Kafka, Franz

Kafka, Franz

One of the major German-language novelists and short story writers of the 20th century, whose unique body of writing — most of it published posthumously despite his wish that it be destroyed — has become iconic in Western literature.

He is best known for the creation of Gregor Samsa in Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis), published in 1915, and Joseph K. in Der Prozess (The Trial), published in 1925, which explore the idea of the individual's alienation from his surroundings, his society, and from himself. The adjective "kafkaesque" has entered the language to express the absurd, surreal, and terrifying world that Kafka's work created.

Total eBooks of selected author: 4

The Metamorphosis
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In this, his most famous story, Kafka explores the notions of alienation and human loneliness through extraordinary narrative technique and depth of imagination. Gregor Samsa awakens one morning to find himself transformed into a repulsive bug. Trapped inside this hideous form, his mind remains unchanged—until he sees the shocked reaction of those around him. He begins to question the basis of human love and, ... more...
The Trial
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A terrifying psychological trip into the life of one Joseph K., an ordinary man who wakes up one day to find himself accused of a crime he did not commit, a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis--an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life--including work at a ... more...
Metamorphosis
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One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size ... more...
The Trial
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Chapter One Arrest - Conversation with Mrs. Grubach - Then Miss Bürstner Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested. Every day at eight in the morning he was brought his breakfast by Mrs. Grubach's cook - Mrs. Grubach was his landlady - but today she didn't come. That had never happened before. K. waited a little while, looked ... more...