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The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories
New translations of the best stories by the one of the twentieth century's greatest and most influential writers
Kafka, whose name has generated an adjective, is one of the best loved writers of the twentieth century. Known for his dark, enigmatic stories, for the absurd nightmares he depicts, his extraordinary imaginative depth is clear in stories from 'A Hunger Artist' to 'The Verdict'.
But Kafka also wrote fizzingly funny, fresh stories, and The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man contains all the aspects of this genius: the wit and the grit; the horror and the humour; the longing and the laughing. They range from bizarre, two-sentence stories about Don Quixote to the famous brutal depiction of violence and justice that is 'In the Penal Colony'.
In a nimble new translation by the acclaimed Alexander Starritt, this collection of Kafka's essential stories shows the genius at his very best.
Kafka, whose name has generated an adjective, is one of the best loved writers of the twentieth century. Known for his dark, enigmatic stories, for the absurd nightmares he depicts, his extraordinary imaginative depth is clear in stories from 'A Hunger Artist' to 'The Verdict'.
But Kafka also wrote fizzingly funny, fresh stories, and The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man contains all the aspects of this genius: the wit and the grit; the horror and the humour; the longing and the laughing. They range from bizarre, two-sentence stories about Don Quixote to the famous brutal depiction of violence and justice that is 'In the Penal Colony'.
In a nimble new translation by the acclaimed Alexander Starritt, this collection of Kafka's essential stories shows the genius at his very best.
193 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 5, 2019
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About the author
Franz Kafka
3,171 books38.3k 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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February 4, 2022
Sancho Panza writes knight romance novels, Poseidon becomes a bureaucrat, the journey to the nearest village is longer than life, the state is a machine for the extermination of its citizens… This is Franz Kafka’s world.
There is the law but it is unreachable… The existence is gloomily surreal… The fashions are preposterous…
This bizarre spectacle is hardly much stranger than the show business of today…
But however absurd and surreal are goings-on, one, reading the stories, may always recognize in them one’s own distorted reflection…
The world is a boundless and bleak desert and all the roads in it are the roads of futility…
The way it works is this. I’ve been appointed judge here in the penal colony. Despite my youth. Because I helped the old commandant on all punishment-related matters and also because I know the machine better than anyone else. The principle on which I make my decisions is this: the defendant’s guilt is never in doubt. Other courts can’t follow that principle because they have more than one member and they also have higher courts above them.
There is the law but it is unreachable… The existence is gloomily surreal… The fashions are preposterous…
In the past few decades public interest in the art of fasting has drastically declined. While it used to be very profitable to put on big, stand-alone exhibitions, doing so today would be completely impossible. It was another time. Back then, the whole city would get caught up in what the hunger artist was doing; the audience would grow and grow as the fast went on; everyone wanted to see him at least once a day; in the latter stages, you’d get fans who wanted to sit in front of the small cage from dawn till dusk; there were also viewings at night, with the effect heightened by flaming torches; on sunny days, the cage would be carried outside and children would be brought to see the hunger artist; whereas for adults he was often only a bit of fun, whom they went to see because it was fashionable, the children gazed at him in amazement, their mouths open, holding each other’s hands just in case something happened…
This bizarre spectacle is hardly much stranger than the show business of today…
But however absurd and surreal are goings-on, one, reading the stories, may always recognize in them one’s own distorted reflection…
To put it frankly, even though I do like to use figures of speech for these things, to put it frankly: your own simian heritage, gentlemen, insofar as you have something like that in your past, is no more remote from you than mine is from me. Yet everyone who walks this earth feels that little tickle at his heel, from a little chimpanzee to the great Achilles.
The world is a boundless and bleak desert and all the roads in it are the roads of futility…
Read
March 3, 2019Why have I taken so long to pick up Kafka's impressive work despite knowing full well it's right up my street? I think it's fear of disappointment, but luckily that is far from what I feel right now as I read this for the second time.
September 25, 2018
First an admission. I have never read anything by Kafka until now. There, I’ve said it.
My thanks to Steerforth Press for giving me a chance to remedy this with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a collection of short stories, which is probably not what most people think of when they think of Kafka. They think of The Trial or The Castle and not of stories some of which last for just a single paragraph (there are others that are over 40 pages long and others at various points between these).
Like, I suppose, many people who have not read Kafka, my reference point is the word “Kafkaesque”. And it is normally followed by the word “nightmare”. His translator here, Alexander Starritt, makes exactly this point at the start of his preface.
Starritt’s preface also argues that it is in his short stories that Kafka excels.
“…about the short stories. There, the ideas that can feel interminable in the novels are quick, funny, strange and sad. Some are fables, some are jokes, some seem placid at first then throw you out the window, some put pictures in your mind that no one but Kafka ever could and that will keep resurfacing for years afterwards as metaphors for your lived reality.”
Clearly, I am not in a position to have a view on the comparison with his novels, but the stuff about the impact of the short stories seems accurate.
This is a stunning collection. Normally, when you read a book of short stories, some stay with you and some fade away. Not here. Every story paints a kind of surreal, yes, Kafkaesque, vision that hangs around to haunt the reader. It doesn’t matter whether it takes you 20 seconds or 30 minutes to read a story, it digs deep into your psyche and settles in. I’m not sure reading this just before bed time is a good idea as it leads to some “interesting” dreams.
I’d like to tell you which story is my favourite, but there’s an unnerving sense as you read each one that it is actually holding up a mirror to your soul and revealing something about what makes you you. To acknowledge that I relate to one more than another might, I worry, reveal more about me than I care to make public!
What about the opening story in which a man sets off to deliver to YOU a message from the Emperor, but he cannot fight his way through the crowd round the emperor and leaves you dreaming of what the message might say? Or the Hunger Artists who make a show of fasting in public until it goes out of fashion? Or the trees in the snow that look frail but aren’t, or are they?
What an amazing way to start my Franz Kafka journey!
My thanks to Steerforth Press for giving me a chance to remedy this with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a collection of short stories, which is probably not what most people think of when they think of Kafka. They think of The Trial or The Castle and not of stories some of which last for just a single paragraph (there are others that are over 40 pages long and others at various points between these).
Like, I suppose, many people who have not read Kafka, my reference point is the word “Kafkaesque”. And it is normally followed by the word “nightmare”. His translator here, Alexander Starritt, makes exactly this point at the start of his preface.
Starritt’s preface also argues that it is in his short stories that Kafka excels.
“…about the short stories. There, the ideas that can feel interminable in the novels are quick, funny, strange and sad. Some are fables, some are jokes, some seem placid at first then throw you out the window, some put pictures in your mind that no one but Kafka ever could and that will keep resurfacing for years afterwards as metaphors for your lived reality.”
Clearly, I am not in a position to have a view on the comparison with his novels, but the stuff about the impact of the short stories seems accurate.
This is a stunning collection. Normally, when you read a book of short stories, some stay with you and some fade away. Not here. Every story paints a kind of surreal, yes, Kafkaesque, vision that hangs around to haunt the reader. It doesn’t matter whether it takes you 20 seconds or 30 minutes to read a story, it digs deep into your psyche and settles in. I’m not sure reading this just before bed time is a good idea as it leads to some “interesting” dreams.
I’d like to tell you which story is my favourite, but there’s an unnerving sense as you read each one that it is actually holding up a mirror to your soul and revealing something about what makes you you. To acknowledge that I relate to one more than another might, I worry, reveal more about me than I care to make public!
What about the opening story in which a man sets off to deliver to YOU a message from the Emperor, but he cannot fight his way through the crowd round the emperor and leaves you dreaming of what the message might say? Or the Hunger Artists who make a show of fasting in public until it goes out of fashion? Or the trees in the snow that look frail but aren’t, or are they?
What an amazing way to start my Franz Kafka journey!
Read
May 12, 2024Franz Kafka is a timeless author whose works will remain for as long as there is both literature and capitalism. His stories, which often read as fables and parables, are dark, funny, and often twisted satires of bureaucracy, family, and tradition. And this collection represents his very best work.
Translated with energy and humour by Alexander Starritt, these are the essential Kafka stories. Whether you've never read him before or you're a fan who wants one condensed collection of his finest tales, this is an essential book.
Translated with energy and humour by Alexander Starritt, these are the essential Kafka stories. Whether you've never read him before or you're a fan who wants one condensed collection of his finest tales, this is an essential book.
December 5, 2018
'Some are fables, some are jokes, some seem placid at first then throw you out the window , some put pictures in your mind that no one but Kafka ever could and that will keep resurfacing for years afterwards as metaphors for your lived reality. Some you read and think, oh I see, this is Kafka, this is why Kafka was such an earthquake, this is why he’s unforgettable.'
The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories is a new translation and collection of Kafka's short stories by Alexander Starritt and published by Pushkin Press. On Twitter he explained some time ago:
This collection includes Kafka's best known short works such as In the Penal Colony, The Hunger Artist, A Report for an Academy and The Stoker (which of course was ultimately to form the first chapter of the uncompleted novel Amerika) along with others including several of the very short (often one page pieces). One omission is The Great Wall of China, represented only by the sub-story within "A Message from the Emperor".
Of the lesser known pieces my personal favourite is Poseidon (albeit one I had read previously), where the God of the Waves turns out really to be an office-bound administrator:
'What annoyed him most— and this was mostly due to dissatisfaction with his work— was when he heard about what people imagined he was like , for example that he was always careening through the waves with a trident. Meanwhile he was sitting down here in the depths of the ocean constantly going through the books.'
This collection also excludes the most famous Kafka story of all, The Metamorphosis, presumably ruled out on grounds of length, or perhaps the sheer number of other translations.
And that brings me on to a key question. Kafka has, of course, being extensively translated so why, with so many fine literary works untranslated into English, do we need another re-translation?
For example, for the short stories, the translations I have on my shelves currently are Stories 1904-1924 by J.A. Underwood and to complement that The Great Wall of China and Other Stories by Malcolm Pasley which focuses on several shorter pieces. While I haven't made an exhaustive comparison, I think pretty much everything in this edition is included in either or both books, and certainly it is all available in other collections.
Starritt's argument is that there has not been enough focus on the short-stories, although his argument starts rather weakly by questioning the pleasure of his novels:
'In English, the word that usually follows ‘Kafkaesque’ is ‘nightmare’. Hardly the thing to make you think, ‘Hurray, a new translation. No Netflix for me tonight.’ And in truth, Kafka’s work is respected far more than it is loved. Potential book buyers sense that reading one of his novels might be unpleasantly similar to appearing in it: boring and painful at the same time. Like a circle of hell reserved for bureaucracy and anxiety dreams, where you fill in meaningless forms until the end of time, and then discover the pen is actually a beetle. That feeling only gets stronger when you flick to the back of The Castle and see how many pages there are.
I can’t say I really disagree. There’s no question about how startling Kafka’s vision is, nor about how, despite the surrealism and the grotesquerie, it all feels so familiar. But are the novels a great read? I have my doubts.'
I did what he advised, using The English version of The Castle on my shelves, and the answer is 316 pages - hardly a dauntingly long read. I can assure anyone reading this review - or his introduction - that the novels are undoubtedly a great read, indeed books that I have and will re-read. There is no doubt that Kafka was an brilliant short-story writer, but let there be no doubt that he was also (indeed I would argue more so) brilliant and highly readable novelist: advocating his short-stories doesn't need to be at the expense of appreciating his novels. [Incidentally a more valid criticism of the novel's would be that none were finished and Kafka himself requested they be destroyed after his death: although many of the short-stories were equally unpublished and included in that request.]
Starritt is I think on stronger ground in arguing that more attention has been paid in translation to the novels - certainly the superstar re-translations in recent times of the Muir's originals have focused on the longer works.
And where I think this collection does truly score is in the selection of the material. Most other collections I am aware of tend to have a scholarly flavour: ordered by date published, comprehensive collections of everything that falls within their remit. But Sterritt says 'I haven’t put them in chronological order, or tried to showcase his different modes; my principle for inclusion has been: only the best,' and it makes for a far better artistic experience.
Overall - perhaps not one I would recommend to those who have Kafka's stories on their shelves already, but a great place to start for those newer to his work. But please do read the novels. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for the ARC.
The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories is a new translation and collection of Kafka's short stories by Alexander Starritt and published by Pushkin Press. On Twitter he explained some time ago:
'In 2003, I went to a week-long @VilliersPark summer camp for kids who wanted to do German at university. I got this old library book of Kafka short stories for 10p. 15 years on, I'm translating a selection for @PushkinPress.'and this is the result.
This collection includes Kafka's best known short works such as In the Penal Colony, The Hunger Artist, A Report for an Academy and The Stoker (which of course was ultimately to form the first chapter of the uncompleted novel Amerika) along with others including several of the very short (often one page pieces). One omission is The Great Wall of China, represented only by the sub-story within "A Message from the Emperor".
Of the lesser known pieces my personal favourite is Poseidon (albeit one I had read previously), where the God of the Waves turns out really to be an office-bound administrator:
'What annoyed him most— and this was mostly due to dissatisfaction with his work— was when he heard about what people imagined he was like , for example that he was always careening through the waves with a trident. Meanwhile he was sitting down here in the depths of the ocean constantly going through the books.'
This collection also excludes the most famous Kafka story of all, The Metamorphosis, presumably ruled out on grounds of length, or perhaps the sheer number of other translations.
And that brings me on to a key question. Kafka has, of course, being extensively translated so why, with so many fine literary works untranslated into English, do we need another re-translation?
For example, for the short stories, the translations I have on my shelves currently are Stories 1904-1924 by J.A. Underwood and to complement that The Great Wall of China and Other Stories by Malcolm Pasley which focuses on several shorter pieces. While I haven't made an exhaustive comparison, I think pretty much everything in this edition is included in either or both books, and certainly it is all available in other collections.
Starritt's argument is that there has not been enough focus on the short-stories, although his argument starts rather weakly by questioning the pleasure of his novels:
'In English, the word that usually follows ‘Kafkaesque’ is ‘nightmare’. Hardly the thing to make you think, ‘Hurray, a new translation. No Netflix for me tonight.’ And in truth, Kafka’s work is respected far more than it is loved. Potential book buyers sense that reading one of his novels might be unpleasantly similar to appearing in it: boring and painful at the same time. Like a circle of hell reserved for bureaucracy and anxiety dreams, where you fill in meaningless forms until the end of time, and then discover the pen is actually a beetle. That feeling only gets stronger when you flick to the back of The Castle and see how many pages there are.
I can’t say I really disagree. There’s no question about how startling Kafka’s vision is, nor about how, despite the surrealism and the grotesquerie, it all feels so familiar. But are the novels a great read? I have my doubts.'
I did what he advised, using The English version of The Castle on my shelves, and the answer is 316 pages - hardly a dauntingly long read. I can assure anyone reading this review - or his introduction - that the novels are undoubtedly a great read, indeed books that I have and will re-read. There is no doubt that Kafka was an brilliant short-story writer, but let there be no doubt that he was also (indeed I would argue more so) brilliant and highly readable novelist: advocating his short-stories doesn't need to be at the expense of appreciating his novels. [Incidentally a more valid criticism of the novel's would be that none were finished and Kafka himself requested they be destroyed after his death: although many of the short-stories were equally unpublished and included in that request.]
Starritt is I think on stronger ground in arguing that more attention has been paid in translation to the novels - certainly the superstar re-translations in recent times of the Muir's originals have focused on the longer works.
And where I think this collection does truly score is in the selection of the material. Most other collections I am aware of tend to have a scholarly flavour: ordered by date published, comprehensive collections of everything that falls within their remit. But Sterritt says 'I haven’t put them in chronological order, or tried to showcase his different modes; my principle for inclusion has been: only the best,' and it makes for a far better artistic experience.
Overall - perhaps not one I would recommend to those who have Kafka's stories on their shelves already, but a great place to start for those newer to his work. But please do read the novels. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for the ARC.
November 30, 2018
“It seems a Terrible Thing to stay single for good, to become an old man who, if he wants to spend the evening with other people, has to stand on his dignity and ask someone for an invitation…”There are to date 87 titles in the quirkily designed Pushkin Collection Series, of which The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man (along with The Art of the City: Rome, Florence, Venice by Georg Simmel) is the most recent addition – due for publication in 2019.
It is a compilation of Franz Kafka’s lesser-known stories, the frontispiece showing him with a dog, circa 1905, and the blurb describing it as containing all the “wit and the grit; the horror and the humour; the longing and the laughing” of his “genius”.
Kafka (1883–1924) was, of course, a major figure of early 20th century literature. A German-speaking Bohemian Jew, his fiction commingled elements of realism and fantasy to create a unique world that reflected conventional, middle-class life, but with something contemptibly dark and grotesque added.
The stories aren’t in chronological order and apparently “only the best” have been selected for inclusion. They are of mixed length, with tales like ‘A Short Fable’ being barely more than a paragraph, while those such as ‘In the Penal Colony’ and ‘Give Up!’ are closer to forty pages.
In the Translator’s Preface, Alexander Starritt remarks that “Kafka’s work is respected far more than it is loved”, which, in my opinion, is a truth no more apparent than in this collection. Whilst he is of the opinion these stories are “the best thing Kafka ever wrote” and they form the “core” of all his works, I found myself somewhat underwhelmed, greatly preferring his more familiar works such as the famous novella, The Metamorphosis. This lack of connection with Kafka’s short fiction is undoubtedly a deficiency on my part, and I’m aware my viewpoint isn’t widely shared, but regrettably I found myself losing concentration on several occasions, especially when reading the longer narratives.
I can nevertheless own to appreciating his sardonic humour and the sheer ingenious depth of this collection. It is brimming with typically Kafkaesque neurosis and symbolism and, in the words of Starritt, is: “quick, funny, strange and sad.”
Many thanks to Pushkin Press for providing an advance review copy of this title.
October 13, 2019
Incel but creative
December 27, 2023
I won't get tired of saying this, Franz Kafka, I love you. 💖
August 1, 2025
the translator didn't lie when he said Franz Kafka shined more in his short stories vs his full lengths. these were incredible and more memorable. I remember when reading the trial gaze me comatose lol
loved the element of surrealism in kafka's works like something is always a bit off tangent and his truth slaps you on the face all of a sudden. Bravo
loved the element of surrealism in kafka's works like something is always a bit off tangent and his truth slaps you on the face all of a sudden. Bravo
October 13, 2018
Having read all Kafka's longer, better-known works, I was excited to have the opportunity to sample some of his short stories. This is an eclectic collection that ranges from stories spanning several pages to brief vignettes lasting only a few sentences. I found them all wonderful, though some of my favourites included 'In the Penal Colony', 'The Stoker', 'The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man', and 'The Verdict'. If you are a fan of Kafka's writing, you're certain to find something to enjoy in this collection. If you are new to Kafka, this volume would provide an excellent introduction to his style before you pick up one of the novels. All in all, a delightful read.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.
November 7, 2018
Description: No one has captured the modern experience, its wild dreams, strange joys, its neuroses and boredom, better than Franz Kafka. His vision, with its absurdity and twisted humour, has lost none of its force or relevance today. This essential collection, newly selected and translated by Alexander Starritt, casts fresh light on Kafka's genius.
Alongside brutal depictions of violence and justice are jokes and deceptively slight, mysterious fables. These unforgettable pieces reflect the brilliance at the core of Franz Kafka, arguably most fully expressed within his short stories. Together they showcase a writer of unmatched imaginative depth, capable of expressing the most profound reality with a wry smile.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EMPEROR: THE EMPEROR—they say—has sent you, you alone, his lowly subject, you tiny shadow thrown far off into the furthest corner by the imperial sun, you, of all people, the Emperor has sent a message from his deathbed.
A SHORT FABLE: “ACH,” said the mouse, “the world gets narrower every day.
THE UNHAPPINESS OF BEING A SINGLE MAN: IT SEEMS A TERRIBLE THING to stay single for good, to become an old man who, if he wants to spend the evening with other people, has to stand on his dignity and ask someone for an invitation; to be ill and spend weeks looking out of the corner of your bed at an empty room; always to say goodbye at the door; never to squeeze your way up the stairs beside your wife; to live in a room where the side doors lead only to other people’s apartments; to carry your dinner home in one hand; to be forced to admire children you don’t know and not to be allowed to just keep repeating, “I don’t have any”; to model your appearance and behaviour on one or two bachelors you remember from childhood.
POSEIDON: POSEIDON SAT at his desk and went through his accounts. Being in charge of all the seas and oceans was an endless amount of work.
THE VERDICT (A story for Ms Felice B.): IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING at the height of spring. Georg Bendemann, a young businessman, was sitting in his room on the first floor of one of those low, straight-forwardly built houses that run in a long line beside the river, differing from each other only in their height or colour.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
THE TRUTH ABOUT SANCHO PANZA: SANCHO PANZA—who incidentally has never boasted about this—used to leave out piles of novels about knights and robbers in the evenings and for the long hours of the night
THE BRIDGE: I WAS STIFF AND COLD, I was a bridge, I lay across a ravine. My feet were dug into one cliff, my hands into the other, I gripped the crumbling clay.
THE MARRIED COUPLE: BUSINESS IS SO BAD at the moment that sometimes, if I’m just killing time in the office, I take the sample case and go see the clients myself.
BEFORE THE LAW: BEFORE THE LAW there’s a gatekeeper. [I dedicate my read of this to the estimable Carole Cadwalladr]
A HUNGER ARTIST: IN THE PAST FEW DECADES public interest in the art of fasting has drastically declined.
THE TREES: WE’RE LIKE TREE TRUNKS in the snow. They seem to stand on its surface, as if a little push would be enough to knock them over. No, you can’t do that, because they’re fixed firmly to the ground. But look, even that is illusory.
THE NEW LAWYER: WE’VE GOT A NEW LAWYER, a Dr Bucephalus. There’s not much in his appearance to remind you that he used to be Alexander of Macedon’s war horse.
AN OLD JOURNAL: IT SOMETIMES SEEMS as if the defence of our country has been quite badly neglected. Until recently, we never thought about it, and just got on with our business; but the events of the past few days have got us worried.
IN THE PENAL COLONY: “IT’S A UNIQUE PIECE of equipment,” said the officer to the travelling researcher, looking over the familiar machinery with an air of admiration.
Philip Glass: In the penal colony
In the Penal Colony (Franz Kafka Short Film)
THE NEXT VILLAGE: MY GRANDFATHER used to say: “Life is astonishingly short.
A FIRST HEARTACHE: A TRAPEZE VIRTUOSO—whose discipline, practised high in the vaulted domes of the great variety theatres, is famously among the most difficult of any that people can aspire to—had arranged his life in such a way that, initially out of a striving for perfection, then out of increasingly tyrannical habit, he stayed on his trapeze day and night for as long as an engagement lasted.
A REPORT FOR AN ACADEMY: GENTLEMEN, eminent members of the academy!
You have done me the honour of asking me to present a report on my simian past.
HOMECOMING: I’VE COME BACK, come in through the gate, and I take a look around. It’s my father’s old farmyard.
JACKALS AND ARABS: WE’D MADE CAMP at an oasis. The others were asleep.
THE SILENCE OF THE SIRENS: PROOF THAT BASIC, even childish, methods can sometimes save you
Alongside brutal depictions of violence and justice are jokes and deceptively slight, mysterious fables. These unforgettable pieces reflect the brilliance at the core of Franz Kafka, arguably most fully expressed within his short stories. Together they showcase a writer of unmatched imaginative depth, capable of expressing the most profound reality with a wry smile.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EMPEROR: THE EMPEROR—they say—has sent you, you alone, his lowly subject, you tiny shadow thrown far off into the furthest corner by the imperial sun, you, of all people, the Emperor has sent a message from his deathbed.
A SHORT FABLE: “ACH,” said the mouse, “the world gets narrower every day.
THE UNHAPPINESS OF BEING A SINGLE MAN: IT SEEMS A TERRIBLE THING to stay single for good, to become an old man who, if he wants to spend the evening with other people, has to stand on his dignity and ask someone for an invitation; to be ill and spend weeks looking out of the corner of your bed at an empty room; always to say goodbye at the door; never to squeeze your way up the stairs beside your wife; to live in a room where the side doors lead only to other people’s apartments; to carry your dinner home in one hand; to be forced to admire children you don’t know and not to be allowed to just keep repeating, “I don’t have any”; to model your appearance and behaviour on one or two bachelors you remember from childhood.
POSEIDON: POSEIDON SAT at his desk and went through his accounts. Being in charge of all the seas and oceans was an endless amount of work.
THE VERDICT (A story for Ms Felice B.): IT WAS A SUNDAY MORNING at the height of spring. Georg Bendemann, a young businessman, was sitting in his room on the first floor of one of those low, straight-forwardly built houses that run in a long line beside the river, differing from each other only in their height or colour.
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THE TRUTH ABOUT SANCHO PANZA: SANCHO PANZA—who incidentally has never boasted about this—used to leave out piles of novels about knights and robbers in the evenings and for the long hours of the night
THE BRIDGE: I WAS STIFF AND COLD, I was a bridge, I lay across a ravine. My feet were dug into one cliff, my hands into the other, I gripped the crumbling clay.
THE MARRIED COUPLE: BUSINESS IS SO BAD at the moment that sometimes, if I’m just killing time in the office, I take the sample case and go see the clients myself.
BEFORE THE LAW: BEFORE THE LAW there’s a gatekeeper. [I dedicate my read of this to the estimable Carole Cadwalladr]
A HUNGER ARTIST: IN THE PAST FEW DECADES public interest in the art of fasting has drastically declined.
THE TREES: WE’RE LIKE TREE TRUNKS in the snow. They seem to stand on its surface, as if a little push would be enough to knock them over. No, you can’t do that, because they’re fixed firmly to the ground. But look, even that is illusory.
THE NEW LAWYER: WE’VE GOT A NEW LAWYER, a Dr Bucephalus. There’s not much in his appearance to remind you that he used to be Alexander of Macedon’s war horse.
AN OLD JOURNAL: IT SOMETIMES SEEMS as if the defence of our country has been quite badly neglected. Until recently, we never thought about it, and just got on with our business; but the events of the past few days have got us worried.
IN THE PENAL COLONY: “IT’S A UNIQUE PIECE of equipment,” said the officer to the travelling researcher, looking over the familiar machinery with an air of admiration.
Philip Glass: In the penal colony
In the Penal Colony (Franz Kafka Short Film)
THE NEXT VILLAGE: MY GRANDFATHER used to say: “Life is astonishingly short.
A FIRST HEARTACHE: A TRAPEZE VIRTUOSO—whose discipline, practised high in the vaulted domes of the great variety theatres, is famously among the most difficult of any that people can aspire to—had arranged his life in such a way that, initially out of a striving for perfection, then out of increasingly tyrannical habit, he stayed on his trapeze day and night for as long as an engagement lasted.
A REPORT FOR AN ACADEMY: GENTLEMEN, eminent members of the academy!
You have done me the honour of asking me to present a report on my simian past.
HOMECOMING: I’VE COME BACK, come in through the gate, and I take a look around. It’s my father’s old farmyard.
JACKALS AND ARABS: WE’D MADE CAMP at an oasis. The others were asleep.
THE SILENCE OF THE SIRENS: PROOF THAT BASIC, even childish, methods can sometimes save you
February 5, 2024
I will never tire of Kafka
June 4, 2025
good!
February 6, 2024
First time reading Kafka! I found a Willy Wonka ticket in this book at my public library and got a free chocolate in return - so I decided to give it a try.
It put me in a mini reading slump. Some stories resonated more than others but I like the playfulness/some aspects of sci-fi in his stories. Others seemed to ramble on too much.
It put me in a mini reading slump. Some stories resonated more than others but I like the playfulness/some aspects of sci-fi in his stories. Others seemed to ramble on too much.
July 6, 2021
Absolutely cracking.
I truly enjoyed seeing another side of Kafka through this collection of short stories. The stories all contained little elements that showed off and truly demonstrated the complicated nature of his stories. Personal favorite would have to be Posideon as it truly sums up the plight faced by characters in Kafka's novels in a simple and easy to understand fashion.
I truly enjoyed seeing another side of Kafka through this collection of short stories. The stories all contained little elements that showed off and truly demonstrated the complicated nature of his stories. Personal favorite would have to be Posideon as it truly sums up the plight faced by characters in Kafka's novels in a simple and easy to understand fashion.
October 23, 2018
Metamorphosis has long been one of my favorite classics, so I was excited to get at a collection of Kafka's short stories, to read the week prior to traveling to his birthplace, Prague. I love this title, I love this book cover, and I love the portrait of Kafka posing with a dog. I super appreciate Alexander Starritt acknowledging four different translators at the end of this gem, a great translation can augment genius; and these stories written over a century ago, are so comical today and read so fluidly. My only complaint is that I found the tone of Starritt's Preface overtly, and unnecessarily, negative. In fact my recommendation would be to skip the first four paragraphs of his Preface, and just enjoy the rest of the book.
November 2, 2018
I've long loved Kafka's Metamorphosis so was delighted to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of this eclectic collection of Kafka's stories ranging from flash fiction to long pieces and from comical to moving. Kafka's prose is so crisp and fresh it's hard to believe these stories are decades old (though perhaps we can thank the translators for that?)
Gorgeous cover too. Recommended for all short story lovers.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Gorgeous cover too. Recommended for all short story lovers.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for this ARC.
November 6, 2018
If there's any reason why you ought to read this book, let it be that each story will cling onto you like a shadow, constantly whispering into your ear 'did you get that?'
A great collection, well translated and fans and new readers of Kafka will love this. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
A great collection, well translated and fans and new readers of Kafka will love this. Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.
May 15, 2023
Iconic
July 4, 2025
If I had to describe Kafka's work succinctly, I would say it's disturbingly non-intuitive but still relatable somehow. This book comforted me in a horrifying way so that I didn't want to read it.
A Hunger Artist really cuts deep with its irony.
I liked Report from an Academy the best. I guess we all are trying to find freedom that isn't really freedom. That sounds very cliche coming from me, but Kafka says it better.
In the Penal Colony had a bunch of religious allusions which I missed until I looked it up. I like it, but it's preaching to the choir. I had to step away from that one a few times because it made me nauseous.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to try Kafka. It's easier to get into than the Metamorphosis (from what I remember).
A Hunger Artist really cuts deep with its irony.
I liked Report from an Academy the best. I guess we all are trying to find freedom that isn't really freedom. That sounds very cliche coming from me, but Kafka says it better.
In the Penal Colony had a bunch of religious allusions which I missed until I looked it up. I like it, but it's preaching to the choir. I had to step away from that one a few times because it made me nauseous.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to try Kafka. It's easier to get into than the Metamorphosis (from what I remember).
February 10, 2020
Very enjoyable, but the secret to understanding most of the stories is understanding Kafka's life. They're all really personal and intimate, which adds to the pleasure of reading, but at the same time, most of them have a rough, unfinished quality, like most of his work. Two of the stories, infact, ended up being placed later into some of his novels.
July 5, 2023
Reading Kafka is like waking up the morning after a nightmare to discover physical evidence that your dream really happened late the previous night — the front door is latched; the blinds are drawn. He expands the universe of what seems possible for a writer and narrows the understood distance between human minds.
January 31, 2024
“You learn because you want a way out; you learn ruthlessly. You hold the whip over your own head; you lacerate yourself at the slightest reluctance.”
I liked how Kafka depicted, in an almost sarcastic way the violence and disinterest the world holds and how illusory and deceitful the very ground we stand on can be. 4.5⭐️
I liked how Kafka depicted, in an almost sarcastic way the violence and disinterest the world holds and how illusory and deceitful the very ground we stand on can be. 4.5⭐️
June 12, 2025
an excellently curated collection, great variety in length and tone of the stories - from half pagers that left me thinking deeply to lengthy narratives that ended in a light joke, each one brought something different to the table
October 28, 2022
very kafkaesque
December 23, 2023
Slightly more engaging that some of Kafka longer novels. I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys his style but finds the full length stories hard to finish.
July 10, 2020
A tour de force of compression marred by unconventional translation choices (“An Old Manuscript” becomes “An Old Journal”; “give up” is very different to “give it up”).
May 2, 2025
Some of these stories floored me. Ohhhh what Kafka can do in half a page
March 18, 2023
stupid book
November 22, 2018
This is a great collection of Kafta's works that introduces the reader to the author's short stories. Most readers probably only know of The Metamorphosis or The Trial, but Kafka has a lot to offer in stories of various lengths, some of which are only a paragraph in length, such as The Truth About Sancho Panza. Fans of magical Realism and stories with a surreal edge will love these.
Note: I received a free ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received a free ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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