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Kafka #1
Kafka: Die frühen Jahre
DER ABSCHLUSS DER GROSSEN KAFKA-BIOGRAPHIE
»Das Beste, was in diesem Genre hervorgebracht werden kann. Selbst ein Roman.« Imre Kertész
Nach den fulminant gefeierten ersten zwei Bänden seiner Kafka-Biographie schließt Reiner Stach sein großes Werk mit Kafkas Kindheit und Jugend, Studium und ersten Berufsjahren ab. Die Entfaltung von Kafkas Sprachtalent, seine Bildungserlebnisse, die Reifung seiner Sexualität und nicht zuletzt die Auseinandersetzung mit neuen Technologien und Medien sind die entscheidenden Wegmarken. Reiner Stachs Kafka-Biographie genießt schon jetzt den Ruf eines internationalen Standardwerks, das die Möglichkeiten der literarischen Biographie neu ausgelotet hat. Erneut bietet Reiner Stach ein erzählerisch dichtes und farbiges Panorama der Zeit und zugleich die einfühlsame Studie eines außergewöhnlichen Menschen.
Das Gesamtwerk:
Kafka. Die frühen Jahre (1883 - 1910)
Kafka. Die Jahre der Entscheidung (1910 - 1915)
Kafka. Die Jahre der Erkenntnis (1916 - 1924)
»Das Beste, was in diesem Genre hervorgebracht werden kann. Selbst ein Roman.« Imre Kertész
Nach den fulminant gefeierten ersten zwei Bänden seiner Kafka-Biographie schließt Reiner Stach sein großes Werk mit Kafkas Kindheit und Jugend, Studium und ersten Berufsjahren ab. Die Entfaltung von Kafkas Sprachtalent, seine Bildungserlebnisse, die Reifung seiner Sexualität und nicht zuletzt die Auseinandersetzung mit neuen Technologien und Medien sind die entscheidenden Wegmarken. Reiner Stachs Kafka-Biographie genießt schon jetzt den Ruf eines internationalen Standardwerks, das die Möglichkeiten der literarischen Biographie neu ausgelotet hat. Erneut bietet Reiner Stach ein erzählerisch dichtes und farbiges Panorama der Zeit und zugleich die einfühlsame Studie eines außergewöhnlichen Menschen.
Das Gesamtwerk:
Kafka. Die frühen Jahre (1883 - 1910)
Kafka. Die Jahre der Entscheidung (1910 - 1915)
Kafka. Die Jahre der Erkenntnis (1916 - 1924)
608 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
90 people are currently reading
1057 people want to read
About the author
Reiner Stach
26 books48 followersReiner Stach is a freelance author and biographer of Franz Kafka.
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July 30, 2024But what about the early punk years:
Okay I spent way too long on that I need a cooler hobby.
Okay I spent way too long on that I need a cooler hobby.
June 10, 2024
Kafka fan? Join https://leonardgaya.substack.com/ for an in-depth exploration of his work.
***
In his monumental three-volume biography of Franz Kafka, Reiner Stach unravels the life and mind of one of the 20th century’s most influential writers. Kafka: The Early Years is the first instalment chronologically but the last to be published, and delves into the author’s childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in Prague, up until his creative breakthrough with Contemplation (Betrachtung).
Stach draws upon a wealth of sources, from family letters and schoolmates’ memoirs to Kafka’s diaries and the writings of his friend Max Brod, and adopts a somewhat thematic structure, dedicating chapters to the key influences that shaped Kafka’s sensibility: he paints a vivid portrait of late 19th and early 20th century Prague, a city on the cusp of modernity yet riddled with deep-seated social tensions; the political landscape in particular, rife with anti-Semitism and nationalistic fervour, which casts a long shadow over Kafka’s Jewish identity. He bears witness to street riots, scapegoating, whispers of ritual murder accusations, and the suffocating pressures of assimilation, all of which leave an indelible mark on his developing worldview. Interestingly, Stach highlights Kafka’s fascination with the burgeoning technologies of the era—the wonders of cinema and the feats of aviation.
Stach’s narrative is punctuated with revealing anecdotes that capture the contradictions of Kafka’s personality. There’s the mortifying incident when he erupts into uncontrollable laughter during a meeting with his superior, the esteemed Otto Přibram—an episode that reveals his deep-seated discomfort with authority and the social rituals that govern his existence. We’re also privy to his forays into Prague’s nightlife, where he encounters prostitutes and grapples with his conflicted sexuality. Kafka also emerges as a relentless self-critic, questioning his literary and personal worth, a trait that both frustrates and captivates his close friend and confidante, the prolific Max Brod. Their contrasting personalities—Kafka, the perfectionist, and Brod, the irrepressible champion—create a dynamic tension that fuels their collaboration and shapes their literary paths.
At times, Stach’s gaze wanders far from his subject, lingering on tangential details of Kafka’s milieu and delving into the intricacies of occultism and theosophy. These currents briefly captivated Kafka and his circle. Stach details their encounters with figures like Martin Buber, Rudolf Steiner, and even Albert Einstein, which showcase their era’s vibrant intellectual ferment. But whilst this contextualising lends the biography an immersive, almost novelistic texture, some readers may find the density of information a bit overwhelming.
Indeed, at over 500 pages, The Early Years is no casual read. This is a work of scholarship, replete with footnotes and bibliography. The book also assumes a certain level of familiarity with Kafka’s literary legacy, often referencing later works and recurring themes. For those seeking an understanding of the forces that shaped this literary figure, this is definitely an invaluable treasure trove. However, those seeking a concise introduction to Kafka’s life and work may want to look elsewhere.
That said, for the committed Kafkafans, Stach’s biography offers terrific insights into the author’s inner world. Stach illuminates the hidden corners of the writer’s imagination by tracing the genealogy of Kafka’s themes—the power of the father, the terror of judgment, and the longing for human connection—and shows how Kafka transmuted the raw material of his life—his insomnia, physical frailty, and tortured romances—into the dreamscapes of his fiction.
Overall, The Early Years is a stunning achievement, a definitive portrait of the artist as a young man, a young man wrestling with uncertainty and anxieties, discovering his unique voice amidst the clamour of a changing world. A voice that would later resonate across generations, forever changing the landscape of modern literature.
If you want to know more, https://leonardgaya.substack.com/
***
In his monumental three-volume biography of Franz Kafka, Reiner Stach unravels the life and mind of one of the 20th century’s most influential writers. Kafka: The Early Years is the first instalment chronologically but the last to be published, and delves into the author’s childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in Prague, up until his creative breakthrough with Contemplation (Betrachtung).
Stach draws upon a wealth of sources, from family letters and schoolmates’ memoirs to Kafka’s diaries and the writings of his friend Max Brod, and adopts a somewhat thematic structure, dedicating chapters to the key influences that shaped Kafka’s sensibility: he paints a vivid portrait of late 19th and early 20th century Prague, a city on the cusp of modernity yet riddled with deep-seated social tensions; the political landscape in particular, rife with anti-Semitism and nationalistic fervour, which casts a long shadow over Kafka’s Jewish identity. He bears witness to street riots, scapegoating, whispers of ritual murder accusations, and the suffocating pressures of assimilation, all of which leave an indelible mark on his developing worldview. Interestingly, Stach highlights Kafka’s fascination with the burgeoning technologies of the era—the wonders of cinema and the feats of aviation.
Stach’s narrative is punctuated with revealing anecdotes that capture the contradictions of Kafka’s personality. There’s the mortifying incident when he erupts into uncontrollable laughter during a meeting with his superior, the esteemed Otto Přibram—an episode that reveals his deep-seated discomfort with authority and the social rituals that govern his existence. We’re also privy to his forays into Prague’s nightlife, where he encounters prostitutes and grapples with his conflicted sexuality. Kafka also emerges as a relentless self-critic, questioning his literary and personal worth, a trait that both frustrates and captivates his close friend and confidante, the prolific Max Brod. Their contrasting personalities—Kafka, the perfectionist, and Brod, the irrepressible champion—create a dynamic tension that fuels their collaboration and shapes their literary paths.
At times, Stach’s gaze wanders far from his subject, lingering on tangential details of Kafka’s milieu and delving into the intricacies of occultism and theosophy. These currents briefly captivated Kafka and his circle. Stach details their encounters with figures like Martin Buber, Rudolf Steiner, and even Albert Einstein, which showcase their era’s vibrant intellectual ferment. But whilst this contextualising lends the biography an immersive, almost novelistic texture, some readers may find the density of information a bit overwhelming.
Indeed, at over 500 pages, The Early Years is no casual read. This is a work of scholarship, replete with footnotes and bibliography. The book also assumes a certain level of familiarity with Kafka’s literary legacy, often referencing later works and recurring themes. For those seeking an understanding of the forces that shaped this literary figure, this is definitely an invaluable treasure trove. However, those seeking a concise introduction to Kafka’s life and work may want to look elsewhere.
That said, for the committed Kafkafans, Stach’s biography offers terrific insights into the author’s inner world. Stach illuminates the hidden corners of the writer’s imagination by tracing the genealogy of Kafka’s themes—the power of the father, the terror of judgment, and the longing for human connection—and shows how Kafka transmuted the raw material of his life—his insomnia, physical frailty, and tortured romances—into the dreamscapes of his fiction.
Overall, The Early Years is a stunning achievement, a definitive portrait of the artist as a young man, a young man wrestling with uncertainty and anxieties, discovering his unique voice amidst the clamour of a changing world. A voice that would later resonate across generations, forever changing the landscape of modern literature.
If you want to know more, https://leonardgaya.substack.com/
August 24, 2023
A Reiner Stach le llevó dieciocho años escribir esta monumental biografía acerca de uno de los más grandes escritores del siglo XX y de toda la historia de la literatura que se llamó Franz Kafka.
Su proceso de trabajo fue minucioso, detallado, exhaustivo y no dejó cabo suelto con la sola excepción de aquellos callejones sin salida que el propio Kafka supo construir.
La biografía completa publicada por Editorial Acantilado consta de 2.368 páginas, aunque otra editorial, Siglo Veintiuno publicó el tomo intermedio, llamado "Los años de las decisiones" que ocupa casualmente la parte central de la vida de Kafka, entre 1910 y 1915 en donde el autor llega a su plenitud, previo a su rápido descenso hacia la tuberculosis que acabaría con su vida en 1924 con menos de 41 años.
Esta parte me ha resultado realmente apasionante, ya que Stach enfoca mucho la biografía sobre la complicadísima relación prácticamente epistolar entre Kafka y quien fuera su novia de cuatro años, Felice Bauer como también en el proceso creativo del autor, de sus frustraciones y reveses, de su imposibilidad de escritura, el obstáculo del trabajo, la fábrica de asbestos de su padre Hermann y de cómo afectaba su obra su compleja personalidad, que impactaba directamente en lo que escribía.
Por otro lado, también desarrolla Stach las conexiones de Kafka con su condición de judío en la Praga de principios de siglo XX y de cómo sus principios generaban consecuencias a favor o en contra en las relaciones sus relaciones con sus amigos, especialmente Max Brod, quien fue el que nos dio la posibilidad de disfrutar todo lo que Kafka escribió desoyendo el último deseo del moribundo de quemar su obra.
Debido a la enorme cantidad de páginas de la biografía, es imposible detallar todo lo que Stach escribe, a la vez que resulta innecesario puesto que no tendría sentido, pero el biógrafo se toma en serio cada pequeño detalle de la vida del Kafka y aunque por momento peca de dar datos de poca relevancia, creo que logra el cometido de darnos un acabado casi total de la mente y espíritu del autor.
Apoyado en los "Diarios" y especialmente las cartas escritas a familiares, a Felice Bauer (entre paréntesis, una de las mujeres más aburridas de la historia), a Mílena Jesenská (su segundo amor inalcanzable), a sus amigos Max Brod, Otto Pick, Félix Weltsch, Ernst Weiss, el actor yiddish Jizchak Löwy, los editores Kurt Wolff y Ernst, Rowohlt y a Grete Bloch; tomando retazos de la famosa "Carta al padre" y basándose en muchísimos documentos relacionados a la vida de Kafka, Stach logra cerrar el círculo de cómo pensaba, sentía, escribía y vivía durante estos años cruciales de su vida.
Dada la compleja personalidad de Kafka, estimo que debe ser difícil como biógrafo ser exacto, ya que en muchos casos, no siempre se pueden constatar ciertos detalles reales, sino reconstruirlos a partir de los documentos escritos y creo que en el caso de Stach, los "Diarios" son fundamentales para intentar arrimarse a la verdad.
Como lector sigo comprobando que "todo está allí". Cuando uno lee sus "Diarios" sabe que de cierta manera se verán reflejadas todas esas dudas, incertidumbres, tormentos y penurias de Kafka en sus relatos y en sus novelas.
La última parte de la vida de Kafka, retratada a medias increíblemente por ciertos cabos sueltos pero con especial énfasis en su doctor Robert Klopstock y muy especialmente en Dora Diamant, el último amor de su vida, contado en "Los años del conocimiento", particularmente me interesa mucho más que la primera, "Los primeros años".
Reitero que ha sido de mi agrado y la he leído de manera intensa y en tiempo casi récord, que me mantuvo atento y me dejó una hermosa impresión.
Cada biografía que encuentro de mi escritor preferido, Franz Kafka, logra cimentar aún más mi admiración por este genio único e irrepetible.
Dedicaré todo este año 2023 a leer libros de y sobre Franz Kafka ya que como poseo más de veinte ensayos y biografías me servirán como apoyo para escribir la mía propia que publicaré el año que viene en ocasión de los 100 años de su fallecimiento.
Será un sueño hecho realidad.
Su proceso de trabajo fue minucioso, detallado, exhaustivo y no dejó cabo suelto con la sola excepción de aquellos callejones sin salida que el propio Kafka supo construir.
La biografía completa publicada por Editorial Acantilado consta de 2.368 páginas, aunque otra editorial, Siglo Veintiuno publicó el tomo intermedio, llamado "Los años de las decisiones" que ocupa casualmente la parte central de la vida de Kafka, entre 1910 y 1915 en donde el autor llega a su plenitud, previo a su rápido descenso hacia la tuberculosis que acabaría con su vida en 1924 con menos de 41 años.
Esta parte me ha resultado realmente apasionante, ya que Stach enfoca mucho la biografía sobre la complicadísima relación prácticamente epistolar entre Kafka y quien fuera su novia de cuatro años, Felice Bauer como también en el proceso creativo del autor, de sus frustraciones y reveses, de su imposibilidad de escritura, el obstáculo del trabajo, la fábrica de asbestos de su padre Hermann y de cómo afectaba su obra su compleja personalidad, que impactaba directamente en lo que escribía.
Por otro lado, también desarrolla Stach las conexiones de Kafka con su condición de judío en la Praga de principios de siglo XX y de cómo sus principios generaban consecuencias a favor o en contra en las relaciones sus relaciones con sus amigos, especialmente Max Brod, quien fue el que nos dio la posibilidad de disfrutar todo lo que Kafka escribió desoyendo el último deseo del moribundo de quemar su obra.
Debido a la enorme cantidad de páginas de la biografía, es imposible detallar todo lo que Stach escribe, a la vez que resulta innecesario puesto que no tendría sentido, pero el biógrafo se toma en serio cada pequeño detalle de la vida del Kafka y aunque por momento peca de dar datos de poca relevancia, creo que logra el cometido de darnos un acabado casi total de la mente y espíritu del autor.
Apoyado en los "Diarios" y especialmente las cartas escritas a familiares, a Felice Bauer (entre paréntesis, una de las mujeres más aburridas de la historia), a Mílena Jesenská (su segundo amor inalcanzable), a sus amigos Max Brod, Otto Pick, Félix Weltsch, Ernst Weiss, el actor yiddish Jizchak Löwy, los editores Kurt Wolff y Ernst, Rowohlt y a Grete Bloch; tomando retazos de la famosa "Carta al padre" y basándose en muchísimos documentos relacionados a la vida de Kafka, Stach logra cerrar el círculo de cómo pensaba, sentía, escribía y vivía durante estos años cruciales de su vida.
Dada la compleja personalidad de Kafka, estimo que debe ser difícil como biógrafo ser exacto, ya que en muchos casos, no siempre se pueden constatar ciertos detalles reales, sino reconstruirlos a partir de los documentos escritos y creo que en el caso de Stach, los "Diarios" son fundamentales para intentar arrimarse a la verdad.
Como lector sigo comprobando que "todo está allí". Cuando uno lee sus "Diarios" sabe que de cierta manera se verán reflejadas todas esas dudas, incertidumbres, tormentos y penurias de Kafka en sus relatos y en sus novelas.
La última parte de la vida de Kafka, retratada a medias increíblemente por ciertos cabos sueltos pero con especial énfasis en su doctor Robert Klopstock y muy especialmente en Dora Diamant, el último amor de su vida, contado en "Los años del conocimiento", particularmente me interesa mucho más que la primera, "Los primeros años".
Reitero que ha sido de mi agrado y la he leído de manera intensa y en tiempo casi récord, que me mantuvo atento y me dejó una hermosa impresión.
Cada biografía que encuentro de mi escritor preferido, Franz Kafka, logra cimentar aún más mi admiración por este genio único e irrepetible.
Dedicaré todo este año 2023 a leer libros de y sobre Franz Kafka ya que como poseo más de veinte ensayos y biografías me servirán como apoyo para escribir la mía propia que publicaré el año que viene en ocasión de los 100 años de su fallecimiento.
Será un sueño hecho realidad.
January 22, 2020
Reiner Stach ist ein sehr akribischer Rechercheur. Bei dieser über 600-Seiten umfassenden Biografie handelt es sich um den ersten von insgesamt drei Bänden. Er beleuchtet lediglich die Zeit bis zu seinem 28. Lebensjahr von 1883-1911.
Ich habe in dem Buch weniger den Schriftsteller Kafka kennen gelernt, sondern vielmehr das Kind, den Schüler, den Jura-Studenten, den Versicherungsbeamten und den stillen Beobachter. Stach setzt die Bezüge zu seinen Werken eher sparsam ein. Der dominante, kaltherzige Vater oder die stupide Büroarbeit werden schon auch in den späteren Erzählungen gesucht und gefunden. Die Biografie beschäftigt sich aber nicht ausschließlich mit Kafka, sondern gibt auch hervorragende Einblicke in das jüdische Leben am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts in Europa, Einblicke in die Stadtentwicklung Prags zu dieser Zeit und vor allem über das Leben in dem Staat Österreich-Ungarn in einer Stadt, die quasi multikulturell geprägt ist. Auch wenn ich mir stellenweise eine weniger detaillierte Beschreibung gewünscht hätte, so war das Buch sehr unterhaltsam und aufschlussreich. Ich freue mich, demnächst mal wieder Kafka zu lesen. Nach diesem Buch werde ich es mit anderen Augen tun.
Ich habe in dem Buch weniger den Schriftsteller Kafka kennen gelernt, sondern vielmehr das Kind, den Schüler, den Jura-Studenten, den Versicherungsbeamten und den stillen Beobachter. Stach setzt die Bezüge zu seinen Werken eher sparsam ein. Der dominante, kaltherzige Vater oder die stupide Büroarbeit werden schon auch in den späteren Erzählungen gesucht und gefunden. Die Biografie beschäftigt sich aber nicht ausschließlich mit Kafka, sondern gibt auch hervorragende Einblicke in das jüdische Leben am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts in Europa, Einblicke in die Stadtentwicklung Prags zu dieser Zeit und vor allem über das Leben in dem Staat Österreich-Ungarn in einer Stadt, die quasi multikulturell geprägt ist. Auch wenn ich mir stellenweise eine weniger detaillierte Beschreibung gewünscht hätte, so war das Buch sehr unterhaltsam und aufschlussreich. Ich freue mich, demnächst mal wieder Kafka zu lesen. Nach diesem Buch werde ich es mit anderen Augen tun.
January 19, 2020
Reiner Stach hat mit seiner Kafka-Biografie den Beweis erbracht, dass Detailversessenheit nicht zu Lasten der Lesbarkeit gehen muss. Er zeichnet ein lebhaftes Persönlichkeitsportrait des Schriftstellers im Spiegel der gesellschaftlichen Verhältnisse seiner Zeit. "Kafka - Die frühen Jahre" ist der Abschlussband von Stachs dreibändigem Projekt, obwohl es darin hauptsächlich um die Kindheits- und Jugendjahre geht. Geschuldet ist diese unorthodoxe Publikationsreihenfolge der Tatsache, dass zum Zeitpunkt des Projektbeginns einige wichtige Dokumente noch nicht freigegeben waren. Das spricht für eine sorgfältige Herangehensweise des Autors, die sich letztlich auch bezahlt gemacht hat. Denn die Fülle des Materials, welches in akribischer Recherche zusammengetragen wurde, ist wirklich überwältigend.
Gerade die Zeit der Kindheit und Jugend stellt für den Biografen eine besondere Herausforderung dar, da meist nur auf wenig schriftliches Material zurückgegriffen werden kann. Stach versteht es die unvermeidlichen Lücken zu füllen, indem er an diesen Stellen den gesellschaftlichen Kontext stärker in den Fokus rückt. Daraus ergibt sich ein interessantes Wechselspiel zwischen persönlicher Lebensgeschichte und den großen historischen Entwicklungen auf politischer bzw. kultureller Ebene. Hinter dem verbreiteten Klischee des kränkelnden, introvertierten Jahrhundertschriftstellers, erscheint ein facettenreicheres Bild des Menschen Franz Kafka. Kafka als begeisterter Schwimmer, Anhänger der Naturheilkunde oder Bordellbesucher. Wer hätte gedacht, dass Kafka und sein Intimus Max Brod fast so etwas wie den Vorläufer des Lonely Planet Reiseführers erfunden hätten. "›Billig‹ sollte sie [die Reihe] heißen, ›Billig durch Italien‹, ›Billig nach Paris‹ …" – die besten Tipps für den reisenden Mittelstand mit begrenztem Budget.
Solche biografischen Details erweitern auch den Blick auf das literarische Werk. Ein Satz, wie z.B. "… „mein Vater ist noch immer ein Riese“, sagte sich Georg." aus der Erzählung Das Urteil, erhält neben der rein psychologischen Lesart noch eine ganz andere Bedeutung, wenn man weiß, dass Hermann Kafka (Franz Kafkas Vater) tatsächlich eine imposante körperliche Erscheinung war. Abschließend bleibt festzuhalten, dass Reiner Stach mit dieser Biografie eine außergewöhnliche Leistung gelungen ist. Was mich wiederum veranlasst, unbedingt auch die nächsten beiden Teile lesen zu wollen.
Gerade die Zeit der Kindheit und Jugend stellt für den Biografen eine besondere Herausforderung dar, da meist nur auf wenig schriftliches Material zurückgegriffen werden kann. Stach versteht es die unvermeidlichen Lücken zu füllen, indem er an diesen Stellen den gesellschaftlichen Kontext stärker in den Fokus rückt. Daraus ergibt sich ein interessantes Wechselspiel zwischen persönlicher Lebensgeschichte und den großen historischen Entwicklungen auf politischer bzw. kultureller Ebene. Hinter dem verbreiteten Klischee des kränkelnden, introvertierten Jahrhundertschriftstellers, erscheint ein facettenreicheres Bild des Menschen Franz Kafka. Kafka als begeisterter Schwimmer, Anhänger der Naturheilkunde oder Bordellbesucher. Wer hätte gedacht, dass Kafka und sein Intimus Max Brod fast so etwas wie den Vorläufer des Lonely Planet Reiseführers erfunden hätten. "›Billig‹ sollte sie [die Reihe] heißen, ›Billig durch Italien‹, ›Billig nach Paris‹ …" – die besten Tipps für den reisenden Mittelstand mit begrenztem Budget.
Solche biografischen Details erweitern auch den Blick auf das literarische Werk. Ein Satz, wie z.B. "… „mein Vater ist noch immer ein Riese“, sagte sich Georg." aus der Erzählung Das Urteil, erhält neben der rein psychologischen Lesart noch eine ganz andere Bedeutung, wenn man weiß, dass Hermann Kafka (Franz Kafkas Vater) tatsächlich eine imposante körperliche Erscheinung war. Abschließend bleibt festzuhalten, dass Reiner Stach mit dieser Biografie eine außergewöhnliche Leistung gelungen ist. Was mich wiederum veranlasst, unbedingt auch die nächsten beiden Teile lesen zu wollen.
July 17, 2018
Na zitrek svolavam oslavu a kupuju minimalne 2x Bohemia Sekt, abych oslavil, ze jsem po tomto eposu jeste nazivu. Dostavte se presne v deset kamkoliv, vstupne je banan.
Kdyz jsem do ruky bral tuhle bichlu, vedel jsem, ze to lehky nebude - a taky ze ne, ma aspon kilo a ctvrt. Kafku mam rad uz od ty doby co jsem od neho cetl Zamenu, kterou pak dobre zfilmovali s Eddie Murphym. Logicky jsem chtel vedet trochu vic a dopadlo to tak, ze vim naprosto vsechno. Kdy se Franz poprvy vykadil, kdy sel poprvy do schodu, v jakym mejdlu prala jeho babicka a v jakym jeho mati, ze mel 1.10.1907 obvod krku 37 cm a maslove zlutou moc, vymocenou bez potizi. Tohle je prvni biografie, u ktery bych si rad postezoval, ze je v ni moc udaju. Stach navic sice vydoloval vse, ale pise otravne nezazivnym profesorskym stylem, ze jsem kolikrat myslel, ze s knihou udelam kratky Proces a Promenim ji v Zamek v Americe, coz bych dal Dopisy vedet akorat Milene a fotrovi. Pardonecek, jen jsem chtel napsat vsechny jeho knihy v jedne vete, tomu se rika experimentalni literatura pratele.
No, dozvedel jsem se hodne, ale bylo to hutny a obcas me vylozene sraly fabulace. Takze 8/10. Nicmene je to dobra exkurze do Prahy pocatku 20. stoleti. Doufam, ze ve druhym dile uz konecne napise nejakou knizku, jinak se obesim.
Fun fact: Kafka napsal slovo soustat pouze jednou v zivote, Palivo milionkrat. Palivo 1, Kafka 0.
Kdyz jsem do ruky bral tuhle bichlu, vedel jsem, ze to lehky nebude - a taky ze ne, ma aspon kilo a ctvrt. Kafku mam rad uz od ty doby co jsem od neho cetl Zamenu, kterou pak dobre zfilmovali s Eddie Murphym. Logicky jsem chtel vedet trochu vic a dopadlo to tak, ze vim naprosto vsechno. Kdy se Franz poprvy vykadil, kdy sel poprvy do schodu, v jakym mejdlu prala jeho babicka a v jakym jeho mati, ze mel 1.10.1907 obvod krku 37 cm a maslove zlutou moc, vymocenou bez potizi. Tohle je prvni biografie, u ktery bych si rad postezoval, ze je v ni moc udaju. Stach navic sice vydoloval vse, ale pise otravne nezazivnym profesorskym stylem, ze jsem kolikrat myslel, ze s knihou udelam kratky Proces a Promenim ji v Zamek v Americe, coz bych dal Dopisy vedet akorat Milene a fotrovi. Pardonecek, jen jsem chtel napsat vsechny jeho knihy v jedne vete, tomu se rika experimentalni literatura pratele.
No, dozvedel jsem se hodne, ale bylo to hutny a obcas me vylozene sraly fabulace. Takze 8/10. Nicmene je to dobra exkurze do Prahy pocatku 20. stoleti. Doufam, ze ve druhym dile uz konecne napise nejakou knizku, jinak se obesim.
Fun fact: Kafka napsal slovo soustat pouze jednou v zivote, Palivo milionkrat. Palivo 1, Kafka 0.
October 10, 2017
This is the start of a big project for me - the Stach three volume biography of Kafka. This is the first volume, taking Kafka up to 1911, and turns out to be an excellent start. I cannot wait to get going on the second volume. I am going to reserve judgment on the literary content until the next volume, which begins with the beginning of Kafka’s strong development of his creative style in the initial short stories. I will reread them in preparation for the next volume.
This volume focuses on Kafka coming of age intellectually high school and college and making a commitment to become a writer. In the process, Stach presents a really nice context of life for a Jewish family in Prague at the turn of the 20th century. As to Kafka’s personal development, while this is a very different story from what a young person faces today, it is surprisingly accessible in terms of the fundamental issues (science versus humanities; business versus government; individual development versus career training). How Kafka fit into his groups of friends and peers was also well covered and fascinating — for example traveling to see Paris, or to attend a hot air show, or to see the newfangled motion pictures.
Regarding Kafka’s professional development, the story of his success at the Insurance Institute was fascinating and makes me curious about how his thought in solving problems for his bosses was associated with how he came to define situations for his prose. This was only the start of the story, however, but Kafka’s writing career is only just getting started by the end of this volume.
I am eagerly anticipating starting the second volume before too long.
This volume focuses on Kafka coming of age intellectually high school and college and making a commitment to become a writer. In the process, Stach presents a really nice context of life for a Jewish family in Prague at the turn of the 20th century. As to Kafka’s personal development, while this is a very different story from what a young person faces today, it is surprisingly accessible in terms of the fundamental issues (science versus humanities; business versus government; individual development versus career training). How Kafka fit into his groups of friends and peers was also well covered and fascinating — for example traveling to see Paris, or to attend a hot air show, or to see the newfangled motion pictures.
Regarding Kafka’s professional development, the story of his success at the Insurance Institute was fascinating and makes me curious about how his thought in solving problems for his bosses was associated with how he came to define situations for his prose. This was only the start of the story, however, but Kafka’s writing career is only just getting started by the end of this volume.
I am eagerly anticipating starting the second volume before too long.
June 3, 2020
Vengo a abrir un melón.
Un melón en el que esta biografía está inflada, de ego del autor, que piensa que puede adjudicar sentimientos y emociones a Kafka e incluso ponerse a su nivel, pero también en la cantidad de páginas que sobran porque no aportan nada. Cientos.
Estilísticamente no puedo obviar la exagerada reiteración de anglicismos y las erratas. Decenas.
Incluso el nombre del autor escrito mal. Ojo: 5 letras, 1 vocal dos veces y sólo dos consonantes.
Con esto no digo que no leáis o que no merece la pena. Si sois fanáticos de Kafka, leedlo.
El resto, con ejemplos de una y otra cosa, lo tenéis en:
https://lahierbaroja.com/2020/05/21/k...
El melón de por qué tiene casi 5 estrellas de valoración, lo dejo para otro día.
Un melón en el que esta biografía está inflada, de ego del autor, que piensa que puede adjudicar sentimientos y emociones a Kafka e incluso ponerse a su nivel, pero también en la cantidad de páginas que sobran porque no aportan nada. Cientos.
Estilísticamente no puedo obviar la exagerada reiteración de anglicismos y las erratas. Decenas.
Incluso el nombre del autor escrito mal. Ojo: 5 letras, 1 vocal dos veces y sólo dos consonantes.
Con esto no digo que no leáis o que no merece la pena. Si sois fanáticos de Kafka, leedlo.
El resto, con ejemplos de una y otra cosa, lo tenéis en:
https://lahierbaroja.com/2020/05/21/k...
El melón de por qué tiene casi 5 estrellas de valoración, lo dejo para otro día.
May 5, 2017
Maravilloso. Me ha dejado fascinada y adorando aún más a Franz Kafka.
April 21, 2019
This is absolutely brilliant!!!
Loved every bit of it! You are getting immersed in the atmosphere, you are there, standing next to Kafka himself!
It's amazing how author doesn't just tell you about Kafka, but tells you about surroundings and what is happening there in that particular moment. Quite a bit of history there.
I couldn't wish for a better biography!!!
Loved every bit of it! You are getting immersed in the atmosphere, you are there, standing next to Kafka himself!
It's amazing how author doesn't just tell you about Kafka, but tells you about surroundings and what is happening there in that particular moment. Quite a bit of history there.
I couldn't wish for a better biography!!!
January 22, 2025
Stach Kafkův životopis uvádí popisem Prahy 19. století. Nejedná se o žádné romantické výjevy (neboť poslední zbytky pražského kouzla dle Stacha vybělila asanace Josefova), ale o nelichotivý výkres zašlého a mentálně zaostalého města. Česky mluvící Pražany nepopisuje o nic vstřícněji a posměšně líčí jejich mylnou interpretaci dějin – „vzatou do služeb vlastní národní ideologii“ – ve které všechny české nezdary způsobila prohra na Bílé hoře.
Rozumím, že se Stach pokoušel vyobrazit mentalitu tehdejší společnosti, nicméně český nacionalismus je zde vykreslen jakoby ve vakuu, přičemž minimum času je věnováno rostoucímu německému militarismu a tamní zrcadlové nacionalistické propagandě o „tradičně germánské Praze“. Nepadne žádná zmínka o českém národním obrození jakožto o nedílné součásti revoluční doby, vrcholící rokem 1848, kdy se nacionalismus prohnal Evropou jako lesní požár. Češi tak obecně vyznívají jako banda debilů utlačujících pražské Němce a Kafkův příběh může začít.
Nebo skončit. Protože ačkoliv se jedná o knihu popisující prvních 27 let Kafkova života, v rámci Stachovy trilogie se jedná o nejmladší knihu, vydanou 12 let po předchozích dvou svazcích. Kafkovo tvůrčí období tak již bylo náležitě probádáno a Rané roky se zabývají zejména jeho identitou: jeho vztahem k rodině, k židovství, ke škole a práci, k prostitutkám, k plavání a k mnohému dalšímu. Jedná se o hutnou akademickou práci plnou odboček a poznámek pod čarou (které jsou nezdarem osudu až vzádu v knize – přesně tam, kde si je nikdo nikdy nepřečte).
Po úvodu jsem se bála, že to bude další kniha sloužící německé tradici minulého století co nejvíc germanizovat ne-německé prominentní osoby – tak jak se to stalo Koperníkovi, Munchovi, Lisztovi, a samozřejmě: Kafkovi. Nicméně Stach tuto jámu přeskočil a nesnažil se Kafkovu multidimenzionalitu jakkoliv zplošťovat.
Dozvíme se, že „František Kafka“ mluvil plynně česky (a s osobitým německých přízvukem), že k češtině měl srdeční vazbu, ale že během mladé dospělosti zároveň (velmi krátce) koketoval s německými nacionalistickými spolky v Praze. „Pražská němčina“ pak byla unikátní jazyková směska, „prošpikovaná austricismy, ozvuky z jidiš, gramatickými a fonetickými dopady češtiny, vlivy dialektů z Čech i mnohými lokálními zvláštnostmi.“
Stach nás provede Kafkovou bar micvou, maturitou i jeho dvoutýdenním studiem chemie na Karlově univerzitě. Jeho cestami do zahraničí. Jeho kamarádstvím s Maxem Brodem. (To byly krásný kapitoly.) Když na mě vyskočila kapitola o pojišťovnictví, docela jsem se lekla, ale nakonec to byla jedna z nejlepších částí knihy. Kafka se jako pojišťovák pravidelně setkával se smrtí a pracovními úrazy, které musel kategorizovat a ohodnotit, aby zraněnému či pozůstalé rodině bylo vyplaceno náležité odškodné. Je zřejmé, že absurdita jeho povinnosti kvantifikovat lidské utrpení se následně nemálo promítla i v jeho psaní.
Nicméně, jak už jsem naznačila na začátku, měla jsem pocit, že biografii schází širší kontext. Stach se soustředí na jednotlivosti – ty kategorizuje a obsesivně popisuje ze všech úhlů – nicméně opomíná zaznamenávat jejich vztahy, jejich propojenost se světem. Mnoho kapitol je tak tunelem, vedoucím do hlubin a osamělé temnoty.
Ostatně jak Stach poznamenal: „Napsat biografii není lehký úkol. Jak obsáhnout něčí život: letitý amalgám vnitřního světa a sociokulturního kontextu, měňavka napříč oceány.“
Rozumím, že se Stach pokoušel vyobrazit mentalitu tehdejší společnosti, nicméně český nacionalismus je zde vykreslen jakoby ve vakuu, přičemž minimum času je věnováno rostoucímu německému militarismu a tamní zrcadlové nacionalistické propagandě o „tradičně germánské Praze“. Nepadne žádná zmínka o českém národním obrození jakožto o nedílné součásti revoluční doby, vrcholící rokem 1848, kdy se nacionalismus prohnal Evropou jako lesní požár. Češi tak obecně vyznívají jako banda debilů utlačujících pražské Němce a Kafkův příběh může začít.
Nebo skončit. Protože ačkoliv se jedná o knihu popisující prvních 27 let Kafkova života, v rámci Stachovy trilogie se jedná o nejmladší knihu, vydanou 12 let po předchozích dvou svazcích. Kafkovo tvůrčí období tak již bylo náležitě probádáno a Rané roky se zabývají zejména jeho identitou: jeho vztahem k rodině, k židovství, ke škole a práci, k prostitutkám, k plavání a k mnohému dalšímu. Jedná se o hutnou akademickou práci plnou odboček a poznámek pod čarou (které jsou nezdarem osudu až vzádu v knize – přesně tam, kde si je nikdo nikdy nepřečte).
Po úvodu jsem se bála, že to bude další kniha sloužící německé tradici minulého století co nejvíc germanizovat ne-německé prominentní osoby – tak jak se to stalo Koperníkovi, Munchovi, Lisztovi, a samozřejmě: Kafkovi. Nicméně Stach tuto jámu přeskočil a nesnažil se Kafkovu multidimenzionalitu jakkoliv zplošťovat.
Dozvíme se, že „František Kafka“ mluvil plynně česky (a s osobitým německých přízvukem), že k češtině měl srdeční vazbu, ale že během mladé dospělosti zároveň (velmi krátce) koketoval s německými nacionalistickými spolky v Praze. „Pražská němčina“ pak byla unikátní jazyková směska, „prošpikovaná austricismy, ozvuky z jidiš, gramatickými a fonetickými dopady češtiny, vlivy dialektů z Čech i mnohými lokálními zvláštnostmi.“
Stach nás provede Kafkovou bar micvou, maturitou i jeho dvoutýdenním studiem chemie na Karlově univerzitě. Jeho cestami do zahraničí. Jeho kamarádstvím s Maxem Brodem. (To byly krásný kapitoly.) Když na mě vyskočila kapitola o pojišťovnictví, docela jsem se lekla, ale nakonec to byla jedna z nejlepších částí knihy. Kafka se jako pojišťovák pravidelně setkával se smrtí a pracovními úrazy, které musel kategorizovat a ohodnotit, aby zraněnému či pozůstalé rodině bylo vyplaceno náležité odškodné. Je zřejmé, že absurdita jeho povinnosti kvantifikovat lidské utrpení se následně nemálo promítla i v jeho psaní.
Nicméně, jak už jsem naznačila na začátku, měla jsem pocit, že biografii schází širší kontext. Stach se soustředí na jednotlivosti – ty kategorizuje a obsesivně popisuje ze všech úhlů – nicméně opomíná zaznamenávat jejich vztahy, jejich propojenost se světem. Mnoho kapitol je tak tunelem, vedoucím do hlubin a osamělé temnoty.
Ostatně jak Stach poznamenal: „Napsat biografii není lehký úkol. Jak obsáhnout něčí život: letitý amalgám vnitřního světa a sociokulturního kontextu, měňavka napříč oceány.“
April 9, 2024
He leído la traducción de Carlos Fortea en la editorial Acantilado.
Menuda absoluta maravilla. Creo que nunca había leído una biografía por entero, y tengo por seguro que nunca voy a volver a leer una tan buena como esta.
Menuda absoluta maravilla. Creo que nunca había leído una biografía por entero, y tengo por seguro que nunca voy a volver a leer una tan buena como esta.
March 4, 2021
Overwhelming, fascinating, brilliant! Shortly after I targeted Prague as my next culture-travel stop, I stumbled upon this extensive biography by Reiner Stach. And what a discovery it was!
First of all, the book is overwhelming because of scope (three volume bio, 600 pages each), the level of detail (e.g. we examine the quality of Kafka's urine at a health check as part of his onboarding at Assicurazioni Generali), as well as the contextual breadth of Kafka's life journey. For instance, the author takes us back to 1621 (!) to dig out the very essence of the "idea of Prague"; or, he examines the intricacies of spa industry at the turn of the century on the occasion of the 18-years old's visit to Norderney.
The book is a 'fascinosum' for every lover of history (in my case, the history of what I consider my home country). Strangely enough, my post-communist history classes curriculi failed to mention -- among many other things -- the so-called familiant law introduced by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, which effectively banned Jewish couples to marry, until some other 'familiant' i.e. head of family, has passed away. An official limit (numerus clausus) was set on the total number of Jewish families living in Austria-Hungary. It would be interesting to find out how many Czech, Slovak, Hungarian or Austrian university students (not to mention the 'general multitude') are aware of this ill-advised policy which was in place for about 150 years. Ever wondered why a relatively small set of Jewish surnames are used today? My takeaway from this particular story is that the biggest catastrophy that still affects this part of the world is neither conflicts, nor pandemics, but an ever-lasting relationship of totalitarian minds with nationalism and primitive tribalism, which leads to deportations and expulsions of whoever the tyrant points to as his 'class enemy'. The long-gone natural diversity has made us strong -- back then. But again, does anyone today appreciate Joseph's reform in 1848? Well, I certainly do. Given Hermann's "web-based" approach to bride selection (effectively utilizing the service of the so-called 'shadchens', marriage brokers), Franz Kafka -- almost certainly -- wouldn't have been born. No matter how disillusioned we may be about politics today, the simple message is: policies matter.
Finally, the book is brilliant: not just in terms of style, but the 'method': the way how the author approaches the subject. There's no better way to understand history than by following the subtle thread of life of a specific person woven into the complexities of historical eras. Some of the reviewers suggested that too often Reiner Stach rambles from one topic to another, walks astray of the subject, lacks focus, etc. But how can we get to understand 'life'? I tend to think it's the >>context<< that enables us to obtain understanding of the >>meaning<<. Kafka's life is woven into a complex fabric of broader historical and social developments of his time -- all of that with a remarkable sense of granularity, ingenuity, and an extra dramatic touch.
I started to read this one out of curiosity, just to get some idea of Kafka's story. What I got is a time machine that brought me back to the times of a great writer -- every time I open this book, just like the main character of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.
I am hoping to use this pandemic to read through the volumes 2 & 3 (unfortunately yes, I assume will take that long). Can't wait to walk down the streets of Prague again. Just me and the book. And then, let the art do the magic: help me see things I haven't seen before. And, even more importantly, see the things I thought I knew from a profoundly new perspective.
First of all, the book is overwhelming because of scope (three volume bio, 600 pages each), the level of detail (e.g. we examine the quality of Kafka's urine at a health check as part of his onboarding at Assicurazioni Generali), as well as the contextual breadth of Kafka's life journey. For instance, the author takes us back to 1621 (!) to dig out the very essence of the "idea of Prague"; or, he examines the intricacies of spa industry at the turn of the century on the occasion of the 18-years old's visit to Norderney.
The book is a 'fascinosum' for every lover of history (in my case, the history of what I consider my home country). Strangely enough, my post-communist history classes curriculi failed to mention -- among many other things -- the so-called familiant law introduced by Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, which effectively banned Jewish couples to marry, until some other 'familiant' i.e. head of family, has passed away. An official limit (numerus clausus) was set on the total number of Jewish families living in Austria-Hungary. It would be interesting to find out how many Czech, Slovak, Hungarian or Austrian university students (not to mention the 'general multitude') are aware of this ill-advised policy which was in place for about 150 years. Ever wondered why a relatively small set of Jewish surnames are used today? My takeaway from this particular story is that the biggest catastrophy that still affects this part of the world is neither conflicts, nor pandemics, but an ever-lasting relationship of totalitarian minds with nationalism and primitive tribalism, which leads to deportations and expulsions of whoever the tyrant points to as his 'class enemy'. The long-gone natural diversity has made us strong -- back then. But again, does anyone today appreciate Joseph's reform in 1848? Well, I certainly do. Given Hermann's "web-based" approach to bride selection (effectively utilizing the service of the so-called 'shadchens', marriage brokers), Franz Kafka -- almost certainly -- wouldn't have been born. No matter how disillusioned we may be about politics today, the simple message is: policies matter.
Finally, the book is brilliant: not just in terms of style, but the 'method': the way how the author approaches the subject. There's no better way to understand history than by following the subtle thread of life of a specific person woven into the complexities of historical eras. Some of the reviewers suggested that too often Reiner Stach rambles from one topic to another, walks astray of the subject, lacks focus, etc. But how can we get to understand 'life'? I tend to think it's the >>context<< that enables us to obtain understanding of the >>meaning<<. Kafka's life is woven into a complex fabric of broader historical and social developments of his time -- all of that with a remarkable sense of granularity, ingenuity, and an extra dramatic touch.
I started to read this one out of curiosity, just to get some idea of Kafka's story. What I got is a time machine that brought me back to the times of a great writer -- every time I open this book, just like the main character of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.
I am hoping to use this pandemic to read through the volumes 2 & 3 (unfortunately yes, I assume will take that long). Can't wait to walk down the streets of Prague again. Just me and the book. And then, let the art do the magic: help me see things I haven't seen before. And, even more importantly, see the things I thought I knew from a profoundly new perspective.
December 7, 2021
(ES): La biografía cubre algo más que la vida de Kafka. Desde el principio Stach aclara que sus intenciones y esfuerzos no llegarían a
dar una imagen exacta del hombre de Praga.
Precisamente los cuadros que se hacen de la situación socio política durante la vida de Kafka es lo que más rescato. La escritura
del libro permite sumergirse en una ciudad, un clima y una idiosincracia lejana para uno. Y entrega luces sobre eventos y conflictos que, pavorosamente, se asemejan bastante a situaciones de las que hemos sido testigos en nuestro mundo de hoy.
En esta biografía se encuentra lo que se supone fue el tránsito de Kafka por este mundo. Entregando la mayor cantidad de detalles posibles acerca de su entorno familiar y los traslados que hizo dentro de Europa. Se detiene en sus relaciones personales y las conexiones entre sus experiencias y sus obras de ficción.
Personalmente encontré fascinante la manera de recrear algunas situaciones, como los encuentros con mujeres que dejaron una huella indeleble. Todo a partir de sus diarios, cartas y declaraciones de gente que lo conoció.
Para mí fue una agradable experiencia de lectura. Su lectura no debiera afectar el aprecio por su obra literaria sino más bien aumentarla.
Recomendable especialmente para quienes les atrae el retrato de una época lejana.
------------------
(EN): This biography covers more than just Kafka's life. From the beginning Stach clarifies that his intentions and efforts would not come to fruition on giving an exact picture of the man from Prague.
Precisely the pictures that are made of the socio-political situation during Kafka's life are what I rescue the most. The book allows you to immerse yourself in a city, a climate and a distant idiosyncrasy. And it sheds light on events and conflicts that, terrifyingly, closely resemble situations that we have witnessed in our world today.
In this biography you can find what is supposed to have been Kafka's transit through this world. Delivering as much detail as possible about his family environment and the transfers he made within Europe. He dwells on his personal relationships and the connections between his experiences and his works of fiction.
Personally, I found the way to recreate some situations fascinating, such as encounters with women that left an indelible mark. Almost all based from his diaries, letters and statements from people who knew him.
The book (more than 2K pages!) was a pleasant reading experience for me. Reading it should not affect appreciation for his literary work but rather enhance it.
Especially recommended for those who are attracted to the portrait of a distant time.
dar una imagen exacta del hombre de Praga.
Precisamente los cuadros que se hacen de la situación socio política durante la vida de Kafka es lo que más rescato. La escritura
del libro permite sumergirse en una ciudad, un clima y una idiosincracia lejana para uno. Y entrega luces sobre eventos y conflictos que, pavorosamente, se asemejan bastante a situaciones de las que hemos sido testigos en nuestro mundo de hoy.
En esta biografía se encuentra lo que se supone fue el tránsito de Kafka por este mundo. Entregando la mayor cantidad de detalles posibles acerca de su entorno familiar y los traslados que hizo dentro de Europa. Se detiene en sus relaciones personales y las conexiones entre sus experiencias y sus obras de ficción.
Personalmente encontré fascinante la manera de recrear algunas situaciones, como los encuentros con mujeres que dejaron una huella indeleble. Todo a partir de sus diarios, cartas y declaraciones de gente que lo conoció.
Para mí fue una agradable experiencia de lectura. Su lectura no debiera afectar el aprecio por su obra literaria sino más bien aumentarla.
Recomendable especialmente para quienes les atrae el retrato de una época lejana.
------------------
(EN): This biography covers more than just Kafka's life. From the beginning Stach clarifies that his intentions and efforts would not come to fruition on giving an exact picture of the man from Prague.
Precisely the pictures that are made of the socio-political situation during Kafka's life are what I rescue the most. The book allows you to immerse yourself in a city, a climate and a distant idiosyncrasy. And it sheds light on events and conflicts that, terrifyingly, closely resemble situations that we have witnessed in our world today.
In this biography you can find what is supposed to have been Kafka's transit through this world. Delivering as much detail as possible about his family environment and the transfers he made within Europe. He dwells on his personal relationships and the connections between his experiences and his works of fiction.
Personally, I found the way to recreate some situations fascinating, such as encounters with women that left an indelible mark. Almost all based from his diaries, letters and statements from people who knew him.
The book (more than 2K pages!) was a pleasant reading experience for me. Reading it should not affect appreciation for his literary work but rather enhance it.
Especially recommended for those who are attracted to the portrait of a distant time.
September 19, 2021
I have waited years for this. Literally. I remember buying the second and third volumes of Reiner Stach’s biography of Kafka about seven or eight years ago. I waited a couple of years for the first volume to be published; then in 2015 I lost patience and read the two instalments that were available at the time. I believe this first instalment was finally published in 2017. By instalment, I’m talking about the translations by Shelley Frisch, not the original German versions. This first instalment was delayed because Reiner Stach wanted to make use of material held by the estate of Max Brod, Kafka’s close friend and literary executor. Brod’s estate has been subject to decades of legal wrangling, but eventually Stach was given access to a treasure trove of diaries and letters that give us an insight into Kafka’s life as an insurance clerk as much as his life as a writer of genius.
Anyway, at last I’ve been able to read complete the full life of Kafka. This instalment gives us not just Kafka’s early years, but a great deal of information about his parents and their families, and about the Austro-Hungarian empire. It also tells us a lot about the rabid anti-Semitism of the era and its impact on Kafka in terms of education and career choices. Stach explains in minute detail what it was like to be a German-speaking Jew in Prague when Czech nationalism was on the rise.
I have been a Kafka fan since I was a teenager, and I thought I knew a lot about him, although I had only read one fairly brief biography back in the Eighties. That biography tended to overstate Kafka’s loneliness and isolation and the dreadful tyranny of his father. Reiner Stach gives a rather different account. He shows that, despite his innate shyness, Kafka had a fairly busy social life, which included visits to brothels and shady drinking dens, as well as membership of various discussion groups specialising in philosophy and literature. Kafka was also plugged into the technological advances of the age. He was fascinated by flying. He also took every opportunity to go on holiday, whether it be some faddish sanitorium, or swimming in Swiss lakes or trips to Paris. My memory of volumes two and three is that the much-maligned Hermann Kafka often had good reason to bawl out young Franz. His son and heir never showed any interest in the family business (a fancy goods store) and rarely helped out in the shop. His excuse was that as an insurance clerk he worked long hours at a tedious and mind-numbing job, but he seems to have had plenty of free time for navel-gazing. Bear in mind, that by the end of this first volume Kafka has done very little real “writing”, just a couple of fragments (“Description of a Struggle” and “Wedding Preparations in the Country”. You have to wait for the second volume for the literary breakthrough (“The Judgment”). So, this volume has a lot more about Kafka’s exam results and his work in industrial accident insurance (he became something of a health and safety expert) than it has about his literary output.
This edition has many photographs of the Prague of Kafka’s youth and of his family and friends. The photograph of his three sisters is especially poignant. It wasn’t until I read the third volume that I learned that all three of them were murdered in the Holocaust. The youngest sister, Ottla, the one Kafka was closest to, was killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Elli and Valli died in a Polish ghetto.
I must give due credit to Shelley Frisch. She has collaborated closely with Reiner Stach to produce this translation and we can be confident that it is an accurate and a sensitive one. It is also an American translation and although the Americanisms occasionally grate, they don’t detract from the overall quality of the translation.
I would recommend all three volumes to anyone who cares about Kafka’s writing and wants to know more about this literary genius and complex human being.
February 9, 2023
Offers disappointingly few insights into Kafka's writing.
This is the first volume of Stach's three-part Kafka biography. It covers his family origins and the first 28 years of his life, from birth in Prague (1883) through the summer of 1911. It ends, therefore, just before Kafka's creative breakthrough in 1912, the year he wrote The Judgment and The Metamorphosis. In retrospect, I would gladly have skipped this volume and started with Kafka: The Decisive Years, which runs through 1915 and covers his most important years of work.
Thematically-structured biography
Many biographies have a strong chronological structure: parents' origins, circumstances of birth, trials of infancy and youth, transition to adulthood; all the events of a life, year by year. However, with only scarce biographical material on Kafka's early years, Stach adopts a more thematic structure. His work is only loosely chronological, with its 28 chapters focused on social, economic, and political issues pertinent to Kafka at different stages of his youth.
For example, Chapter 8, titled "A City Energized", deals with events and entertainments in Prague during Kafka's schoolboy days: a massive flood that destroyed the Charles Bridge when Kafka was seven; the first manned balloon flight over the city a year later; the popular Jubilee Exhibition of industry and handicrafts (also in 1891); the first moving picture entertainments (introduced when Kafka was thirteen); and the "swimming schools" operating on the banks of the Vltava River. This chapter, with its outward-looking focus on the city of Prague, is highly informative as popular history but provides only sketchy information on Kafka's own childhood. The most certain fact seems to be that Kafka was a passionate member of the swimming clubs.
The book's thematic chapters require the reader to repeatedly adjust to different time periods. The chapter describing life in Prague (see above) takes Kafka from age eight to around thirteen. This is followed by a chapter on Kafka's relationship to his three sisters, starting from the birth of the youngest when Kafka was eight, and extending through the girls' teenage years, when Kafka was in his twenties. The next chapter is on Kafka's academic studies as a schoolboy, which takes us back again to Kafka at age ten and then forward to his adolescent years. Given this footloose process of seeking evidence on Kafka's youth from different perspectives, the reader is left, in the end, with only an impressionistic picture of the actual chronology of his early years.
Excessive detail
The biography is impressive in the depth of its research, which is a cause for celebration for Kafkologists but TMI for neophytes. Stach's position seems to be that, since Kafka's life is poorly documented, all related materials, even those that are only tangential, are worthy of inclusion.
For example, the penultimate chapter details the early twentieth century enthusiasm for spiritualism and Rudolph Steiner's theosophical movement. Kafka and his friends, like many others, attended seances and Steiner's lectures as a form of entertainment. But since Kafka thought spiritualism to be a joke and was only briefly attracted to Steiner's teachings, the breadth of Stach's coverage of the two topics seems excessive.
Similarly, we learn that Einstein was at Prague University in 1911 and interacted with Kafka's colleagues. However, as regards Kafka, Stach can only claim that “it is highly likely that he was at least introduced to Einstein". Given the speculative and (at best) passing nature of this contact, the introduction of Einstein into the biography adds little more than a “fun fact” (did you know that Kafka possibly…?)
All in all, there is too much tangential material in the biography. The reader concludes with a stronger feeling for turn-of-the-century Prague than for Kafka’s own youth.
This is the first volume of Stach's three-part Kafka biography. It covers his family origins and the first 28 years of his life, from birth in Prague (1883) through the summer of 1911. It ends, therefore, just before Kafka's creative breakthrough in 1912, the year he wrote The Judgment and The Metamorphosis. In retrospect, I would gladly have skipped this volume and started with Kafka: The Decisive Years, which runs through 1915 and covers his most important years of work.
Thematically-structured biography
Many biographies have a strong chronological structure: parents' origins, circumstances of birth, trials of infancy and youth, transition to adulthood; all the events of a life, year by year. However, with only scarce biographical material on Kafka's early years, Stach adopts a more thematic structure. His work is only loosely chronological, with its 28 chapters focused on social, economic, and political issues pertinent to Kafka at different stages of his youth.
For example, Chapter 8, titled "A City Energized", deals with events and entertainments in Prague during Kafka's schoolboy days: a massive flood that destroyed the Charles Bridge when Kafka was seven; the first manned balloon flight over the city a year later; the popular Jubilee Exhibition of industry and handicrafts (also in 1891); the first moving picture entertainments (introduced when Kafka was thirteen); and the "swimming schools" operating on the banks of the Vltava River. This chapter, with its outward-looking focus on the city of Prague, is highly informative as popular history but provides only sketchy information on Kafka's own childhood. The most certain fact seems to be that Kafka was a passionate member of the swimming clubs.
The book's thematic chapters require the reader to repeatedly adjust to different time periods. The chapter describing life in Prague (see above) takes Kafka from age eight to around thirteen. This is followed by a chapter on Kafka's relationship to his three sisters, starting from the birth of the youngest when Kafka was eight, and extending through the girls' teenage years, when Kafka was in his twenties. The next chapter is on Kafka's academic studies as a schoolboy, which takes us back again to Kafka at age ten and then forward to his adolescent years. Given this footloose process of seeking evidence on Kafka's youth from different perspectives, the reader is left, in the end, with only an impressionistic picture of the actual chronology of his early years.
Excessive detail
The biography is impressive in the depth of its research, which is a cause for celebration for Kafkologists but TMI for neophytes. Stach's position seems to be that, since Kafka's life is poorly documented, all related materials, even those that are only tangential, are worthy of inclusion.
For example, the penultimate chapter details the early twentieth century enthusiasm for spiritualism and Rudolph Steiner's theosophical movement. Kafka and his friends, like many others, attended seances and Steiner's lectures as a form of entertainment. But since Kafka thought spiritualism to be a joke and was only briefly attracted to Steiner's teachings, the breadth of Stach's coverage of the two topics seems excessive.
Similarly, we learn that Einstein was at Prague University in 1911 and interacted with Kafka's colleagues. However, as regards Kafka, Stach can only claim that “it is highly likely that he was at least introduced to Einstein". Given the speculative and (at best) passing nature of this contact, the introduction of Einstein into the biography adds little more than a “fun fact” (did you know that Kafka possibly…?)
All in all, there is too much tangential material in the biography. The reader concludes with a stronger feeling for turn-of-the-century Prague than for Kafka’s own youth.
February 2, 2025
Y’all about to be real sick of me
February 9, 2019
In der ersten Hälfte erfährt man viel über die prägenden Jahre der Kindheit Kafkas in der jüdischen Familie. Auch viel über die politischen Verhältnisse in der damaligen österreichisch-ungarischen Monarchie; von den Konflikten zwischen Deutschen, Tschechen und dazwischen die besonderen Probleme der jüdischen Bevölkerung.
Alles prägende Ursachen für Kafkas Gefühle, am Rande des Lebens zu stehen, sich einen Zugang zum Leben erst erobern zu müssen. Lesen als Flucht vor der Einsamkeit und den Schrecken der realen Welt; und das Schreiben, um sich über seine Gefühle, Versagensängste, Furcht selbst klar zu werden, sich davon zu befreien und dadurch auch für andere sichtbar werden zu lassen.
Darüberhinaus hat der Autor (Stach) ein unglaublich detailreiches Bild des damaligen deutschen und tschechischen Prager Literatur-Lebens beschrieben. Für Historiker sicher sehr interessant: jedoch manchmal mühsam für denjenigen zu lesen, der hauptsächlich beim Menschen Kafka bleiben möchte.
Wenn eine Erzählung durch zu viel Mosaik ähnlicher Details unterbrochen wird, wird das Wesentliche undeutlich.
Alles prägende Ursachen für Kafkas Gefühle, am Rande des Lebens zu stehen, sich einen Zugang zum Leben erst erobern zu müssen. Lesen als Flucht vor der Einsamkeit und den Schrecken der realen Welt; und das Schreiben, um sich über seine Gefühle, Versagensängste, Furcht selbst klar zu werden, sich davon zu befreien und dadurch auch für andere sichtbar werden zu lassen.
Darüberhinaus hat der Autor (Stach) ein unglaublich detailreiches Bild des damaligen deutschen und tschechischen Prager Literatur-Lebens beschrieben. Für Historiker sicher sehr interessant: jedoch manchmal mühsam für denjenigen zu lesen, der hauptsächlich beim Menschen Kafka bleiben möchte.
Wenn eine Erzählung durch zu viel Mosaik ähnlicher Details unterbrochen wird, wird das Wesentliche undeutlich.
June 17, 2023
Molta palla i poc gra...
Com a obra on es detalla tot el context històric al voltant de la vida de Kafka, està molt bé (i com que m'agrada la història li he donat 3 estrelles), però com a biografia en sí, no tant (aquí se'n mereixeria només dues). S'esplaia molt al principi de l'obra, quan menys coses hi ha per explicar i després sembla que té pressa per acabar.
M'ha agradat...
quan el desenvolupament de les obres s'infiltra en el dia a dia de la vida de Kafka.
M'ha fet especial ràbia...
quan l'autor parla en 3a persona de si mateix. Quan es permet criticar la resta de biògrafs, però després coment els mateixos errors. Molesta l'excessiva presència de l'autor, que per mi, en una biografia hauria de ser invisible.
Trobo imperdonable...
la gran quantitat d'errors tipogràfics, que fan mal a la vista i despisten la lectura. No m'esperava això d'una editorial com Acantilado de la qual n'aprecio la qualitat. I, ja em disculpareu, és imperdonable en un llibre que s'ha editat amb tot luxe de detalls i que val 85 €!
Com a obra on es detalla tot el context històric al voltant de la vida de Kafka, està molt bé (i com que m'agrada la història li he donat 3 estrelles), però com a biografia en sí, no tant (aquí se'n mereixeria només dues). S'esplaia molt al principi de l'obra, quan menys coses hi ha per explicar i després sembla que té pressa per acabar.
M'ha agradat...
quan el desenvolupament de les obres s'infiltra en el dia a dia de la vida de Kafka.
M'ha fet especial ràbia...
quan l'autor parla en 3a persona de si mateix. Quan es permet criticar la resta de biògrafs, però després coment els mateixos errors. Molesta l'excessiva presència de l'autor, que per mi, en una biografia hauria de ser invisible.
Trobo imperdonable...
la gran quantitat d'errors tipogràfics, que fan mal a la vista i despisten la lectura. No m'esperava això d'una editorial com Acantilado de la qual n'aprecio la qualitat. I, ja em disculpareu, és imperdonable en un llibre que s'ha editat amb tot luxe de detalls i que val 85 €!
June 25, 2021
Más de dos mil páginas dedicadas a la vida de Kafka, un tipo de otro planeta, que no intentan resolver el enigma, si no exponer el enigma que fue la vida de un tipo con ese descomunal talento, y que asimiló su vida a la literatura a sabiendas de que eso significaba la auto destrucción. El trabajo de Stach es impresionante, desde la contextualización histórica, hasta el acceso a cartas aún no publicadas.
La biblia para cualquier kafkiano.
La biblia para cualquier kafkiano.
March 25, 2021
سيرة كبيرة وشاملة للكاتب الكبير فرانز كافكا ..
May 8, 2024
This is the first volume of the magisterial three-volume biography of Franz Kafka, extending to 1700 pages, that was written in German by Reiner Stach and is translated now by Shelley Frisch. It is hard to imagine anything comparable succeeding it. Stach’s access to various German archives means that we are given, in very great detail, Kafka’s letters to friends, lovers, and publishers, his preparatory notes for his writings, his various diaries, and so forth. While we may have the picture of a seriously unhealthy, tubercular Kafka from later in his life, the younger Kafka was very different. He was from a Jewish family that had become well-off through owning a high-end shop in the main square in Prague. He was something of a health nut, following the advice of various pamphlets on health: forcing his family to feed him precisely the recommended health diets; masticating his food a certain number of times; sleeping with the windows open; hiking, rowing, and swimming; getting plenty of sunlight so that he was well-tanned; visiting a spa facility where the spa-goers exercised in the nude; and other such practices. Because of his writing we associate him with irrationally complex and ineffective bureaucracies. But in his work as an administrator with the Prague bureaucracy governing workers’ compensation insurance and payouts, he was part of a more enlightened, praiseworthy treatment of workers and by all accounts he did his job well and, while he would have preferred to be writing full time, was proud of doing it well. His bosses were notably generous in promoting him and giving him very long periods off with pay when he felt ill. (Today we may note with irony that against the framework of that interest in protecting workers from injury, his family invested heavily in an asbestos factory that employed many workers.) Many readers will be especially curious about his relation over several years with Felice Bauer, to whom he proposed twice. That relationship was largely epistolary and Kafka’s letters can seem to us psychologically manipulative. He keeps criticizing his own flaws as a way of making clear to her that he will change very little when it comes to marriage. (We do see this less as a power move and more as an attempt to protect his precarious boundaries against what feel to him like dangerous intrusions.) He becomes angry and unforgiving when she and two others set up what he calls a “court” to judge him for having sent rather intimate letters to her best friend. He finally cuts things off with Felice rather coldly at a railroad station after she has accepted his second proposal. Relationships are better and more generous with three other women he will meet later on, but he tells his friend Max Brod that the world of sexuality is closed off to him and one of the later women friends says that he has an absolute abhorrence of everything to do with the body and sexuality. In his notebooks and sometimes in his novels and stories we find scenes of masochistic torture. But writing saves him, Kafka claims. Through his writing he can rise to another level where one’s gestures in life are more exalted and inevitable, where one is maneuvering in a more spiritual realm. Kafka did not write in a vacuum. He is classified early on as a Prague expressionist, someone who used quirky observations of seemingly inconspicuous phenomena suggesting that much deeper and problematic unconscious energies were at stake. As well as a rendering of his life, Stach offers analyses of Kafka’s major works and he is skilled especially at explaining the interest of shorter works of fiction that many readers will be less familiar with. The three volumes together are an irreplaceable work of notably high quality, in the character of Stach’s psychological and literary judgments, in the thoroughness of his research, and in the pleasing flow of the writing itself.
I have written at length about Kafka in my book Loners: Writers, Thinkers, and Solitude
You can read an excerpted chapter on Kafka for free at the link below:
https://frankbfarrell.substack.com/p/...
I have written at length about Kafka in my book Loners: Writers, Thinkers, and Solitude
You can read an excerpted chapter on Kafka for free at the link below:
https://frankbfarrell.substack.com/p/...
September 11, 2017
A very in-depth look at his early years, this is the concluding volume of the autobiographical trilogy. If it seems strange that the third volume would start at the beginning it is because the author did not, until late on, have access to crucial material needed for this volume and so he wrote the other two while waiting on the literary estate of Max Brod to be released. From Amazon: How did Kafka become Kafka? This eagerly anticipated third and final volume of Reiner Stach's definitive biography of the writer answers that question with more facts and insight than ever before, describing the complex personal, political, and cultural circumstances that shaped the young Franz Kafka (1883–1924). It tells the story of the years from his birth in Prague to the beginning of his professional and literary career in 1910, taking the reader up to just before the breakthrough that resulted in his first masterpieces, including "The Metamorphosis." Brimming with vivid and often startling details, Stach’s narrative invites readers deep inside this neglected period of Kafka’s life. The book’s richly atmospheric portrait of his German Jewish merchant family and his education, psychological development, and sexual maturation draws on numerous sources, some still unpublished, including family letters, schoolmates’ memoirs, and early diaries of his close friend Max Brod.
The biography also provides a colorful panorama of Kafka’s wider world, especially the convoluted politics and culture of Prague. Before World War I, Kafka lived in a society at the threshold of modernity but torn by conflict, and Stach provides poignant details of how the adolescent Kafka witnessed violent outbreaks of anti-Semitism and nationalism. The reader also learns how he developed a passionate interest in new technologies, particularly movies and airplanes, and why another interest―his predilection for the back-to-nature movement―stemmed from his “nervous” surroundings rather than personal eccentricity.
The crowning volume to a masterly biography, this is an unmatched account of how a boy who grew up in an old Central European monarchy became a writer who helped create modern literature.
The biography also provides a colorful panorama of Kafka’s wider world, especially the convoluted politics and culture of Prague. Before World War I, Kafka lived in a society at the threshold of modernity but torn by conflict, and Stach provides poignant details of how the adolescent Kafka witnessed violent outbreaks of anti-Semitism and nationalism. The reader also learns how he developed a passionate interest in new technologies, particularly movies and airplanes, and why another interest―his predilection for the back-to-nature movement―stemmed from his “nervous” surroundings rather than personal eccentricity.
The crowning volume to a masterly biography, this is an unmatched account of how a boy who grew up in an old Central European monarchy became a writer who helped create modern literature.
December 29, 2021
To jest przede wszystkim opowieść o czasach, jakie ukształtowały przyszłego pisarza. Tło historyczne, społeczno-polityczne, kulturalne dominuje często nad głównym bohaterem tej książki, co na początku trochę mi przeszkadzało, ale koniec końców chyba pozwoliło lepiej zrozumieć jego samego i jego pisanie.
Niektóre rozdziały to po prostu eseje na temat historii Pragi, tej części Europy, procesów społecznych (np. bardzo ciekawe są wątki o antysemityzmie), w których sam Kafka lub jego rodzina są jedynie wzmiankowani. Myślę więc, że ten tom spodoba się przede wszystkim tym, którzy oprócz zainteresowania literaturą lubią też historię.
Reiner Stach jest w snuciu tej opowieści bardzo drobiazgowy, co przejawia się tym, że z równą szczegółowością opisuje przyjaciół, znajomych Kafki, jak i jego pierwsze próby pisarskie. Opisy przyjaciół, ich losów, trochę mnie nudziły, za to analizy literackich wprawek wciągały tak, że prosiłem o jeszcze więcej.
Ale ten pierwszy tom to dopiero wykluwanie się pisarza, mniej tu literatury, a więcej kształtowania Kafki przez nieliterackie elementy życia - szkole, rodzinę, pracę, zmiany społeczne. Na pewno będę czytał kolejne tomy. Biografia Stacha składa się z trzech.
Niektóre rozdziały to po prostu eseje na temat historii Pragi, tej części Europy, procesów społecznych (np. bardzo ciekawe są wątki o antysemityzmie), w których sam Kafka lub jego rodzina są jedynie wzmiankowani. Myślę więc, że ten tom spodoba się przede wszystkim tym, którzy oprócz zainteresowania literaturą lubią też historię.
Reiner Stach jest w snuciu tej opowieści bardzo drobiazgowy, co przejawia się tym, że z równą szczegółowością opisuje przyjaciół, znajomych Kafki, jak i jego pierwsze próby pisarskie. Opisy przyjaciół, ich losów, trochę mnie nudziły, za to analizy literackich wprawek wciągały tak, że prosiłem o jeszcze więcej.
Ale ten pierwszy tom to dopiero wykluwanie się pisarza, mniej tu literatury, a więcej kształtowania Kafki przez nieliterackie elementy życia - szkole, rodzinę, pracę, zmiany społeczne. Na pewno będę czytał kolejne tomy. Biografia Stacha składa się z trzech.
January 3, 2019
Stach not only gives a detailed account of Kafka's life and his ancestry, but goes into surveys of the historical events. For instance, Kafka in 1909 went to an air to see the French aviator Louis Bleriot. and Stach recounts a brief history of aviation up to that time. Here is a full account of Kafka's failed love affairs.
Stach stops this volume before Kafka's writing career starts. On page 425 Stach writes, “In Kafka’s view, it all came down to how one experienced oneself and the outside world, and convictions that were not anchored in these experiences struck him as artificial, vacuous, and interchangeable".
Watch these pages for volume two.
Stach stops this volume before Kafka's writing career starts. On page 425 Stach writes, “In Kafka’s view, it all came down to how one experienced oneself and the outside world, and convictions that were not anchored in these experiences struck him as artificial, vacuous, and interchangeable".
Watch these pages for volume two.
July 23, 2017
Krásná a podrobná kniha o Kafkově životě. Je zajímavé číst o pražské historii z pohledu německého autora, ale rozhodně to není ke škodě věci. Kniha obsahuje pasáže, které s Kafkou nijak nesouvisí, jen dokreslují podobu té doby - takže knihu mohou číst i lidé, kteří nejsou Franzem tolik posedlí. Ti, co Franzem posedlí jsou (jako třeba já), by si před čtením měli připravit dostatek lepících bločků pro zatrhávání si poznámek. Rozhodně doporučuji :)
July 1, 2021
The first chapters are by far the best. In particular I appreciate the parts on Freud, Steiner, and Einstein. Liked to read about the culture and history of Prague. But after awhile I noticed that this was like the majority of the chapter. And sure context is important but some of it wasn't as interesting as the ethnic tensions in Bohemia. The language and content is of highest quality though. The parts about his dad and importance of work, titles and uniforms in Bohemia, also very interesting.
December 17, 2017
An excellent, fine-grained, thorough accounting of Kafka’s first 25 or so years. A rare combination of detail, depth and depiction. Kafka comes alive as a fully fleshed out, unevenly developed, but keenly interesting human. And in the background the world of fin de siecle continental Europe unfolds in wonderfully instructive ways.
February 18, 2023
Es ist gut möglich, dass Reiner Stach der beste deutschsprachige Autor des 21. Jahrhunderts ist, auf jeden Fall aber erreichen nur ganz wenige Schriftsteller überhaupt eine solche souveräne Höhe des angemessenen Stils, der durchdachten, wiklichkeitsgesättigten Sprache. Ich würde mir wünschen, dass Reiner Stach weiterhin erzählerisch tätig ist, auch mit Primärtexten.
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