Today is Franz Kafka's Birthday! 7/3/1883 - 1924

[Erich Zann]

Another of my all time favorite authors. An amazingly extreme sense of humor Franz Kafka's short stories are a highly entertaining read.

Franz Kafka, born in Prague, july 3rd 1883 In 1901 he studied law at the German Karl-Ferdinand University in Prague but is more interested in the literary circles of the city. Kafka quickly defined his ideal style - cool, sober, and very elegant. It's at this time in his life where he meets Max Brod, one of his closest friends and the person responsible for publishing all of Kafka's unpublished material following his death. Max Brod as executor to Kafka also ignored Kafka's dying wish that all of his unpublished work be destroyed upon his death. Kafka was diagnosed with Tuberculosis of the lung in 1917 this condition affected his outlook on his relationships which were always uncertain and fleeting. Writing was his sole passion and he published only a small portion of his literary works during his lifetime. Like HPL he died penniless and largely misunderstood by the literary world. If it weren't for the efforts of his friend Max Brod, and his decision to disregard Kafka's dying wish that all of his unpublished work be destroyed, for Max's efforts were truly significant in keeping Kafka's work alive, the literary world would have been a much poorer place.

Here's just a few stories that I thought Kafka really excelled with:

A Country Doctor (nightmarish and disturbingly vivid, a masterpiece of the macabre, IMO),

Unhappiness (an amuzing argument with a young girl's ghost),

A Little Woman (an humorous example to the extreme of a woman's potential for antipathy: "This little woman then is very ill-pleased with me, she always finds something objectionable in me, I am always doing the wrong thing to her, I annoy her at every step; if a life could be cut into the smallest of small pieces and every scrap of it could be seperately assessed, every scrap of my life would certaintly be an offense to her."),

Description Of A Struggle/The Supplicants Story (absurdity and humor supreme; 'So I happily drank a glass of wine and walked over to the pianist who, all alone and nodding to himself, happened to be playing something sad. I bent carefully down to his ear so as not to frighten him and whispered into the melody: "Be so kind, sir, as to let me play now, for I'm just beginning to feel happy." Since he paid no attention to me, I stood there for a while embarrassed, but then overcoming my timidity, I went from one guest to another, saying casually: "Today I'm going to play the piano. Yes." 'Everyone seemed to know I couldn't play, but they smiled in a friendly way, pleased by the welcome interruption of their conversation. They paid proper attention to me only when I said to the pianist in a very loud voice: "Do me the favor, sir, of letting me play now. After all, I'm just beginning to feel happy. A triumph is at stake!" Although the pianist stopped, he neither left his brown bench nor appeared to understand me. He sighed and covered his face with his long fingers.')

Investigations Of A Dog (an account of just how profound your dogs thoughts are as they're racing through his cranium whilst staring at you inquisically, tongue wagging, and all.)

And of course Kafka's 1915 classic: The Metamorphosis (Gregor Samsa's account of: "awakening one morning from uneasy dreams finding himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.")


Just thought I'd pay a little tribute to Franz Kafka on his 123rd birthday.


An excellent book to pick up for those interested in Kafka's tales of absurdity is:

Franz Kafka, Collected Stories w/ translations largley done by Willa and Edwin Muir. Published by Alfred A. Knopf / Everymans Libray

[odin2]

Happy Birthday, Kafka!!!!

(do you think he heard me??)

[Jesus Prime]

Doubt it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAFKA!

[Adrian]

I like Daniil Harms more.