Selected Stories

by Franz Kafka, Mark Harman (Translator)

A superb new translation of Kafka’s classic stories, authoritatively annotated and beautifully illustrated.

Selected Stories presents new, exquisite renderings of short works by one of the indisputable pillars of twentieth-century literature. Award-winning translator and scholar Mark Harman offers perhaps the most sensitive English rendering yet of Franz Kafka’s unique German prose―terse, witty, laden with ambiguities and double meanings. With an in-depth biographical introduction, as well as notes illuminating the stories and placing them in historical context, this volume pairs representative critical perspectives with masterpieces by a writer whose influence remains inescapable a century after his death.

Included are sixteen stories, arranged chronologically to convey a sense of Kafka’s artistic development. Some, like “The Judgment,” “In the Penal Colony,” “A Hunger Artist,” and “The Transformation” (usually, though misleadingly, translated as “The Metamorphosis”), represent the pinnacle of Kafka’s achievement. Accompanying annotations highlight the wordplay and cultural allusions of the original German, pregnant with irony and humor that readers in English have often missed.

Although Kafka has frequently been cast as a loner, in part because of his quintessential depictions of modern alienation, he had a number of close companions. Harman draws on Kafka’s diaries, extensive correspondence, and engagement with early-twentieth-century debates about Darwinism, psychoanalysis, and Zionism to construct a rich portrait of Kafka in his world. A work of both art and scholarship, Selected Stories transforms our understanding and appreciation of a singular imagination.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Germany

304 pages, Hardcover

Published May 21, 2024

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

[Jason Furman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thinking about how I was missing Kafka when I saw this on the bookstore table (before all the hoopla on the 100th anniversary of Kafka's death) and I snapped it up. I love new translations of old favorites as an excuse to re-read. Plus I have a naive and unfounded belief that newer is better. And an even less founded and quasi mystical belief that all the different translations I've read merge together in my head into something approximating the original.

I have read two other translations of Kafka's major stories (Metamorphosis and Other Stories and The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories) plus some translations of unpublished stories and a few of The Metamorphosis (translated as "The Transformation" in this volume). By way of comparison:

1. This had far and away the best introduction of any of the volumes. A masterful 66 page mini biography, literary appreciation--plus lots of great pictures.

2. This had far and away the best introductions to each story along with very detailed and informative footnotes (two types--commentary on the translation on the bottom of the page and then endnotes with more academic discussion and exegesis). Whether this is a plus or minus depends on your taste. In some ways I loved reading The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories because it did not have any of this and left you alone with the stories and your thoughts. But I'm also glad that on re-reading I did read the footnotes.

3. The selection of stories in this is excellent. It has most of Kafka's published work (including "The Transformation," his translation of "Metamorphosis") and a few unpublished gems. It was basically just the right amount for me, I prefer a higher average quality selection to anything overly long let alone complete for short stories.

4. The translations seemed excellent too. Certainly extremely thoughtful. I did not compare (and don't read German so there is a limit) but think this is yet another excellent translation. In fact, I would trust most anything done since the original translations by the Muirs.

As for the stories themselves, I found that they grew on me reading them yet again. They are so funny. And so strange. And so incredibly hyper-realistic while at the same time being utterly fantastical. And totally original. Much imitated but not remotely matched. I came to appreciate even more some of the ones I paid just a little less attention to before, including "The Judgment," "Before the Law," and "A Report for an Academy." But it feels wrong singling those out when everything in this collection is a 10 out of 10.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing this superb selected collection of Kafka stories, my first thought was, why couldn't it be a Complete Collection of short stories? The endnotes are great and informative, and the illustrations here are fascinating as well.

[Roman Brasoveanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harman’s introduction and notes are of quality. He captures the subtleties of Kafka’s word choice that would otherwise go unappreciated, explaining double meanings and the German idioms which color the works. The notes and brief introduction to each story are also useful for interpretation and understanding their composition and reception history.

The content by Kafka is tremendous but there are a handful of odd inclusions. “A Commentary,” for instance, is included and described by Harman as a ‘miniature masterpiece’ but its merit, not considering it’s connection to Kafka, is unclear. The same is true for other short pieces such as ‘the Concern of a Family Man’ and ‘The New Lawyer.’

For Kafka enthusiasts this book is a must have, but still a delight for a general audience.

[Jonathan Keigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngl I read this so when I read other books later I can say, “Wow, that’s so Kafkaesque..” Also people always mention his nightmarish and bizarre themes, but never how much he clearly loved to write stories about the freakiest little dudes. We should mention that more.

On a serious note, Harman did a fantastic job translating and providing notes and context for every story. He probably also wrote a great introduction, but it was 70 pages and I wanted to jump right into the good stuff. I will read it someday. Maybe.

[lee ✮⋆˙]

The first thing that stuck out to me about this translation is that Harman uses more readable English than the Muirs'. There are plenty of instances of this throughout the text, but I found two early on that stood out to me for their structure and word choice. Firstly, Harman said, "I implore you," when the Muirs said, "Open the door, do." The Muirs inclusion of do at the end of the sentence (instead of the beginning of, for instance) feels strange, while Harman's is a popular turn of phrase. Secondly, Harman said, "The next train left at seven o'clock," when the Muirs said, "The next train went at seven o'clock." The shift to left from went is quite small, but it makes the sentence flow much more naturally. Despite these being small changes, they do make an easier reading experience.

I also hadn't realized how odd some phrasing was in the Muirs' translation until I read Harman's. Of course, this includes the now infamous example in the Muirs' translation, "Ought he to call for help?" which becomes "Should he really have called for help?" in Harman's translation. However, Harman's translation is not without its own instances of strange phrasings. In fact, the phrasings that sound strange in Harman often sound perfectly fine in the Muirs' translation. For example, Harman writes, "Only why did not I notify the office," whereas Muirs writes, "Why didn't I report it at the office?" I suppose this could be passed off as an error in editing as "Only why did I not notify the office" would have been a perfectly fine sentence, but taking it as written, it does sound quite strange. But even if we give Harman the benefit of the doubt in this situation, there are other instances, such as when Harman writes, "who must even get very close to him since the boss is hard of hearing." The inclusion of even makes this sentence sound strange, and I am unsure of what it adds to the meaning of the sentence. In contrast, the Muirs write, "especially when they have to come quite near because the chief is hard of hearing." And, of course, there are times when the Muirs and Harman struggle to translate the German in a way that sounds natural in English. For example, Harman writes, "go back in the course of the morning," while the Muirs write, "come back to the hotel of a morning." While I prefer Harman's translation to the Muirs' in this example, both fail to flow well in English.

To achieve better clarity, Harman not only aimed for more readable English, but also more modern English. For example, where the Muris' write "sacked," he says "fired," where they write "chief," he writes "boss," and where he writes "porter," he writes "office assistant." This makes it much easier to understand the roles being presentable, but it also makes it easier to imagine that what is happening to Gregor is happening right now. It wasn't hard to know that when the Muirs wrote chief, they meant Gregor's boss; however, it firmly placed me in 1915. This was nice because I felt like I was reading about Gregor in the original context he was placed in. On the other hand, Harman's modern adaptations to the language make the story feel more eternal. As if, despite the fact that it was written in 1915, the same thing could happen to anyone today. I think that provides an important element, as the themes such as isolation, family, money, and absurdism, which are central to the book, are still very important today.

Another revision that Harman makes from the Muirs' translation is keeping the story in the past tense instead of switching tenses. For example, when the Muirs write, "Still he must take this risk," Harman writes, "But that was a risk he simply must take." Unfortunately, Harman's dogmatic approach to the past tense means that he hardly strays into the imperfect tense, even when it contributes to the flow of a sentence or allows us to better connect with Gregor. He says, "he tried this perhaps a hundred times, closed his eyes so that he would not have to see his wriggling legs." While this is not a bad sentence, it is easier to read if closed is changed to closing or if there is an and connecting the two past tense verbs: tried and closed. This is because when both verbs are written in past tense, it reads as a list. He tried to do something, and he closed his eyes, or he tried to do something, closed his eyes, and did something else. However, if one is written in the imperfect tense, it reads as though the actions are occurring simultaneously. He tried to do something and was closing his eyes while he tried. Additionally, there are times when the sentence sounds perfectly fine, but it makes us less sympathetic to Gregor. For example, I care much more for Gregor when he is "catching at some kind of irrational hope," as in the Muirs' translation, than when he is "caught up in some unreasonable hope." as in Harman's. Perhaps some of this is the negative connotation that being 'caught up' in something carries, bringing to mind delusion and obsession instead of desperation, but I also believe it's because it feels like it has already happened instead of it happening as you're reading it. This does contribute to the detached tone of Harman's narrator. However, I think it goes too far. It is possible to establish a detached tone of narration without making us feel entirely removed from Gregor.

Punctuation is another largely different factor between Harman's translation and the Muirs'. Harman is significantly less fond of the em-dashes, which, when paired with the clearer English, makes it much easier to parse through Gregor's thoughts. Another thing that makes this easier is Harman's use of quotation marks whenever there is a dialogue tag present. This separates Gregor's explicit thoughts from the narration. However, Harman chooses not to use quotation marks when Gregor's internal dialogue is conveyed without Kafka stating, "he thought." For example, the entirety of Gregor's spiral about how he had missed his alarm and how to explain why he's not in the office is not in quotation marks, despite it being followed by "he considered all this with great haste." The use of the word considered directly implies that it was, in fact, his internal monologue and not narration about the situation, and yet it is not put into quotation marks when earlier thoughts are.

I have two reasons I think this may have occurred. The first is that while it is his internal monologue, there is a shift in perspective, and as such, instead of hearing his direct thoughts, we hear the narrator convey his direct thoughts. Therefore, there is no need for quotations because we don't know what Gregor is thinking directly. Instead, we are being told what he is thinking. The second reason goes hand in hand with the first and is that these thoughts do not use the "I" pronoun. Perhaps this is the way that Kafka indicated the perspective switch. This would mean that when Gregor's thoughts use "I," we hear directly from Gregor, and thus, they are separate from the rest of the narration and must be denoted as such with quotation marks. However, when they are detailed using "he," we hear about them from the narrator, and as such, it is no different than the rest of the narration. As such, it is not denoted differently, and there is no need to include quotation marks.

Something else I noticed was that Harman's translation seemed to take less liberties with translating meaning. This leads to some phrases that feel oddly detailed, awkwardly formal, or repetitive. In terms of detail, Harman often adds descriptors where the Muirs choose to leave them out. For example, when the Muirs write "irregular meals", Harman writes "irregular bad meals." and when the Muirs write "that would knock him endways from his desk!" Harman specifies that he would fall from "his standing desk." Even in the smallest descriptions, like the Muirs stating "chief clerk", he gets the addition from Harman that he is, in fact, "honorable." These descriptions likely reflect the German more accurately, but they don't necessarily add much to the text. Additionally, when departure from the German may add something to the text, like the Muirs' depiction of the lodgers "scuttling" and "rubbing their hands," both distinctly bug-like actions, Harman chooses not to add it. Instead, he writes that they were "hopping" and had "motionless hands."

Details weren't the only place where the translations seemed more reserved in Harman's. Often, phrases seem formal or repetitive due to what I assume is Harman trying to maintain a literal translation. For example, when talking about his work as a salesperson, Harman writes it is a "strenuous profession," whereas the Muirs write "exhausting job." While strenuous profession isn't something you couldn't say in English, it feels out of place in the modern tone that Harman has cultivated. When complaining about work, people, especially now, are much more likely to say they have an exhausting job than a strenuous profession. This continues as Gregor talks about his lack of a social network. The Muris says that he has few "intimate friends," but Harman takes this to mean "human exchanges." Though "human exchanges" may be technically closer to the German, it makes Gregor, who has not been a bug long enough to see anything more than a physical departure from his humanity, sound a bit like an alien. It is a sterile way of viewing his life at a time when we are supposed to be sympathizing with Gregor. Beyond formality, the strict translation sometimes results in undue repetition. The Muirs describe Gregor's complaint with his job by saying ", It's much more irritating work than doing the actual business in the office, and on top of that, there's the trouble of constant traveling." Here, "work" means working while traveling, but by implying this first traveling, the sentence reads well. Harman, alternatively, chooses to include the first traveling, stating, "The stress of doing business while traveling is greater than at the actual home office, and besides, I'm plagued with all the travel." The repetition of the word travel sounds strange in English and would often be edited out.

Harman also has a much larger propensity towards action-based language than the Muirs. Where the Muirs say that Gregor "forced" himself to move, Harman believes he "threw" himself. If the Muirs think Gregor "rolled", Harman thinks he "rocked," and when the Muirs say the alarm was "ear-splitting," Harman thinks it was "furniture raddling." The use of this language certainly makes the moment more frantic, but it also makes it easier to ignore how large and unnatural Gregor's current form is. In the Muirs’ writing, the words create an image of slow, laborious effort to achieve strange movements. For example, it takes much longer to force yourself to the other side than it does to throw yourself. Additionally, when you roll in a direction, you are not moving back and forth but in one direction. You don't have the gaining momentum from a counterpoint swing, you only have yourself. This added to how I sympathized with Gregor because I could feel the effort he was putting into the most basic of motions. In Harman's version, it is harder to sympathize with Gregor because the movement seems easier and more innate to the story.

As a final note on one specific instance, which perhaps has some meaning to the overarching translations, but I am not sure, both translations use "responsibility" to refer to how Gregor sees his current situation. However, while the Muirs say he has "no reason either to be upset," Harman says he has "no reason to get excited." These have vastly different implications for how Gregor feels about his current situation and his work. If we assume that responsibility refers to any of the things we discussed in class: catching his train, providing for his family, worrying about his situation, then in the Muirs’ version, if he can still do these things, if he can still contribute, he should not be upset because he can still navigate his old life. However, in Harman's case, the ability to complete these responsibilities means that he should not be excited, which implies that he wanted to be able to shirk these responsibilities. This paints an entirely different picture of Gregor, what is important to him, and where he derives his sense of purpose and value.

Finally, I thought the footnotes were an interesting addition to Harman's translation. They made me much more aware that it was a translation, but I also found the additional information insightful into Kafka's original intent and fun to read. I am glad they were only present in the second version I read because they probably would have taken me out of the story the first time, and I would have become overly concerned with the language being used. However, adding them to a second reading was a nice touch that contributed to the experience.

Overall, I prefer the Muirs' translation. Though they both have things they do well and places where they struggle, I believe the Muirs capture the tone and feel of the story better than Harman does, even if Harman's is easier to read. But then again, that could also be because I read the Muirs' first and, therefore, was comparing Harman to the Muirs' instead of the other way around or comparing them both to some separate third translation.

[Swapna Peri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I AM A KAFKAian

Selected Stories by Mark Harman presents an insightful new translation of Franz Kafka's most renowned short works, offering fresh perspectives on the enigmatic author’s prose. Harman, a scholar and translator, revitalizes Kafka’s tales with precision, capturing the wit, ambiguity, and ironic humor often overshadowed in previous English renditions. Accompanied by extensive annotations and a biographical introduction, the collection deepens our understanding of Kafka’s artistic evolution and his engagement with intellectual debates of his era, from psychoanalysis to Zionism. This anthology is a profound fusion of literary artistry and meticulous scholarship, showcasing Kafka's imagination in an accessible yet richly contextualized manner. 📖✨

The collection comprises sixteen stories, arranged chronologically to reflect Kafka’s growth as a writer. Iconic works such as 'The Judgment', 'In the Penal Colony', 'A Hunger Artist', and 'The Transformation' (Harman’s preferred title over the conventional 'The Metamorphosis') highlight Kafka’s mastery of blending the surreal with piercing social critique. Harman’s thoughtful annotations illuminate the wordplay and cultural nuances of Kafka’s original German prose, drawing attention to layers of meaning and humor that might elude English readers. The translator’s choices, such as renaming *The Metamorphosis*, invite readers to reconsider their understanding of Kafka's themes. The collection is an indispensable addition to Kafka's studies and will captivate readers, both newcomers and longtime admirers. 🧐📚

[Peter Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh yes, a terrifying delight to travel through these tales again. My old copy fell apart and so I got this brand new translation--certainly I'm not expert enough to hold forth on the relative quality of the translation, but it all felt amazing to me. To see the amazing and resonant emotions and strategies in Gregor, for instance:

“He truly wanted to open the door, truly wanted to let them see him and to speak with the director; he was eager to find out what the others who were now clamoring for him would say when they saw him. If they took fright, Gregor would no longer bear any responsibility and be calm. But if they responded calmly to everything he too would have no reason to get excited, and if he hurried he could actually be at the station by eight o’clock.” ("The Transformation," often known as "The Metamorphosis")

or to hang out outside that door in "Before the Law." Damn.

While I'm here--I sometimes have my issues with Murakami, but his collection MEN WITHOUT WOMEN is often quite great (with the exception, perhaps, of the title story) and the way some of the stories are woven into Hamaguchi's film "Drive My Car" is one of my favorite adaptations of all time, truly beautiful. But the story in that collection, "Samsa in Love," which is a variation on Kafka, is wonderfully poignant and I'd read it several times recently, much more recently than this time through "The Transformation" [Metamorphosis] Had it been ten years? Perhaps. Mind-blowing. That sister Grete!

[Jess Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really great. I hadn't read any Kafka before this (my loss!) and was enthralled by his turbulent, passionate inner and outer life. Harman also starts the book with a ~65 page Introduction, ie short biography of Kafka's life, which is fascinating and useful. And this book, unlike some others (which seem excellent also, like the well-known Muir translation), has key footnotes throughout the stories and many more explanations/references at the back of the book. Harman explains challenges in German-English translation and gives you insight into meaning/humor we miss in the English version, among other notes.

[Aleyna Dogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories by Kafka:
* The Judgment
* In the Penal Colony 😳
* A Country Doctor
* An Imperial Message
* The New Lawyer
* Before the Law 🤔
* A Report for an Academy 🙂‍↕️
* The Concern of a Family Man
* A Crossbreed 🐈
* A Hunger Artist 🤯
* Poseidon 🫠
* Little Fable
* A Commentary

There’s also the Transformation in the book but I skipped it since I’ve read it before. The stories with emojis are my favorites, in terms of emotional response, uniqueness and appreciation for Kafka’s writing voice.

[Robert Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The introduction alone is worth the read! A fascinating glimpse into Kafka's life. Then, the stories are there--some I had trouble understanding, but others were just so clever and intriguing! They were made even more interesting by the translator's footnotes and references.

[Leo · Rating 2 out of 5]

me hubieran convertido en escarabajo para evitar leer esto

[Adam Vlk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very emotional. Very heavy. And beautiful. Thank you kafka

[josie ambrosia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive bought three copys of this because I kept giving them away. Short perfect reads 2 cure boredom