Methamorphosis

by Franz Kafka

Genres: Classics, Fiction, School

Paperback

Published May 13, 2020

About the author

Prague-born writer Franz Kafka wrote in German, and his stories, such as " The Metamorphosis " (1916), and posthumously published novels, including The Trial (1925), concern troubled individuals in a nightmarishly impersonal world.

Jewish middle-class family of this major fiction writer of the 20th century spoke German. People consider his unique body of much incomplete writing, mainly published posthumously, among the most influential in European literature.

His stories include "The Metamorphosis" (1912) and " In the Penal Colony " (1914), whereas his posthumous novels include The Trial (1925), The Castle (1926) and Amerika (1927).

Despite first language, Kafka also spoke fluent Czech. Later, Kafka acquired some knowledge of the French language and culture from Flaubert, one of his favorite authors.

Kafka first studied chemistry at the Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague but after two weeks switched to law. This study offered a range of career possibilities, which pleased his father, and required a longer course of study that gave Kafka time to take classes in German studies and art history. At the university, he joined a student club, named Lese- und Redehalle der Deutschen Studenten, which organized literary events, readings, and other activities. In the end of his first year of studies, he met Max Brod, a close friend of his throughout his life, together with the journalist Felix Weltsch, who also studied law. Kafka obtained the degree of doctor of law on 18 June 1906 and performed an obligatory year of unpaid service as law clerk for the civil and criminal courts.

Writing of Kafka attracted little attention before his death. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories and never finished any of his novels except the very short "The Metamorphosis." Kafka wrote to Max Brod, his friend and literary executor: "Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave behind me ... in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'), sketches, and so on, [is] to be burned unread." Brod told Kafka that he intended not to honor these wishes, but Kafka, so knowing, nevertheless consequently gave these directions specifically to Brod, who, so reasoning, overrode these wishes. Brod in fact oversaw the publication of most of work of Kafka in his possession; these works quickly began to attract attention and high critical regard.

Max Brod encountered significant difficulty in compiling notebooks of Kafka into any chronological order as Kafka started writing in the middle of notebooks, from the last towards the first, et cetera.

Kafka wrote all his published works in German except several letters in Czech to Milena Jesenská.

Reviews

[Josipa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book twice. The first time was during high school, and the second time was last year when I was 27. During my initial reading, I found myself sympathizing with Gregor Samsa after he became isolated from society and nearly disowned by his family. Now, as a 27-year-old, I grasp how each step of his life led him to become an insect, actively working on it throughout his existence. This book has been instrumental in showing me how my perception of life has evolved. Growing older, you come to realize that you are solely responsible for your life, and every action is a reflection of who you are. If you wake up one day as an insect, you have no one else to blame but yourself.

[Berth Mina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's heartbreaking how can someone you've known and trusted all your life become someone you used to know.

[atheus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregor Samsa is literally me

[Essie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Echt een leuke classic. Het taalgebruik is niet moeilijk, het is kort en er zit (ondanks het donkere thema) wat sarcasme in en het leest makkelijk. De onderliggende gedachte en boodschap van dit boek zijn best verdrietig, maar wel ten alle tijden actueel. Must read. 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Casualdejekyll · Rating 4 out of 5]

chlop sie w zuka zmienil

[Anvi (warner's version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Kafka could make me cry for a vermin. Such an out of the box concept, left me feeling empty and worthless. 3.75 ⭐

[Ellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Je až dechberoucí jak rychle dokáže lidská paměť zapomenout

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea how to find the translation I read, but I did read it, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's bizarre and sad and thought-provoking. It also read SO much better than I anticipated. I'd read it again.

[ninvic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Menos disturbing de lo que me esperaba pero es terrible pensar en lo que significa que Kafka escribiera esto :(

[Milena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cudo, przeczytałam jednym tchem.

[Kizia mizia❤️(david bowie's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

12.05.25

Reread:
This will probably forever be one of my most favorite books, it's devastating, heartbreaking and cruelly good. Imagine one day you wake up and all of your family is disgusted by you, the biography of kafka makes it even sadder cause he always wrote from his experience. This is the best metaphor for loneliness you can find. The books shows you everything from gregor's perspective, the misunderstanding he gets from his family, and yet in the end, when he dies, they're happy and reliefed since they never really understoof the issue after all. I'll forever cherish this book for simply existing and hate the word for making franz kafka think his work isn't worthy of publishing. Forever a kafka girl, everyone should read this book❤️

5/5⭐️



15.03.24

What the actual hell, this is the scariest, weirdest and the most heartbreaking book i've ever listened to, love it

5/5⭐️

[Robin van Gelooven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best wel een grimmig boek maar toch een enigszins wholesome einde. Het is dat het zo kort was anders was mijn motivatie om het uit te lezen verpulvert door de neergeslagen stemming van het verhaal. Niet per se een aanrader

[Negin · Rating 4 out of 5]

این اولین کاریه که از کافکا خوندم . من کتاب رو چند وقت پیش نسخه ی انگلیسی خوندم و دوباره با ترجمه فرزانه طاهری”مسخ و درباره ی مسخ “ سراغش رفتم (که به شدت پیشنهاد میکنم) .اخرش تحلیل کامل کتاب و تک تک صحنه ها رو داره . خیلی برام ملموس تر بود مخصوصا اینکه خیلی بیشتر و راحت تر می شد با طرز فکر و نوشتار کافکا آشنا شد .

آیا میشه منکر شد که این کتاب یه شاهکاره ؟ خیر!

[Radina Nacheva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept, it’s very out of the box. The absurdity of the story is tangled with real life scenarios, showing how your close people might turn their back once they don’t need you anymore.

[Mimi · Rating 2 out of 5]

tt eres un jodido escarabajo enorme de un día al otro por la cara, yo tampoco querría convivir contigo lol

[Ula Dzwigalowska · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

[Luna Wetzels · Rating 3 out of 5]

De liefde voor Gregor was duidelijk niet onvoorwaardelijk

[Mongorzel Stepowy · Rating 5 out of 5]

POV napisałeś książkę, która jest odpowiedzią na odwieczne pytanie: Czy kochał*byś mnie, gdybym był* robakiem?

Już nigdy w życiu nie przejdę obojętnie obok żuka :(

[Jet Timmers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a book that's for sure
Not that crazy as others make it seem?

[Iqbal Safirul Barqi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a parable. Thought experiment. Legendary story, as the rest of Kafka. But maybe this is just not for me.

[Meyo S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life is one, I suppose, and this book is in many ways proof that people often burden themselves with trivial matters and waste time on those who would never do the same for them. Gregor is someone who understands, empathizes, and wants to help. I’m not sure what’s sadder— the fact that, as an insect, he worries more about his job than the fact that he’s turned into one, or the fact that his family didn’t have the patience for him that he always had for them.

In the end, The Metamorphosis forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about human nature—how quickly love can turn to indifference, and how easily people are defined by their utility rather than their humanity. Gregor’s tragedy is not just his transformation, but the realization that his worth to others was conditional all along.

[Arjen Koomen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An novel describing angst and existentialism when Gregor gets transformed into a monstrous vermin. While the novel takes place into one isolated room, the state of descriptions don’t fail to captivate the reader, in waiting for the end of the creature. The loss of humanity of Gregor or his human form is a major theme is the novel, and its changing reaction of his family, especially his sister Grete.

[Sarah Cardoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

“every living creature dies alone”

[Wierzba · Rating 5 out of 5]

BARDZO DOBRE NIE WIEM CZEMU MI TAK DŁUGK ZAJĘŁO

[ester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Demorou um tempo pra processar e entender tudo que o kafka quis transmitir ao longo do livro. Mas assim que entendi, achei genial sua forma de retratar um evento (para nós já tão normalizado) que é a desumanização feita pelo nosso consciente quando não há ternura e continuidade de afeto por alguém.

Quem era Gregor Samsa para sua família além do provedor da casa? Para onde foram as memórias boas e lembranças da companhia do menino em suas mentes? Sua mãe sequer se lembra do momento em que ele começou a falar? Seu pai sequer se lembra do momento em que o ensinou a amarrar os sapatos e andar de bicicleta?

Nada disso é retratado na história porque, após sua metamorfose, a família se encontra mais indignada por perceber que Gregor se tornou tão inútil quanto eles do que triste pela perda de seu parente.

Eu gosto muito da forma em que Kafka satiriza a situação do protagonista o transformando em um inseto (coisa que a maioria da humanidade não suporta) e tornando mais difícil a empatia pelo sofrimento do personagem. Quando pergunto a opinião de alguém que já leu o livro, as respostas são sempre duas: ou acham a situação engraçada, ou nojenta.

Mas a verdade é que Gregor representa a inutilidade de um ser preguiçoso demais pra encontrar a alegria e se torna um peão da única coisa que sabe fazer: trabalhar.
E sua família representa a ignorância (e a preguiça, também) do ser egocêntrico demais pra não perceber sua própria insignificância. Até por que, quem queriam eles sem o dinheiro de Gregor?

[🦢 · Rating 3 out of 5]

bu kitabi almanca okumak isterdim ama suanki almanca seviyemle mumkun degil o yuzden ingilizce okumayi tercih ettim. uzerine binlerce insanin bin tane farkli yorum ve elestri yaptigi bir kitap hakkinda konusmak biraz sacma geliyor cunku yeni bir sey soylemek mumkun degil gibi bir sey.

kitap oldukca surukleyici, tek oturusta bitirmek gayet mumkun, hem kisa. benim tek bir seye odaklanip bitirmem icin cok cok sevmem lazim ama bu kitap beni o kadar etkileyemedi. bunun sebebinin ceviriden kaynakli da olabilicegini dusunuyorum. sanki okurken tiyatro senaryosu okuyormusum gibi hissettim, karakterlerin yaptiklari hareketler o kadar sacma geldi ki dogru mu anliyorum diye tereddut ettigim zamanlar oldu. hareketten kastim verdikleri kararlar falan degil bu arada. fiziksel hareketlerinden, koreografi mi diyim artik. cok tuhaf geldi. karakterler insan kiligina girmis uzaylilarmis gibi sanki.

onun disinda gregor’un kitabin sonlarina dogru insanligini yitirdigini cok guzel hissetirebilmis kafka. kitabin konusu basli basina yeterince klostrofobik yapiyor zaten insani, ama baska biri yazsaydi ayni beceriyle yazamadi bence. bu kitabi okudugumu soyledigimde cok fazla okumaya baslayip sikilan insan oldugunu fark ettim. onlari da anlayabiliyorum bir nebze. ama kitap o kadar kisa ki zaten sikilsan bile aman olsun biter birazdan diye diye bitiyor zaten. 10/6.5

[Luis Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

El libro me pareció una analogía hacia la depresión en la cual cae Gregorio Samsa donde él se siente a si mismo una cucaracha, un ser para la sociedad repugnante, dado el intenso estrés al cual está sometido y la enorme responsabilidad que carga en sus hombros, aunque en realidad si se transforma en una cucaracha en el libro ya que toda su familia lo ve transformado lo que me causa curiosidad es porque los 3 inquilinos no se asustan al verlo, como si el autor nos dijera que ellos ya habían visto algo parecido, sin embargo de todas maneras al pasar los meses la familia va haciéndose responsable de su propia vida y dependiendo menos de Gregorio, y este se sume más en ser una cucaracha ya que su razón de existir eran ellos, poco a poco es desplazado de la familia y en un último intento de reintegrarse al escuchar a su hermana tocar el violín este, al estar gravemente enfermo y herido por un altercado con su padre, fallece finalmente y la familia continua con su vida, los padres teniendo un nuevo “proyecto” en la hermana menor de Gregorio, pero que se refería la sirvienta cuando dijo que se había encargado de él y el padre ni le dio oportunidad de explicar, nunca lo sabremos, yo por un momento pensé que de esa cucaracha saldría Gregorio nuevo y reformado pero me equivoqué.

[lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una historia de transformación, no solo la transformación espantosa del protagonista, pero también la aún más aterradora transformación de toda la familia.

La metamorfosis es una metáfora que aunque simple, es impecable. Y la impotencia que sientes a medida que el golpe de la manzana se infecta poco a poco no te la quita nadie. Me parece excelente como Kafka describió todos los movimientos del bicho tan grotescamente, haciendo incluso difícil la lastima por él en algunos momentos (al menos para mi, que no puedo evitar mi repudio a los bichos), justo en la forma en la que la familia lo percibía.

Gregorio no dejó de ser humano por su horrible apariencia. Fue cuando Gregorio se convirtió inútil para sus ingresos, cuando este dejó de ser humano.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ya ha pasado un tiempo desde que leí este libro y no recuerdo tanto como yo quisiera para poder comentarlo.

Lo que más recuerdo ahora mismo, es como lloré con el final. A medida que leía el libro, mayor era mi impotencia. Ninguno de a los que consideraba familiares realmente se preocupaban por él y lo dejaron morir abandonado.

Si bien recuerdo, se trataba de una metáfora de cómo una vez te vuelves inservible para la sociedad, te echan a un lado y dejan de preocuparse por ti, como a un insecto.

Podría darle un 5, pero aún no estoy segura de si esa es mi verdadera opinión debido al escaso número de libros que he leído, por lo que a lo mejor en un futuro, cambie de opinión.

[Zosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miałam wysokie oczekiwania odnośnie tej książki i niestety muszę przyznać, że zawiodłam się. Nie jest to zła pozycja, zdecydowanie należy do tych 'dobrych', ale liczyłam na albo ładniejszy język, albo momenty które skłonią mnie do większych refleksji. Mam wrażenie, że autor porusza kwestie, które są już bardzo dobrze znane i ciągle powtarzane i nie wnosi nic nowego (może oprócz przedstawienia bohatera w formie robaka). Jednak pomimo powyżej krytyki muszę przyznać, że momentami książka skłoniła mnie do refleksji na temat rodziny, pogoni za pieniądzem i życiem w kapitalistycznym świecie, niestety nie było to nic nowego.