3 stars Kafka sounds like someone i should love but everytime i read his works i feel like i'm gonna fall asleep。。。。 love the vibe。 3 stars 。。。more
Daan Leber
，
5/5， tis fokking Kafka ehja
Indhu Suresh
，
" I have no wish to claim that it was only you that made me like this ; you just reinforced what was there， but you reinforced it all the more because you had such power over me， and you used all the power you had。 "Out of the 4 main shorts from this edition of Kafka's essentials， this one particularly I was able to resonate with， to such an extent I had to constantly pause and recall certain events of my own adulthood and the outcome of my relationship with the family。 With several intense emot " I have no wish to claim that it was only you that made me like this ; you just reinforced what was there， but you reinforced it all the more because you had such power over me， and you used all the power you had。 "Out of the 4 main shorts from this edition of Kafka's essentials， this one particularly I was able to resonate with， to such an extent I had to constantly pause and recall certain events of my own adulthood and the outcome of my relationship with the family。 With several intense emotions that came barging in right from beginning， one can't help but associate with all if it， from self- sabotaging behavior， inability to think for oneself， to social awkwardness， enormous self-doubt and intense joy that came out of sudden but occasional outbursts of love （in my case was too much love and passive aggressive behavior from the parents） ， warmth and kindness in the family and the immense guilt that had resulted from the later。 " Fortunately， however， there were exceptions to this， mostly when you suffered in silence and the full force of love and kindness overcame all resistance and flowed freely。 However， even such benevolent impressions in the end only increased my sense of guilt and made the world yet more incomprehensible for me。 "The amount of empathy Kafka displays towards every person in his life fills me up with so much hope and fondness for he doesn't intend to blame it all entirely upon them。 " I would probably have become a shy and timid person in any case， but it is a long and dark way from there to where I actually am。 "I hear people say reading Kafka would be life changing， but this was life itself to me， extreme loneliness like no other， I've never been able to relate to a person or a piece of writing to this level。 As much as a depressing read this was， everything about it has left me feeling more alive and perhaps a little less alone。 。。。more
giu
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na verdade， 3，5⭐️。AMEI a novela “na colônia penal” e “artista da fome”。 gostei bastante de “um relatório para a academia”， “pequena fábula”， “a ponte” e “desista！” e alguns dos aforismos。 amo que o kafka consegue sempre escrever textos curtos mas incríveis。 tiveram duas novelas que eu não gostei/achei chatas que são: “na galeria” e “um fratricídio”。 porém， no geral achei uma experiência mais ok em comparação com A metamorfose e O processo， livros que já li do autor。 percebi que as obras do Kafka na verdade， 3，5⭐️。AMEI a novela “na colônia penal” e “artista da fome”。 gostei bastante de “um relatório para a academia”， “pequena fábula”， “a ponte” e “desista！” e alguns dos aforismos。 amo que o kafka consegue sempre escrever textos curtos mas incríveis。 tiveram duas novelas que eu não gostei/achei chatas que são: “na galeria” e “um fratricídio”。 porém， no geral achei uma experiência mais ok em comparação com A metamorfose e O processo， livros que já li do autor。 percebi que as obras do Kafka são bem curtinhas e irônicas。 a novela que mais ficou comigo foi “na colônia penal”， ela é sensacional demais。 basicamente é a história desse oficial que é um fanático por uma máquina de tortura e matança dos condenados e por toda essa filosofia… com o encontro desse explorador que veio visitar a colônia penal para conhecer o oficial e sua doutrina。 discute muito sobre fanatismo， conflito de gerações e até mesmo a “superioridade” （só que não） da opinião do “mais desenvolvido”/colonizador。 achei bom demais。 kafka， a próxima coisa que quero ler sua é a carta ao seu pai。 。。。more
Luna
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Only In the Penal Colony
Jacqueline
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So far I have only read The Trial。 It is my first time reading Kafka and I have to admit I am loving it。In other reviews people are saying it is confusing and I understand that。 The story is about the absurdity of the judicial system， its openess， its availability， its secrets。The trial is held not in a courtroom but in buildings/homes even throughout the town。The advocate hired to represent K conducts his business from the bedroom。Every person K comes into contact with whether some woman who is So far I have only read The Trial。 It is my first time reading Kafka and I have to admit I am loving it。In other reviews people are saying it is confusing and I understand that。 The story is about the absurdity of the judicial system， its openess， its availability， its secrets。The trial is held not in a courtroom but in buildings/homes even throughout the town。The advocate hired to represent K conducts his business from the bedroom。Every person K comes into contact with whether some woman who is flirting with him， a painter， a manufacturer， a priest they are all connected in some way to the judicial system。 Either as another victim who has knowledge to impart or as someone working for the system。Never knowing his crime you are led through a confusing （intentional） journey mixed with humour although it is not humorous it is deeply dark and the ending unexpected。I've give it a 4 star as I havent completed the book yet。*************The CastleA surveyor arrives at the area outside the Castle。 Waiting to be called to the Castle to survey， as you would think。The abridged version， is he can't find his way to the Castle， messengers don't call for him and when he tries to walk to the Castle at the top of the hill， he gets lost。This book is about relationships， how they are perceived by those in the relationship and others on the outside。It also once again pokes fun at bureaucracy。I can't advise how I felt about the ending though！I have found a new best author though。 Kafka appeals to my senses and I still have the short stories to go to complete this collection， but it is a huge five stars from me！ 。。。more
Adam Cook
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Short-stories were 4* but novellas were 2* so 3* overall。 The short-stories were beautiful， funny and horrific in equal measure and i adored them。 The novellas are。。。unfinished， as i was warned。 But they also meander too much for me。 I understand that the confusing nature of the novellas is a reference to bureaucracy but that doesn't exactly make it enjoyable to read。 Short-stories were 4* but novellas were 2* so 3* overall。 The short-stories were beautiful， funny and horrific in equal measure and i adored them。 The novellas are。。。unfinished， as i was warned。 But they also meander too much for me。 I understand that the confusing nature of the novellas is a reference to bureaucracy but that doesn't exactly make it enjoyable to read。 。。。more
Brittany （whatbritreads）
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Listen， I only read this chunky volume because it’s been sitting on my shelf staring at me for over three years。 I had higher expectations and was not expecting to be so CONFUSED。 I don’t have a big enough brain for this and I refuse to Google it so。。 make of these mini reviews what you will。PS - I have no idea what genres these short stories fall into but they're bizarre so？The Trial – 2*This was just confusing， I thought I understood what was going on and then I just didn’t again。 I think that Listen， I only read this chunky volume because it’s been sitting on my shelf staring at me for over three years。 I had higher expectations and was not expecting to be so CONFUSED。 I don’t have a big enough brain for this and I refuse to Google it so。。 make of these mini reviews what you will。PS - I have no idea what genres these short stories fall into but they're bizarre so？The Trial – 2*This was just confusing， I thought I understood what was going on and then I just didn’t again。 I think that’s the point but I didn’t like it。 It was boring and too long and I didn’t really care。 The true meaning of this was definitely lost on me， the writing/translation was good though。The Castle – 1*I thought The Trial was too long， confusing and boring – imagine my pain pushing myself through this one。 It felt exactly the same but different。 Couldn’t tell you a thing about this it was so rambly and jumpy。 Again， no idea what this meant。Metamorphosis – 4*FINALLY a good time after 455 pages of nonsense。 Much easier to follow， made me laugh due to how bizarre it is。 Had a good time， it was easy to read and well written。 Quick and to the point， made me uneasy but in a good way。 Still gonna be honest though – no idea what Kafka is going for in terms of meaning of metaphor。 But my emotions were positive。In the Penal Colony – 3*This was disturbing and I’m not sure in which was I mean that。 Thankfully though it was really short。 I understood it well enough， but I don’t know if I understood it。 Recurring theme here。The Judgment – 2*？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？？Letter to my Father – 4*This I could’ve read an entire book of， it was way more open and honest。 I guess because it wasn’t really a piece of fiction but a personal one。 I really enjoyed it， it was very tender。 It discussed vulnerability， power， double standards etc from an authority figure that I enjoyed reading about。 Was quite sad， but in a nice way。（Also included several very short pieces of writing that I didn’t rate or have much of an opinion on。）So， that was my first and last experience of Franz Kafka。 If you ask me this time next week about my opinion on any of these pieces I’ll tell you quite frankly I don’t remember a thing other than giant insects and being a bad father。 It was a weird one， but at least it no longer burdens my TBR。 。。。more
M。A。
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Worthy of the time spent。
Alex L
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Two very excellent， albeit unfinished stories and some other interesting writings in a very different style。 Really enjoyed the facetious bureaucratic logic of the worlds in the main stories and it's not hard to see their pervasive influence in many other works including the film Brazil Two very excellent， albeit unfinished stories and some other interesting writings in a very different style。 Really enjoyed the facetious bureaucratic logic of the worlds in the main stories and it's not hard to see their pervasive influence in many other works including the film Brazil 。。。more
Phillip
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Gave up at page 124 & resorted to looking on wikipedia forthe rest of this & the other stories to see the plot & what happens & why etcHave decided to no longer read books that purport to have somedeeper hidden meaningIt's a difficult read， so rather than go through another 460 pagesmarked it down as finished Gave up at page 124 & resorted to looking on wikipedia forthe rest of this & the other stories to see the plot & what happens & why etcHave decided to no longer read books that purport to have somedeeper hidden meaningIt's a difficult read， so rather than go through another 460 pagesmarked it down as finished 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Essential Kafka
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Essential Kafka&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Essential Kafka&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0