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A Crossbreed
Mit dem Werkbeitrag aus Kindlers Literatur Lexikon.
Mit dem Autorenporträt aus dem Metzler Lexikon Weltliteratur.
Mit Daten zu Leben und Werk, exklusiv verfasst von der Redaktion der Zeitschrift für Literatur TEXT + KRITIK.
Phantastisches und Unheimliches, Paradoxes und Kafka beschreibt die unglaublichsten Sachverhalte nüchtern und minutiös. Grenzbereiche werden ausgeleuchtet, existenzielle Grund- oder Ausnahmesituationen in unvergessliche Bilder gefasst. Seine Texte haben die gleiche Intensität wie Träume. »Es ist das Schicksal und vielleicht auch die Größe dieses Werks, dass es alle Möglichkeiten darbietet und keine bestätigt« (Albert Camus).
Mit dem Autorenporträt aus dem Metzler Lexikon Weltliteratur.
Mit Daten zu Leben und Werk, exklusiv verfasst von der Redaktion der Zeitschrift für Literatur TEXT + KRITIK.
Phantastisches und Unheimliches, Paradoxes und Kafka beschreibt die unglaublichsten Sachverhalte nüchtern und minutiös. Grenzbereiche werden ausgeleuchtet, existenzielle Grund- oder Ausnahmesituationen in unvergessliche Bilder gefasst. Seine Texte haben die gleiche Intensität wie Träume. »Es ist das Schicksal und vielleicht auch die Größe dieses Werks, dass es alle Möglichkeiten darbietet und keine bestätigt« (Albert Camus).
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1931
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81 people want to read
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,215 books38.4k 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
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February 12, 2019It was short, but I think this is the best short story he's written. I think Kafka's strange sense of humour really comes through in this one! It's a great short story :D
September 29, 2023
convivencia de dos personalidades diferentes en su totalidad en una misma persona, cada una somete a la otra a no dejar manifestarse nunca por completo, no puede maullar, no puede cazar, no le gustan las ratas "huye de los gatos y quiere atacar a los corderos" no se siente afín a ninguna de sus dos partes por lo que como dice el autor a veces se empeña en ser perro, se siente tan ajeno a los demás gatos, a los demás corderos que no los reconoce como si fueran su misma especie sino que en esa desesperación (quizás) de no pertenecer busca ser algo más, algo que no es. este animal se presenta muy cercano al autor, una herencia de su padre que antes tenía más de cordero que de gato pero al pasar a sus manos aumentó su parte de gato haciendo que tenga lo mismo de cordero que de gato, incluso puede llegarse a decir que en realidad el animal y el dueño son uno mismo.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2023
A brief and weird dive into the mind of a sheep-bodied cat and how it exists in the world it lives in alongside other "normal" living creatures.
This short story explores the identity crisis faced by a creature that cannot identify itself. In the next chapter, how the environment plays a role in it process of recognizing and accepting it true self and validating the existence of other living beings who are one hundred and eighty degrees different from itself.
This short story explores the identity crisis faced by a creature that cannot identify itself. In the next chapter, how the environment plays a role in it process of recognizing and accepting it true self and validating the existence of other living beings who are one hundred and eighty degrees different from itself.
March 27, 2022
The narrator here takes the role of the father with the crossbreed (between a cat and a lamb) being the son that strives towards being understood and dying, but gets the relief of neither from their father.
August 29, 2020
Por mais absurdo q seja essa é literalmente a história, de duas páginas, de um cara q possui um animal metade cordeiro e metade gato(????????????). Apesar da aleatoriedade é bem bonitinho e demonstra o pq de kafka não querer ter publicado kkkkk
May 21, 2019
This is quite short and, to be honest, kind of resembles a writing exercise instead of an actual story. However, it's still a nice piece of literature I'm glad I read.
September 21, 2025
الهجين
يقدّم كافكا صورة رمزية عن ذاته من خلال كائن غريب نصفه قط ونصفه الآخر حمل. هذا الكائن ليس مجرد حيوان أليف، بل مرآة تمثل شخصيته الممزقة بين طرفين متناقضين: القط بما يحمله من دهاء واستقلالية، والحمل بما يرمز اليه من براءة وضعف وطاعة. غير ان المفارقة ليست في وجود النصفين فحسب، بل في عجزهما عن الاندماج داخل كائن واحد متوازن، يظل الهجين معلق بين عالمين، لا ينتمي تماماً إلى اي منهما.
يشير كافكا إلى انه ورث هذا الكائن من ابيه، وكأنما يقول إن هذا ميراث ثقيل حمله عن أب ذي سلطة صارمة وسطوة جارفة. وهو ما يذكرنا ب "رسائل الى الوالد" حيث يصف كيف اورثه والده الخوف والشعور بالدونية، فصار وجوده محكوم بالتوتر بين الطاعة القسرية والرغبة في التمرد.
بهذا المعنى، يصبح الهجين رمزاً مكثفاً لجوهر تجربة كافكا الوجودية كائن لا يستطيع أن يكون بريئاً تماماً ولا ماكراً تماماً، يراوح في منطقة رمادية.
يقدّم كافكا صورة رمزية عن ذاته من خلال كائن غريب نصفه قط ونصفه الآخر حمل. هذا الكائن ليس مجرد حيوان أليف، بل مرآة تمثل شخصيته الممزقة بين طرفين متناقضين: القط بما يحمله من دهاء واستقلالية، والحمل بما يرمز اليه من براءة وضعف وطاعة. غير ان المفارقة ليست في وجود النصفين فحسب، بل في عجزهما عن الاندماج داخل كائن واحد متوازن، يظل الهجين معلق بين عالمين، لا ينتمي تماماً إلى اي منهما.
يشير كافكا إلى انه ورث هذا الكائن من ابيه، وكأنما يقول إن هذا ميراث ثقيل حمله عن أب ذي سلطة صارمة وسطوة جارفة. وهو ما يذكرنا ب "رسائل الى الوالد" حيث يصف كيف اورثه والده الخوف والشعور بالدونية، فصار وجوده محكوم بالتوتر بين الطاعة القسرية والرغبة في التمرد.
بهذا المعنى، يصبح الهجين رمزاً مكثفاً لجوهر تجربة كافكا الوجودية كائن لا يستطيع أن يكون بريئاً تماماً ولا ماكراً تماماً، يراوح في منطقة رمادية.
April 25, 2022
i want a half-kitten half-lamb :( that’s like so cute
November 2, 2023
The story emphasizes on that fact that this bizarre animal belonged to narrators father. This might again is another wailing of Kafka about father hostility as He being the animal he's talking about.
December 31, 2024
4.75 ⭐
"przed kotami ucieka, jagnięta chce atakować"
"przed kotami ucieka, jagnięta chce atakować"
February 16, 2025
Possibly one of my favourite Kafka works ever despite being very, very short in lengths, and is usually the first thing I recommend from him before diving into the longer novels.
September 7, 2025
Loved reading the short story that inspired Tokyo Ghoul. The meaning is extremely potent.
October 2, 2025
the best kafka short story perhaps
December 20, 2023
Es uno de los relatos más bonitos qué he leído, realmente Kafka sabe hacernos empatizar con él y sus protagonistas.
February 2, 2025
Title: A Hybrid
A man, a hybrid. Shaped by his environment to fit into society, into a family. The molding was unsuccessful—he is trapped between two states, bearing the flaws of both but none of their strengths. An identity crisis, hostile family bonds, a chasm between idleness and suicide.
[READ IN ENGLISH: TRANSLATION BY JOHN WILLIAMS]
A man, a hybrid. Shaped by his environment to fit into society, into a family. The molding was unsuccessful—he is trapped between two states, bearing the flaws of both but none of their strengths. An identity crisis, hostile family bonds, a chasm between idleness and suicide.
[READ IN ENGLISH: TRANSLATION BY JOHN WILLIAMS]
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews