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Il messaggio dell'imperatore
Questo volume presenta una selezione della prima e più celebre raccolta di racconti di Kafka che sia apparsa in Italia, e contiene i seguenti testi:
Nella colonia penale;
Il nuovo avvocato;
Un medico di campagna;
In galleria;
Un vecchio foglio;
Davanti alla legge;
Sciacalli e Arabi;
Visita nella miniera;
Il prossimo villaggio;
Il messaggio dell'imperatore;
L'affanno del padre di famiglia;
Undici figli;
Un fratricidio.
«L’imperatore – così dice la leggenda – ha inviato a te, singolo individuo, miserabile suddito, ombra minuscola fuggita dall’abbagliante sole imperiale nelle più remote lontananze, proprio a te ha inviato un messaggio dal suo letto di morte»
Nella colonia penale;
Il nuovo avvocato;
Un medico di campagna;
In galleria;
Un vecchio foglio;
Davanti alla legge;
Sciacalli e Arabi;
Visita nella miniera;
Il prossimo villaggio;
Il messaggio dell'imperatore;
L'affanno del padre di famiglia;
Undici figli;
Un fratricidio.
«L’imperatore – così dice la leggenda – ha inviato a te, singolo individuo, miserabile suddito, ombra minuscola fuggita dall’abbagliante sole imperiale nelle più remote lontananze, proprio a te ha inviato un messaggio dal suo letto di morte»
101 pages, Hardcover
First published September 14, 2012
24 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,291 books39k followersFranz Kafka was a German-speaking writer from Prague whose work became one of the foundations of modern literature, even though he published only a small part of his writing during his lifetime. Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka grew up amid German, Czech, and Jewish cultural influences that shaped his sense of displacement and linguistic precision. His difficult relationship with his authoritarian father left a lasting mark, fostering feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inadequacy that became central themes in his fiction and personal writings.
Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague, earning a doctorate in 1906. He chose law for practical reasons rather than personal inclination, a compromise that troubled him throughout his life. After university, he worked for several insurance institutions, most notably the Workers Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. His duties included assessing industrial accidents and drafting legal reports, work he carried out competently and responsibly. Nevertheless, Kafka regarded his professional life as an obstacle to his true vocation, and most of his writing was done at night or during periods of illness and leave. Kafka began publishing short prose pieces in his early adulthood, later collected in volumes such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor. These works attracted little attention at the time but already displayed the hallmarks of his mature style, including precise language, emotional restraint, and the application of calm logic to deeply unsettling situations. His major novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika were left unfinished and unpublished during his lifetime. They depict protagonists trapped within opaque systems of authority, facing accusations, rules, or hierarchies that remain unexplained and unreachable. Themes of alienation, guilt, bureaucracy, law, and punishment run throughout Kafka’s work. His characters often respond to absurd or terrifying circumstances with obedience or resignation, reflecting his own conflicted relationship with authority and obligation. Kafka’s prose avoids overt symbolism, yet his narratives function as powerful metaphors through structure, repetition, and tone. Ordinary environments gradually become nightmarish without losing their internal coherence. Kafka’s personal life was marked by emotional conflict, chronic self-doubt, and recurring illness. He formed intense but troubled romantic relationships, including engagements that he repeatedly broke off, fearing that marriage would interfere with his writing. His extensive correspondence and diaries reveal a relentless self-critic, deeply concerned with morality, spirituality, and the demands of artistic integrity. In his later years, Kafka’s health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, forcing him to withdraw from work and spend long periods in sanatoriums. Despite his illness, he continued writing when possible. He died young, leaving behind a large body of unpublished manuscripts. Before his death, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to destroy all of his remaining work. Brod ignored this request and instead edited and published Kafka’s novels, stories, and diaries, ensuring his posthumous reputation.
The publication of Kafka’s work after his death established him as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. The term Kafkaesque entered common usage to describe situations marked by oppressive bureaucracy, absurd logic, and existential anxiety. His writing has been interpreted through existential, religious, psychological, and political perspectives, though Kafka himself resisted definitive meanings. His enduring power lies in his ability to articulate modern anxiety with clarity and restraint.
Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague, earning a doctorate in 1906. He chose law for practical reasons rather than personal inclination, a compromise that troubled him throughout his life. After university, he worked for several insurance institutions, most notably the Workers Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. His duties included assessing industrial accidents and drafting legal reports, work he carried out competently and responsibly. Nevertheless, Kafka regarded his professional life as an obstacle to his true vocation, and most of his writing was done at night or during periods of illness and leave. Kafka began publishing short prose pieces in his early adulthood, later collected in volumes such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor. These works attracted little attention at the time but already displayed the hallmarks of his mature style, including precise language, emotional restraint, and the application of calm logic to deeply unsettling situations. His major novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika were left unfinished and unpublished during his lifetime. They depict protagonists trapped within opaque systems of authority, facing accusations, rules, or hierarchies that remain unexplained and unreachable. Themes of alienation, guilt, bureaucracy, law, and punishment run throughout Kafka’s work. His characters often respond to absurd or terrifying circumstances with obedience or resignation, reflecting his own conflicted relationship with authority and obligation. Kafka’s prose avoids overt symbolism, yet his narratives function as powerful metaphors through structure, repetition, and tone. Ordinary environments gradually become nightmarish without losing their internal coherence. Kafka’s personal life was marked by emotional conflict, chronic self-doubt, and recurring illness. He formed intense but troubled romantic relationships, including engagements that he repeatedly broke off, fearing that marriage would interfere with his writing. His extensive correspondence and diaries reveal a relentless self-critic, deeply concerned with morality, spirituality, and the demands of artistic integrity. In his later years, Kafka’s health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, forcing him to withdraw from work and spend long periods in sanatoriums. Despite his illness, he continued writing when possible. He died young, leaving behind a large body of unpublished manuscripts. Before his death, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to destroy all of his remaining work. Brod ignored this request and instead edited and published Kafka’s novels, stories, and diaries, ensuring his posthumous reputation.
The publication of Kafka’s work after his death established him as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. The term Kafkaesque entered common usage to describe situations marked by oppressive bureaucracy, absurd logic, and existential anxiety. His writing has been interpreted through existential, religious, psychological, and political perspectives, though Kafka himself resisted definitive meanings. His enduring power lies in his ability to articulate modern anxiety with clarity and restraint.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
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November 30, 2022am i adding a 1-page short story to complete my goodreads reading challenge? (shh)
October 18, 2017
"Se hai seguito una volta sola il suono illusorio del campanello notturno, non c'è più rimedio per te".
July 16, 2018
A story that points to some important reflections:
1. Bureaucracy can be so strong in a system that the message of a political leader may never reach a specific individual.
2. Though we think of society in a whole way, it divides itself between those in power and the people - forming two poles that may appear integrated but do not communicate between them.
3. It is not a good idea to expect anything from the government.
4. Even though you are a king, your death does not mean that your legacy will continue to exist, even if part of it means only one message.
5. The power of the system could be so strong that even a king can not control many things -indeed maybe the king's power is merely a illusion.
6. Regardless of the system, individuals may at least try to assert themselves in some way (even if viewed from the outside) this would seem to be a mere illusion in relation to the system.
Finally, An Imperial Message is a short story, which as in other stories of Kafka makes us reflect on the absurdity of life, the system we live, regardless of who we are and the position or profession we occupy.
Somehow there are always limits to overcome and to understand: the life itself, the bureaucracy, the culture and the system we belong to.
______
Uma história que aponta algumas reflexões importantes:
1. A burocracia pode ser tão forte em um sistema, que a mensagem de um líder político talvez nunca chegue à um indivíduo específico.
2. Apesar de pensarmos a sociedade de uma forma inteira, ela divide-se entre quem está no poder e o povo - formando dois polos que podem parecer integrados, mas não se comunicam.
3. Não é uma boa idéia esperar algo do governo.
4. Mesmo você sendo um rei, a sua morte não significa que seu legado continuará existindo, mesmo que parte dele signifique apenas uma mensagem.
5. O poder do sistema pode ter uma força maior que a de um indivíduo - mesmo que ele seja um rei.
6.Independentemente do sistema, os indivíduos podem procurar ao menos tentar assegurar-se de alguma forma em si mesmos, mesmo que visto de fora - isso pareça uma mera ilusão, em relação ao sistema.
Enfim, An Imperial Message é um conto curto, que como em outras histórias de Kafka nos faz refletir sobre o absurdo da vida, do sistema que vivemos, independentemente do que somos e do cargo, ou profissão que ocupamos.
De alguma forma há sempre limites a serem compreendidos e ultrapassados: sejam eles da vida em si mesma, da cultura, ou da burocracia e do sistema que pertencemos.
1. Bureaucracy can be so strong in a system that the message of a political leader may never reach a specific individual.
2. Though we think of society in a whole way, it divides itself between those in power and the people - forming two poles that may appear integrated but do not communicate between them.
3. It is not a good idea to expect anything from the government.
4. Even though you are a king, your death does not mean that your legacy will continue to exist, even if part of it means only one message.
5. The power of the system could be so strong that even a king can not control many things -indeed maybe the king's power is merely a illusion.
6. Regardless of the system, individuals may at least try to assert themselves in some way (even if viewed from the outside) this would seem to be a mere illusion in relation to the system.
Finally, An Imperial Message is a short story, which as in other stories of Kafka makes us reflect on the absurdity of life, the system we live, regardless of who we are and the position or profession we occupy.
Somehow there are always limits to overcome and to understand: the life itself, the bureaucracy, the culture and the system we belong to.
______
Uma história que aponta algumas reflexões importantes:
1. A burocracia pode ser tão forte em um sistema, que a mensagem de um líder político talvez nunca chegue à um indivíduo específico.
2. Apesar de pensarmos a sociedade de uma forma inteira, ela divide-se entre quem está no poder e o povo - formando dois polos que podem parecer integrados, mas não se comunicam.
3. Não é uma boa idéia esperar algo do governo.
4. Mesmo você sendo um rei, a sua morte não significa que seu legado continuará existindo, mesmo que parte dele signifique apenas uma mensagem.
5. O poder do sistema pode ter uma força maior que a de um indivíduo - mesmo que ele seja um rei.
6.Independentemente do sistema, os indivíduos podem procurar ao menos tentar assegurar-se de alguma forma em si mesmos, mesmo que visto de fora - isso pareça uma mera ilusão, em relação ao sistema.
Enfim, An Imperial Message é um conto curto, que como em outras histórias de Kafka nos faz refletir sobre o absurdo da vida, do sistema que vivemos, independentemente do que somos e do cargo, ou profissão que ocupamos.
De alguma forma há sempre limites a serem compreendidos e ultrapassados: sejam eles da vida em si mesma, da cultura, ou da burocracia e do sistema que pertencemos.
February 9, 2021
Sarò sincero, non sono riuscito ad entrare in tutti i racconti, alcuni li ho trovati davvero ermetici, un po’ come mi capita leggendo Borges.
Ciò non toglie che altri siano magnifici e ricchi di metafore stupende.
Su tutti : La metamorfosi - Sciacalli e Arabi - Undici figli - Nella colonia penale - Josefine la cantante - Piccola favola - La tana - La talpa gigante - Indagini di un cane
Sia detto incidentalmente: gli uomini si ingannano troppo sovente a proposito della libertà. E come la libertà si annovera fra i sentimenti più sublimi, così anche l'illusione relativa è fra le più sublimi.
«Ahimè,» disse il topo «il mondo diventa ogni giorno più angusto. Prima era talmente vasto che ne avevo paura, corsi avanti e fui felice di veder finalmente dei muri lontano a destra e a sinistra, ma questi lunghi muri precipitano così in fretta l'un verso l'altro che io mi trovo già nell'ultima camera, e là nell'angolo sta la trappola in cui andrò a cadere». «Non hai che da mutar direzione» disse il gatto, e se lo mangiò.
Ciò non toglie che altri siano magnifici e ricchi di metafore stupende.
Su tutti : La metamorfosi - Sciacalli e Arabi - Undici figli - Nella colonia penale - Josefine la cantante - Piccola favola - La tana - La talpa gigante - Indagini di un cane
Sia detto incidentalmente: gli uomini si ingannano troppo sovente a proposito della libertà. E come la libertà si annovera fra i sentimenti più sublimi, così anche l'illusione relativa è fra le più sublimi.
«Ahimè,» disse il topo «il mondo diventa ogni giorno più angusto. Prima era talmente vasto che ne avevo paura, corsi avanti e fui felice di veder finalmente dei muri lontano a destra e a sinistra, ma questi lunghi muri precipitano così in fretta l'un verso l'altro che io mi trovo già nell'ultima camera, e là nell'angolo sta la trappola in cui andrò a cadere». «Non hai che da mutar direzione» disse il gatto, e se lo mangiò.
May 26, 2024
Il messaggio dell’imperatore contiene una serie di racconti di lunghezza molto variabile, tra cui La condanna, La metamorfosi e Nella colonia penale.
La raccolta pubblicata da Adelphi nel 1981, e ristampata fino agli anni recenti, riprende quella pubblicata da Frassinelli nel 1935 con la versione di Anita Rho e in alcune parti la traduzione sembra portare un po’ il peso degli anni, a partire dalla traduzione dei nomi, come Giorgio Bendemann, in La condanna, o Gregorio Samsa, in La metamorfosi.
Alcuni di questi testi restano, a me, ancora criptici; gli altri, oltre quelli già citati, Un medico condotto o La costruzione della muraglia cinese sono sempre grandi racconti. Perturbanti, ossessivi, con uno scavo maniacale sui dettagli o sotto il peso schiacciante dell’autorità, che sia quella paterna o del potere, si prestano a letture o attualizzazioni fuori contesto letterario: che sia giusto o meno, è sempre ciò che ce li rende famigliari.
La raccolta pubblicata da Adelphi nel 1981, e ristampata fino agli anni recenti, riprende quella pubblicata da Frassinelli nel 1935 con la versione di Anita Rho e in alcune parti la traduzione sembra portare un po’ il peso degli anni, a partire dalla traduzione dei nomi, come Giorgio Bendemann, in La condanna, o Gregorio Samsa, in La metamorfosi.
Alcuni di questi testi restano, a me, ancora criptici; gli altri, oltre quelli già citati, Un medico condotto o La costruzione della muraglia cinese sono sempre grandi racconti. Perturbanti, ossessivi, con uno scavo maniacale sui dettagli o sotto il peso schiacciante dell’autorità, che sia quella paterna o del potere, si prestano a letture o attualizzazioni fuori contesto letterario: che sia giusto o meno, è sempre ciò che ce li rende famigliari.
February 28, 2024
I, one of the pathetic subjects am still waiting for this message
August 6, 2023
2090 letters, and a beginning that made me remember an experience I had with Nietzsche's oeuvres.
Kafka wrote, "The Emperor—so they say—has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun." That person who is already dead has, somehow, more value that you – who's still dealing with some sort of thing known as life. You, a tiny shadow who tries to hide from the attention, from the light, from the sun...
Nietzsche once wrote, "What are you doing here, lazy being, among the towers? Your place is inside the tower; there you should stay locked up, so you don't obstruct the way to one better than you!" In fact, the protagonist of this story (the herald) was trying his best, fighting against all the obstacles to get that message delivered. That little statement, again, put my thoughts with one of Nietzsche's quotes (somewhere in Thus Spoke Zarathustra), "I want to continue towards my goal, I continue with my march; I will pass over the undecided and the decadent. My departure will be sunset for them!"
There's no happy ending; in fact, there's no beginning in this story –as normal is with Kafka. "If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvelous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved."
Franz's literature is not on the quantity, but in all those little details that make you think about how can a certain character with little or no description be related to your current situation or past experiences – you may, as most of those characters, feel bottled and without a person able to understand you.
After all, "You sit at your window and dream of that message when the evening comes."
Kafka wrote, "The Emperor—so they say—has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun." That person who is already dead has, somehow, more value that you – who's still dealing with some sort of thing known as life. You, a tiny shadow who tries to hide from the attention, from the light, from the sun...
Nietzsche once wrote, "What are you doing here, lazy being, among the towers? Your place is inside the tower; there you should stay locked up, so you don't obstruct the way to one better than you!" In fact, the protagonist of this story (the herald) was trying his best, fighting against all the obstacles to get that message delivered. That little statement, again, put my thoughts with one of Nietzsche's quotes (somewhere in Thus Spoke Zarathustra), "I want to continue towards my goal, I continue with my march; I will pass over the undecided and the decadent. My departure will be sunset for them!"
There's no happy ending; in fact, there's no beginning in this story –as normal is with Kafka. "If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvelous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved."
Franz's literature is not on the quantity, but in all those little details that make you think about how can a certain character with little or no description be related to your current situation or past experiences – you may, as most of those characters, feel bottled and without a person able to understand you.
After all, "You sit at your window and dream of that message when the evening comes."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2019
"El emperador desde su lecho de muerte ha mandado un mensaje para vos únicamente".
October 17, 2022
Infinite oppression. Even the tireless are stoppable. Push through and more will materialize for you to push through. The message from a dead man... perhaps it is about not being able to transcend, never being able to push through finally to something greater. To a place of joy? To a place of eternal life? To a place where one is heard? Perhaps it is all stacked against you. The message from the dead man will never arrive. Maybe because it is not being sent to anyone. Maybe the message is sent because there is nothing else to do. Maybe one has to be tireless even if one's task is futile. Yes... I think so.
On we trudge. Push through mass. Continue.
On we trudge. Push through mass. Continue.
June 19, 2019
Non mi sono piaciuti tutti, ma alcuni decisamente si!
Questi
La metamorfosi
Piccola favola
La tana
Un sogno
Il cavaliere del secchio
Per scatenarvi l’aquolina, riporto qui quello che forse è il più breve dei racconti di questa raccolta. Per me ha una forza speciale
Piccola favola
«Ahimè,» disse il topo «il mondo diventa ogni giorno più angusto. Prima era talmente vasto che ne avevo paura, corsi avanti e fui felice di veder finalmente dei muri lontano a destra e a sinistra, ma questi lunghi muri precipitano così in fretta l’un verso l’altro che io mi trovo già nell’ultima camera, e là nell’angolo sta la trappola in cui andrò a cadere».
«Non hai che da mutar direzione» disse il gatto, e se lo mangiò.
Questi
La metamorfosi
Piccola favola
La tana
Un sogno
Il cavaliere del secchio
Per scatenarvi l’aquolina, riporto qui quello che forse è il più breve dei racconti di questa raccolta. Per me ha una forza speciale
Piccola favola
«Ahimè,» disse il topo «il mondo diventa ogni giorno più angusto. Prima era talmente vasto che ne avevo paura, corsi avanti e fui felice di veder finalmente dei muri lontano a destra e a sinistra, ma questi lunghi muri precipitano così in fretta l’un verso l’altro che io mi trovo già nell’ultima camera, e là nell’angolo sta la trappola in cui andrò a cadere».
«Non hai che da mutar direzione» disse il gatto, e se lo mangiò.
Read
December 28, 2022good and i have read longer tweet threads
August 30, 2023
«[...] y por si al fin llegara a lanzarse afuera, tras la última puerta del último palacio —pero nunca, nunca podría llegar eso a suceder—, la capital imperial, centro del mundo, caería ante él, apretada a explotar con sus propios sedimentos»
3.5* Aunque tan corto que parece que se escapa incluso antes de haberlo terminado, la verdad es que tiene más capas de las que se le daría crédito en una primera lectura. Me gustan sobre todo las sensaciones de duda y de que algo ha quedado irremediablemente truncado, inacabado, aún a pesar de los esfuerzos contrarios. Un tanto deprimente, eso hay que decirlo.
3.5* Aunque tan corto que parece que se escapa incluso antes de haberlo terminado, la verdad es que tiene más capas de las que se le daría crédito en una primera lectura. Me gustan sobre todo las sensaciones de duda y de que algo ha quedado irremediablemente truncado, inacabado, aún a pesar de los esfuerzos contrarios. Un tanto deprimente, eso hay que decirlo.
March 13, 2019
The term Kafkaesque is given various definitions. It is defined as a characteristic reminiscent of the oppressive or nightmarish qualities of Franz Kafka's fictional world. Others define it as the description of something horribly complicated for no apparent reason. Synonymous terms include: bizarre, oppressive, and complex. In literature, Kafka is equivalent to a stress dream that fuses realism and fantasy. Additionally, here is heavy usage of metaphors and allegories. Typically, Kafkaesque references to bureaucracy and is present in "An Imperial Message."
"The Imperial Message" is focused on a message. However there is no knowledge of what the message contains because it is revealed it will never reach you, the reader. From the beginning, the audience is told the herald "never will he make his way through." "[N]othing would have been achieved" is repeated in regards to the herald's efforts to deliver the message. (All in vane because of the crowds and courtyards he will face.) Maybe with the help of others the message would have been able to reach you in time. Yet, that was not the case. The message is from none other than the emperor who has just died. An emperor only hold power when alive, so the message has already lost its value even before it was sent out. This demonstrates Kafka's' critique in societies structure.
Its is important to note how the story ends, "[b]ut you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes." As the reader we are aware that the message is a lost cause. Kafka is highlighting the trust "you" hold in the structure when "you" keep on waiting. (i.e society, power, leadership) "You" chooses to believe in a flawed system.
"The Imperial Message" is focused on a message. However there is no knowledge of what the message contains because it is revealed it will never reach you, the reader. From the beginning, the audience is told the herald "never will he make his way through." "[N]othing would have been achieved" is repeated in regards to the herald's efforts to deliver the message. (All in vane because of the crowds and courtyards he will face.) Maybe with the help of others the message would have been able to reach you in time. Yet, that was not the case. The message is from none other than the emperor who has just died. An emperor only hold power when alive, so the message has already lost its value even before it was sent out. This demonstrates Kafka's' critique in societies structure.
Its is important to note how the story ends, "[b]ut you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes." As the reader we are aware that the message is a lost cause. Kafka is highlighting the trust "you" hold in the structure when "you" keep on waiting. (i.e society, power, leadership) "You" chooses to believe in a flawed system.
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April 8, 2025Тази кратка история ми хареса, което е добро начало за раздела с изучаване на Кафка. Има доста интерпретаци, с които не съм съгласна и много, които ми допадат в една или друга степен. Според мен е интересно, когато една история може да бъде разбарана по много различни начини и не е ясно кой е „най-правилният“. Възможно историите на Мураками са променили вижданията ми, защото преди си мислех, че една история е по-смислена, когато има ясни индикатори за това как точно да се разбира. Но истината е, че има различни видове текстове - едни са красиви точно заради това, че посланието е просто и ясно, други са красноречиво написани, а посланието е имплицитно или скрито даже, а понякога послание едноверменно има и няма. Това е по-скоро случаят при Кафка. Всеки разбира историята различно и всеки е еднакво прав за себе си. Но има ли реално значение? Това вече е въпрос за приятелите абсурдисти в течението...
March 6, 2021
Kafka ci porta in una serie di racconti surreali, buffi, assurdi, desolanti, pervasi dall'ansia. Sono fuori dalla realtà ma al tempo stesso ci lasciano una sensazione molto precisa a fine lettura, uno stato d'animo (qualunque esso sia) molto riconoscibile e, in certi casi, ricollegabile alla quotidianità.
December 31, 2022
A good introductory parable for those who want to get a glimpse to Kafka's dreamlike and absurd stories.
April 23, 2025
Adjehwv avehso ahywgeca ptorjsbw sbwhauivebrkrk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2025
Mas te sientas tras la ventana, al caer la noche, y te lo imaginas, en sueños.
June 5, 2025
“You, however, sit at your window and dream of the message when evening comes.”
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November 25, 2023"La nostra generazione è forse perduta, ma è più innocente di quella. L'esitazione della mia generazione posso capirla, non è neanche più un'esitazione, è l'oblio di un sogno sognato mille notti fa e mille notti obliato; chi può volercene proprio di questo millesimo oblio? Ma anche l'esitazione dei nostri giovani io credo di capirla, probabilmente anche noi non avremmo agito diversamente, quasi direi: buon per noi che non fummo costretti a caricarci di questa colpa, buon per noi che possiamo affrettarci alla morte in un silenzio quasi incolpevole, in un mondo già ottenebrato da altri che ci precedettero. Allorchè i nostri proavi errarono, non pensarono certo a un errore che non avrebbe fine; ancora scorgevano il bivio, era facile tornarvi, e se a ritornarvi esitavano perchè volevano ancora godere un po' della vita canina, non era poi neanche una vera vita canina, e già appariva loro deliziosamente bella, chi sa come diventerebbe in seguito, oh, almeno seguitare ancora un po': e così continuarono a errare"
- p. 435, Indagini di un cane
Le mazzate che mi stai tirando, Franz, mannaggia a te.
- p. 435, Indagini di un cane
Le mazzate che mi stai tirando, Franz, mannaggia a te.
December 12, 2024
And here I thought I was going to receive a message from The Emperor.
February 13, 2016
«Ahimè» disse il topo «il mondo diventa ogni giorno più angusto. Prima era talmente vasto che ne avevo paura, corsi avanti e fui felice di vedere finalmente dei muri lontano a destra e sinistra, ma questi lunghi muri precipitano così in fretta l'un verso l'altro che io mi trovo già nell'ultima camera, e là nell'angolo sta la trappola in cui andrò a cadere». «Non hai che da mutar direzione» disse il gatto, e se lo mangiò.
September 30, 2018
One of Kafka's easiest pieces to read. The prose moves along without interruption or cumbersome language. The piece is very short and can be read in five minutes. However, it seems to have a lot of themes packed into such a small space. For me, the theme of Government being separated from the people was the strongest, and how those closest seem to benefit the most.
May 31, 2020
The author's darkest thoughts (deathbed-like thoughts) are unable to make their way through the impossible labyrinth of his soul to the readers. He can never deliver how he feels, even through his mighty messenger aka narration power.
March 9, 2021
Kafka has my heart. But there are problematic elements to this. I am conflicted between giving him the benefit of the doubt as it is based on colonial ideas or see this as inherently problematic. Perhaps even, Kafka is being critical.
September 21, 2019
I love his writing style. He never seems to disappoint. I love how dark his works are 🖤
March 17, 2020
Fantastic in its execution of a simple yet rich idea.
September 10, 2023
Interesting and open to interpretations.
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