The Street Window

by Franz Kafka

"Das Gassenfenster" ist ein kleines Prosastück von Franz Kafka, das im Rahmen des Bandes "Betrachtung" 1912 im veröffentlicht wurde. Ein anonymer Erzähler reflektiert die Bedeutung eines Gassenfensters für einen einsamen Menschen. Das Gassenfenster lässt neben den allgemeinen Gegebenheiten und Abläufen draußen auch „irgend einen Arm sehen, an den er sich halten könnte“. Wenn der Einsame aber selbst draußen gar nichts sucht, so wird ihm doch eine lebhafte Straßenszene mit Pferden und Lärm „der menschlichen Eintracht zureißen“.

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Literature, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[Parastooghf · Rating 3 out of 5]

«هرکسی در انزوا زندگی می‌کند و با این همه، گاه‌گاه می‌خواهد خودش را به کسی بچسباند، هر کسی بر حسبِ دگرگونی‌هایِ روز، آب‌و‌هوا، کاروبارش، و جُز آن، ناگهان دلش می‌خواهد بازوئی ببیند تا به آن بیاویزد، او نمی‌تواند بدونِ پنجره‌ای رو به خیابان دیری بپاید. و اگر در حالی نیست که چیزی را آرزو کند و فقط خسته و مانده، دمِ پنجره‌اش می‌رود، با چشمانی که از مردم به آسمان و از آسمان به مردم می‌چرخد، بی‌آن‌که بخواهد بیرون را بنگرد و سرش کمی بالا گرفته، حتّی در آن گاه اسب‌هایِ پائین او را به درونِ قطارِ گاری‌ها و هیاهویِ‌شان، و از این قرار سرانجام به درونِ هماهنگیِ انسانی پائین می‌کِشند.»

[amal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kafka’s name and words will never be wiped out from history until the end of time ! It’s insane how deeply few words can touch me on a personal level

[Bartleby]

Kahden kuukauden /vieressä/ kokonaiset niteet

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

It's strange how windows are able to connect the lonely with humanity just as much as the internet. At the same time it can be just as lonely. Humanity is weird and this bit of writing is timeless.

[Aiman Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

To sum up this short but spell bounding piece, loneliness is difficult to tackle in this noisy world.

[vino4d · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one wants to be alone completely.

[Maria Weezer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Whoever leads a solitary life and yet now and then wants to attach himself somewhere, whoever, according to changes in the time of day, the weather, the state of his business, and the like, suddenly wishes to see any arm at all to which he might cling - he will not be able to manage for long without a window looking on to the street" - isn't that a beautiful thing to say, huh? I don't remember that accurate quote, but a russian writer Chehov once said something like "the shorter you write, the more talented you are" and I totally agree! Kafka could write such an amazing and beautiful thought without making it long and barely understandable (even tho not every book of his could be described so xD). anyway, that's simply relatable and a very interesting, well said thought

[↟° IRIS ⇞↟⇞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

* Singled out some of Kafka's sentences; it won't explain the work itself but I believe it will capture more of the quick Kafka spirit.

✦"One who lives lonely, and yet would like company from time to time, one who, considering the changes of daily hours, weather, work and similar circumstances craves to see any hand for which he could reach - then this one won't stand not having a street window."

[Flora Jurgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo unico k c nesecita es una ventana

[Clive Barker Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right in the feels, Kafka always makes me feel called out. A great piece on human loneliness and the desire for connection

[Pari shaikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

even when people want to be left alone they still crave human connection or connection to the outside world and the window is the key to have both.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short contemplation about loneliness right to the point