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Kafka; a Collection of Critical Essays
One of a series of works aimed at presenting contemporary critical opinion on major authors, this collection includes essays by Ronald Gray, Edwin Muir, Friedrich Beissner, R. O. C. Winkler, Johannes Pfeiffer, Caroline Gordon, Idris Parry, Edmund Wilson, Erich Heller, Austin Warren, Eliseo Vivas, Albert Camus, Martin Buber, and H. S. Reiss--all dealing with the biography and literary work of Franz Kafka. Designed for use by both literary critics and secondary and college teachers of English, this work would also be of value to undergraduate and graduate students of literature. Topics covered include Kafka the artist, Kafka the writer, a dissenting opinion on Kafka, Kafka's distorted mask, and a survey of recent criticism on Kafka. A chronology of important dates of Kafka's life and a brief set of biographical notes on the contributors to this collection complete the volume.
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1962
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292 people want to read
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,209 books37.7k followersPrague-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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 29, 2017
هذا الكتاب مهم ومهم جدا لأولئك الذين يرون في أعمال كافكا مجرد هرطقة ومبالغة في الشعور بالمسؤولية
هذا الكتاب يجعلك تعي بذلك المخيخ الذي في رأسك مدى عمق ترهات كافكا
أنصح به وجدا للمشككين ،لمحبيه ، حتى للذين يشفقون
وكمحبة لأدب كافكا لا أجد صعوبة في تجرع أي حرف يكتبه هو أو نقاده
ويكفي أن كافكا أثار الريبة في قلوب كل من قرأ له وعنه
فهمه أم لا لا يهم
المهم أنه شعر به ف
فأحيانا نحتاج أن نشعر بالشيء أكثر من أن نفهمه
حتى القارئ يستطيع أن يشعر بكاتبه المفضل !
هذا الكتاب يجعلك تعي بذلك المخيخ الذي في رأسك مدى عمق ترهات كافكا
أنصح به وجدا للمشككين ،لمحبيه ، حتى للذين يشفقون
وكمحبة لأدب كافكا لا أجد صعوبة في تجرع أي حرف يكتبه هو أو نقاده
ويكفي أن كافكا أثار الريبة في قلوب كل من قرأ له وعنه
فهمه أم لا لا يهم
المهم أنه شعر به ف
فأحيانا نحتاج أن نشعر بالشيء أكثر من أن نفهمه
حتى القارئ يستطيع أن يشعر بكاتبه المفضل !
January 11, 2019
لم أكمله لذا....
October 11, 2013
Paused on a high note: almost every essay in this collection was good. More writers than academics here too, so kafka's work was dealt with more globally. The editor even added an essay calling bullshit on kafka and his work. Overall a good introductory collection.
May 29, 2014
A merely okay collection of essays. Most of them try to interpret Kafka in a religious light, which is dead wrong, if you ask me. I don't have the book handy right now, but I think the essay called "The World of Franz Kafka" or something along those lines was the only truly spot on one.
Want to read
July 14, 2014ليش مافي ريفيو عن الكاتب او اي شي !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
July 14, 2014nice one…
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews