What do you think?
Rate this book
Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka's enigmatic, deadpan, and deeply pessimistic stories are central to literary modernism. In 'The Metamorphosis', the estrangement of everyday life becomes corporealized when Gregor Samsa wakes up as a giant bug and wonders how he is going to get to work on time. Kafka inverts the implied degradation of a man's transformation into an animal in 'A Report of the Academy', an ape's address to a group of scientists.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1952
134 people are currently reading
1166 people want to read
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,085 books37.3k 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
May 10, 2019
In my honest opinion, Franz Kafka is not easy to understand. His short stories outclass contemporary minds to grasp it in one reading. His stories, moreover, are complex and often offering a multitude of interpretation and that's what I like the most about him.
May 29, 2012
I can't remember what show, but my husband was watching some show on TV and they mentioned Kafka or his works. The show mentioned (or maybe he looked into it afterwards) that Kafka can be very depressing, but there is also a slight humor to a lot of his works and an art in them. My husband, from the TV show, thought he might appreciate this humor- despite the tragic/depressing parts and rented some from the library. I have made a goal to be more well-read and to be more rounded in my choice of literature. So I started reading them as well. Franz Kafka was a Jew in Germany, who had a hard life, from what I have found. He may have died before the Jews faced their biggest trials in WWII, but thinking about it, I'm sure their persecution didn't start then. Kafka may have faced poverty, ridicule, any number of things, but his works, even when depressing have value and have lessons that can be learned from them.
The Judgment: This first story I'm not sure if I understood the point of it. It seems two people are affected by a tragedy and one thinks he is the only one moving on, and becomes quite selfish. The other one takes advantage of the first's complete obliviousness to things not concerning himself and prepares for the ruin of the first. The part I don't get is the second says he loves the first and then commands the first to drown himself, and then the willingness of the first to do so. Maybe the first WAS so selfish that the humiliation of NOT being able to achieve everything he thought was too much to live with. Whatever the case, I did not like it very much.
The Metamorphosis: My husband tells me that Franz Kafka himself got tuberculosis, but in the end died of starvation. At times I feel this story has some semblance of an autobiography. I did find most of it amusing- even if just the way he described certain things. Within the first paragraphs of the story you find that he has been changed into some sort of beetle and is on its back. I can picture a bug on its back struggling to get back upright, and although it is sad, the way he describes it makes the picture in my head seem quite funny. There are many things in this book. The need to fit in, feelings of being outcast, feeling useless, other themes as well.
In the Penal Colony: This one I also liked. It's based around a torture device that is very inhumane. To me it emphasizes many things, including the right to a fair trial. The need to be innocent until proven guilty instead of guilty first. Considering Kafka was a Jew, I read this one and actually thought of Hitler and the concentration camps. I related Hitler to the Old Commandant. But Kafka died in 1924- before Hitler and his concentration camps and persecution of the Jews (though I assume there had been persecution before, though different). It also, to me, emphasizes the need for us to stand up for things we believe in, that we feel are right, no matter how we feel they may be received.
The Great Wall of China: This one is an essay that starts out about building the wall of China. Then in the middle it talks about the citizens of China in the southeast (I believe). Then comes back to the wall of China. It wasn't my favorite story, but was well done, in that a German is a Chinese man, and from what I know of its citizens, is pretty accurate. It reminded me that the wall may have been, not only to keep Mongols out, but foreign influences, that were considered an enemy to and threat to the Chinese culture. I did like a quote in it: "Try with all your might to comprehend the decrees of the high command, but only up to a certain point; then avoid further meditation. A very wise maxim, which moreover was elaborated in a parable that was later often quoted: Avoid further meditation, but not because it might be harmful; it is not at all certain that it would be harmful. What is harmful or not harmful has nothing to do with the question. Consider rather the river in spring. It rises until it grows mightier and nourishes more richly the soil on the long stretch of its banks, still maintaining its own course until it reaches the sea, where it is all the more welcome because it is a worthier ally.--Thus far may you urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command.--But after that the river overflows its banks, loses outline and shape, slows down the speed of its current, tries to ignore its destiny by forming little seas in the interior of the land, damages the fields and yet cannot maintain itself for long in its new expanse, but must run back between its banks again, must even dry up wretchedly in the hot season that presently follows.--Thus far may you not urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command." (p. 136-137) I am one to "over-meditate" something, and therefore, I'm not sure if I completely agree, but I do agree with the logic behind this quote. I'll have to think more on it.
A Country Doctor: In this story, a country doctor is trying to save one person, but no one is willing to help the doctor. And then he ends up with two people that need his help in two different places, he can't fully help either one and ends up sick himself. If we don't take care of ourselves, we can't help anyone. And the tragic-ness of not being able to be in two places at once. The need for others to sometimes help- especially to one who probably has helped us or our families at one point or another.
A Common Confusion: I liked this story, and I feel most people can relate. It has to do with missing someone or an opportunity. But it also talked about being so busy that we miss something and the importance to make time for the important things. Really short story (a page and a half?). It refers to the two main people as A and B and the two destinations as H and home. One quote: "At home he [A] learns that B had arrived quite early, immediately after A's departure, indeed that he had met A on the threshold and reminded him of his business; but A had replied that he had no time to spare, he must go at once."
The New Advocate: Another really short story. This one seems a bit philosophical. It seems reminiscent of the great days with Alexander the Great and one blazing a trail to India. And then seems to say, all we need now is people who study books (specifically law books here).
An Old Manuscript: His second story where he is now a Chinese citizen. This one in its capital outside the Emperor's palace. It talks about foreigners within the city and I actually like the last quote, as a summary of the story. ""What is going to happen?" we all ask ourselves. "How long can we endure this burden and torment? The Emperor's palace has drawn the nomads here but does not know how to drive them away again. The gate stays shut; the guards, who used to be always marching out and in with ceremony, keep close behind barred windows. It is left to us artisans and tradesmen to save our country; but we are not equal to such a task; nor have we ever claimed to be capable of it. This is a misunderstanding of some kind; and it will be the ruin of us.""
A Fratricide: I liked this short story about a murder. It talks about a person who watches the whole thing but doesn't do anything about it. It reminds me of our need to be involved in things sometimes. There was a story once in New York where a girl was being stabbed and killed and yelling for help, yet no one stopped to help. Some people stood watching, but no one lifted a finger. I once heard someone speculate that today with youtube and our cell phones, we might stand there and videotape the event, thinking maybe we'll be the first one to report it and get fame, but no one would lift a finger to actually help and intervene. If we were in that situation, would we try and prevent a crime? Would we even take the time to call the police so someone else can help?
A Report to an Academy: I really liked this story about an ape who becomes human. I mean he still has fur, but he overcomes his ape side and becomes civilized. This story analyzes, not freedom, but the need to have some direction to move. Somewhere to go, even if there is no freedom to choose which way to go, one direction to move is good. It talks about the need for motivation to move and I think gives a good example of overcoming adversity, trials, flaws in our own character. In this, the ape is not resentful, but he does not look at his act of being civilized as right. He does not feel other apes should seek to do the same, in fact he feels pity for one chimp, but for him, he felt it was necessary and he does not regret what he did.
I have now finished and will try to finish giving brief summaries of the last few stories.
The Hunter Gracchus: Starts out very descriptive, almost felt like the beginning of a novel. It was short and curious. I don't know if I understood the intended message, but it's about a hunter who befalls some tragedy and then is cursed to roam the earth on a boat. Never able to linger long, not able to receive help or eternal rest. I kinda liked it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.
A Hunger Artist: This one has to do with a man who fasts for a living. I want to say that Kafka died of starvation, but I could be wrong. Anyways, there are times when he seems to glorify fasting or starvation. This seems like one of those times, except the character dies at the end, very frail and pitiful. He wants to make a new record for fasting and insists he can go "one more day" until by death he is stopped. It talks of very many things relating to fasting, but it seems to miss the point for me. I realize Kafka was a Jew- so he did not believe in Christ's teachings as fact, but to me Christ tells us what fasting should be when he talks about how hypocrites fast and make sure people know it and it is for the glory of men and not for God's help as it should be. (St. Matthew chapter 6). In conclusion, I think this story helps emphasize what I have noticed as a trend of Kafka's to focus on fasting and starvation, but it wasn't my favorite.
Investigations of a Dog: I thought this had way too many side notes and didn't make one clear point. It seemed to me that his main investigation has to do with, once again, starvation. The dog thought he saw food that didn't fall to the ground but followed him through the air and pursued him. So he decides that he must starve himself to see if food will come to him. But when he first noticed this phenomena he was not starving, so why he felt the need to starve himself to try his experiment is beyond me, besides the fact that Kafka was intrigued by starving and/or fasting. It is very philosophical in nature and doesn't really reach any conclusions. Luckily the dog does not die, he is too tempted by food and therefore his experiment failed.
The Burrow: I'll admit, I think I spent too much time while reading this trying to figure out which animal, precisely, was being depicted. It doesn't much matter though. It talks of a safety net. It talks of a treasured area, and getting distracted, not thinking things through, allowing danger to enter, and then becoming to scared to think through things logically. I can relate in many ways, looking back on this story and although I didn't like it much while reading it, I think I like it more when thinking about the message it was trying to convey.
Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk: This one insists that mice do not sing or like music, except for that which comes from Josephine. I kinda liked this one, though I'm not sure if I got the intended message. It talks of how she craves attention, wants to be listened to, feels her message is vital to all mice. It talks of how entranced all mice are with her voice, and spends a little bit of time going into how she may or may not make those sounds, that no other mouse can.
Overall I liked these stories. They weren't all intriguing, and so it wasn't the fastest read for me, but I feel there are good points in at least most of the stories, and good messages, even with the tragic, and sometimes weird endings.
The Judgment: This first story I'm not sure if I understood the point of it. It seems two people are affected by a tragedy and one thinks he is the only one moving on, and becomes quite selfish. The other one takes advantage of the first's complete obliviousness to things not concerning himself and prepares for the ruin of the first. The part I don't get is the second says he loves the first and then commands the first to drown himself, and then the willingness of the first to do so. Maybe the first WAS so selfish that the humiliation of NOT being able to achieve everything he thought was too much to live with. Whatever the case, I did not like it very much.
The Metamorphosis: My husband tells me that Franz Kafka himself got tuberculosis, but in the end died of starvation. At times I feel this story has some semblance of an autobiography. I did find most of it amusing- even if just the way he described certain things. Within the first paragraphs of the story you find that he has been changed into some sort of beetle and is on its back. I can picture a bug on its back struggling to get back upright, and although it is sad, the way he describes it makes the picture in my head seem quite funny. There are many things in this book. The need to fit in, feelings of being outcast, feeling useless, other themes as well.
In the Penal Colony: This one I also liked. It's based around a torture device that is very inhumane. To me it emphasizes many things, including the right to a fair trial. The need to be innocent until proven guilty instead of guilty first. Considering Kafka was a Jew, I read this one and actually thought of Hitler and the concentration camps. I related Hitler to the Old Commandant. But Kafka died in 1924- before Hitler and his concentration camps and persecution of the Jews (though I assume there had been persecution before, though different). It also, to me, emphasizes the need for us to stand up for things we believe in, that we feel are right, no matter how we feel they may be received.
The Great Wall of China: This one is an essay that starts out about building the wall of China. Then in the middle it talks about the citizens of China in the southeast (I believe). Then comes back to the wall of China. It wasn't my favorite story, but was well done, in that a German is a Chinese man, and from what I know of its citizens, is pretty accurate. It reminded me that the wall may have been, not only to keep Mongols out, but foreign influences, that were considered an enemy to and threat to the Chinese culture. I did like a quote in it: "Try with all your might to comprehend the decrees of the high command, but only up to a certain point; then avoid further meditation. A very wise maxim, which moreover was elaborated in a parable that was later often quoted: Avoid further meditation, but not because it might be harmful; it is not at all certain that it would be harmful. What is harmful or not harmful has nothing to do with the question. Consider rather the river in spring. It rises until it grows mightier and nourishes more richly the soil on the long stretch of its banks, still maintaining its own course until it reaches the sea, where it is all the more welcome because it is a worthier ally.--Thus far may you urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command.--But after that the river overflows its banks, loses outline and shape, slows down the speed of its current, tries to ignore its destiny by forming little seas in the interior of the land, damages the fields and yet cannot maintain itself for long in its new expanse, but must run back between its banks again, must even dry up wretchedly in the hot season that presently follows.--Thus far may you not urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command." (p. 136-137) I am one to "over-meditate" something, and therefore, I'm not sure if I completely agree, but I do agree with the logic behind this quote. I'll have to think more on it.
A Country Doctor: In this story, a country doctor is trying to save one person, but no one is willing to help the doctor. And then he ends up with two people that need his help in two different places, he can't fully help either one and ends up sick himself. If we don't take care of ourselves, we can't help anyone. And the tragic-ness of not being able to be in two places at once. The need for others to sometimes help- especially to one who probably has helped us or our families at one point or another.
A Common Confusion: I liked this story, and I feel most people can relate. It has to do with missing someone or an opportunity. But it also talked about being so busy that we miss something and the importance to make time for the important things. Really short story (a page and a half?). It refers to the two main people as A and B and the two destinations as H and home. One quote: "At home he [A] learns that B had arrived quite early, immediately after A's departure, indeed that he had met A on the threshold and reminded him of his business; but A had replied that he had no time to spare, he must go at once."
The New Advocate: Another really short story. This one seems a bit philosophical. It seems reminiscent of the great days with Alexander the Great and one blazing a trail to India. And then seems to say, all we need now is people who study books (specifically law books here).
An Old Manuscript: His second story where he is now a Chinese citizen. This one in its capital outside the Emperor's palace. It talks about foreigners within the city and I actually like the last quote, as a summary of the story. ""What is going to happen?" we all ask ourselves. "How long can we endure this burden and torment? The Emperor's palace has drawn the nomads here but does not know how to drive them away again. The gate stays shut; the guards, who used to be always marching out and in with ceremony, keep close behind barred windows. It is left to us artisans and tradesmen to save our country; but we are not equal to such a task; nor have we ever claimed to be capable of it. This is a misunderstanding of some kind; and it will be the ruin of us.""
A Fratricide: I liked this short story about a murder. It talks about a person who watches the whole thing but doesn't do anything about it. It reminds me of our need to be involved in things sometimes. There was a story once in New York where a girl was being stabbed and killed and yelling for help, yet no one stopped to help. Some people stood watching, but no one lifted a finger. I once heard someone speculate that today with youtube and our cell phones, we might stand there and videotape the event, thinking maybe we'll be the first one to report it and get fame, but no one would lift a finger to actually help and intervene. If we were in that situation, would we try and prevent a crime? Would we even take the time to call the police so someone else can help?
A Report to an Academy: I really liked this story about an ape who becomes human. I mean he still has fur, but he overcomes his ape side and becomes civilized. This story analyzes, not freedom, but the need to have some direction to move. Somewhere to go, even if there is no freedom to choose which way to go, one direction to move is good. It talks about the need for motivation to move and I think gives a good example of overcoming adversity, trials, flaws in our own character. In this, the ape is not resentful, but he does not look at his act of being civilized as right. He does not feel other apes should seek to do the same, in fact he feels pity for one chimp, but for him, he felt it was necessary and he does not regret what he did.
I have now finished and will try to finish giving brief summaries of the last few stories.
The Hunter Gracchus: Starts out very descriptive, almost felt like the beginning of a novel. It was short and curious. I don't know if I understood the intended message, but it's about a hunter who befalls some tragedy and then is cursed to roam the earth on a boat. Never able to linger long, not able to receive help or eternal rest. I kinda liked it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.
A Hunger Artist: This one has to do with a man who fasts for a living. I want to say that Kafka died of starvation, but I could be wrong. Anyways, there are times when he seems to glorify fasting or starvation. This seems like one of those times, except the character dies at the end, very frail and pitiful. He wants to make a new record for fasting and insists he can go "one more day" until by death he is stopped. It talks of very many things relating to fasting, but it seems to miss the point for me. I realize Kafka was a Jew- so he did not believe in Christ's teachings as fact, but to me Christ tells us what fasting should be when he talks about how hypocrites fast and make sure people know it and it is for the glory of men and not for God's help as it should be. (St. Matthew chapter 6). In conclusion, I think this story helps emphasize what I have noticed as a trend of Kafka's to focus on fasting and starvation, but it wasn't my favorite.
Investigations of a Dog: I thought this had way too many side notes and didn't make one clear point. It seemed to me that his main investigation has to do with, once again, starvation. The dog thought he saw food that didn't fall to the ground but followed him through the air and pursued him. So he decides that he must starve himself to see if food will come to him. But when he first noticed this phenomena he was not starving, so why he felt the need to starve himself to try his experiment is beyond me, besides the fact that Kafka was intrigued by starving and/or fasting. It is very philosophical in nature and doesn't really reach any conclusions. Luckily the dog does not die, he is too tempted by food and therefore his experiment failed.
The Burrow: I'll admit, I think I spent too much time while reading this trying to figure out which animal, precisely, was being depicted. It doesn't much matter though. It talks of a safety net. It talks of a treasured area, and getting distracted, not thinking things through, allowing danger to enter, and then becoming to scared to think through things logically. I can relate in many ways, looking back on this story and although I didn't like it much while reading it, I think I like it more when thinking about the message it was trying to convey.
Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk: This one insists that mice do not sing or like music, except for that which comes from Josephine. I kinda liked this one, though I'm not sure if I got the intended message. It talks of how she craves attention, wants to be listened to, feels her message is vital to all mice. It talks of how entranced all mice are with her voice, and spends a little bit of time going into how she may or may not make those sounds, that no other mouse can.
Overall I liked these stories. They weren't all intriguing, and so it wasn't the fastest read for me, but I feel there are good points in at least most of the stories, and good messages, even with the tragic, and sometimes weird endings.
July 17, 2014
"How much my life has changed, and yet how unchanged it has remained at bottom!"
- opening sentence, "Investigations of a Dog"
"But all remained unchanged."
- closing sentence, "The Burrow"
The ordinary American knows Franz Kafka as the guy who wrote the story where the dude turns into a bug. This is fair; he did indeed write the story where the dude turns into a bug, and that iconic tale of alienation and existential horror is included in the Modern Library's Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka (how, indeed, would they have gotten away with leaving it out?)
One can certainly appreciate the majesty of "The Metamorphosis" in isolation, but it is only one of fifteen works in this edition. Reading multiple Kafka stories allows for a finer appreciation of the ideas over which the author obsessed: social isolation, totalitarianism, intergenerational conflict, self-starvation, the terrifying power of music, the ultimate and absolute triumph of death, the link between curiosity and unhappiness, and, most of all, the inability of individuals to change their lives. Kafka is where inspiration goes to die. He dismisses out-of-hand the conventional wisdom that one can and should learn from one's experiences; disaster strikes without warning, and characters seeking explanations for their plight run into blank walls of unknowing. This is deep pessimism, the kind that rings disconcertingly true even if it is incompatible with a so-called normal life. My life is more normal than I care to admit, and I cannot promise that I've absorbed Kafka. Even the Italian author Primo Levi, who had a year in Auschwitz at his back, claimed that Kafka laid down more truth than he cared to endure.
But one could name other pessimists. What makes Kafka tragic rather than just surly is his innocence, exemplified by his inclination to write animal fables, stories in simple language about beetles, dogs, mice, and other critters. The protagonist of "A Report to an Academy" is an intelligent ape who wears trousers. One could call it Disney minus the Prozac. Poor Kafka knew the wounded child in all of us.
Highly recommended.
- opening sentence, "Investigations of a Dog"
"But all remained unchanged."
- closing sentence, "The Burrow"
The ordinary American knows Franz Kafka as the guy who wrote the story where the dude turns into a bug. This is fair; he did indeed write the story where the dude turns into a bug, and that iconic tale of alienation and existential horror is included in the Modern Library's Selected Short Stories of Franz Kafka (how, indeed, would they have gotten away with leaving it out?)
One can certainly appreciate the majesty of "The Metamorphosis" in isolation, but it is only one of fifteen works in this edition. Reading multiple Kafka stories allows for a finer appreciation of the ideas over which the author obsessed: social isolation, totalitarianism, intergenerational conflict, self-starvation, the terrifying power of music, the ultimate and absolute triumph of death, the link between curiosity and unhappiness, and, most of all, the inability of individuals to change their lives. Kafka is where inspiration goes to die. He dismisses out-of-hand the conventional wisdom that one can and should learn from one's experiences; disaster strikes without warning, and characters seeking explanations for their plight run into blank walls of unknowing. This is deep pessimism, the kind that rings disconcertingly true even if it is incompatible with a so-called normal life. My life is more normal than I care to admit, and I cannot promise that I've absorbed Kafka. Even the Italian author Primo Levi, who had a year in Auschwitz at his back, claimed that Kafka laid down more truth than he cared to endure.
But one could name other pessimists. What makes Kafka tragic rather than just surly is his innocence, exemplified by his inclination to write animal fables, stories in simple language about beetles, dogs, mice, and other critters. The protagonist of "A Report to an Academy" is an intelligent ape who wears trousers. One could call it Disney minus the Prozac. Poor Kafka knew the wounded child in all of us.
Highly recommended.
April 6, 2025
The Judgement: I often find myself too caught up in anxious and ridiculous thought to make a decision because of too many variables and the opinions of too many others to consider. So this was funny and somewhat cathartic to read and then the ending sort of slapped me and made me laugh. I liked this one.
The Metamorphosis: awesome story that I read before so I skipped it in this collection of stories.
The Penal Colony: freaky stuff. I loved the sparse use of characters and how defined they all felt. How they didn’t have names but titles.
The Great Wall of China: interesting despite being boring. That’s my general thought for these essays from the perspective of a fiction character. Dense and hard to get through. I like story telling!
The Country Doctor: totally awesome and very ambiguous and yet so clearly defined as a dream. Kind of shows what exactly is necessary for a story. Details no, only feeling.
A Common Confusion: funny, only a page and a half. Sort of speaks to a truth about life though. About misunderstandings. There’s something truthful in there, even though it is ridiculous.
The New Advocate: really short and I didn’t really get it and don’t really remember it.
An Old Manuscript: cool. Interesting piece of life. About the Chinese men living next to the emperors palace and there are northern barbarians living in the square.
The Fratricide: didn’t remember based on the title so I had to re-read the first sentence. Interesting truth(?) about humanity and conflict. Someone’s murdered and a person from a window watches and doesn’t stop it for hope of punishing the murderer?
A Report to an Academy: this was my favorite beside metamorphosis. So cool. The only essay style one that I could fully get behind because he’s also telling a story. I am surprised by how many of these are about animals. Really liked the ape’s thoughts about freedom.
The Hunter Gracchus: mysterious and cool and was making me think about death in a way I don’t quite remember.
The Hunger Artist: immensely interesting and feels to me, somehow, the most personal to Kafka. Idk. Just seems like he’s really speaking from himself here. The whole story and personality is unusually clear.
Investigations of a Dog: so dense. Some of the paragraphs were 5 pages. The world was very interesting, and some of the events in the broad story were too, like the music and the fast and the hound, but I could never get fully behind it. Ok yeah but one idea that was so interesting was the truth that everyone is silent about their knowledge. How everyone is pledged to silence. I can understand exactly what he means. It’s frustrating and lonely but I too, despite my frustration, remain silent.
The burrow: I don’t really think it needed to be as long as it was, because I kind of got the feeling of anxiety after the first page. But it was interesting to be in the mind of this animal that is really very human. Everyone is familiar with this sort of crazed thought. I suppose it’s a study on anxiety and paranoia as a whole.
Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk: cool world and some cool truth out there about art and how cultures view it. The role it plays in a society. A very interesting discussion now that I think about it. And it is just that: a discussion. The narrator has no real character. They just represent their people and talk about Josephine and how people feel about her. Interesting and a little disconnected.
Overall I found much of this book difficult to read but I was always interested in the truth he was trying to express. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. He seemed like he was always getting at something innate to humanity, even if the story was about an animal. Maybe just innate to life. The fictional essay style of writing was interesting but I still much prefer when he would write stories. I’m not sure what will stick with me from this over the years. But I do feel like some stuff will.
The Metamorphosis: awesome story that I read before so I skipped it in this collection of stories.
The Penal Colony: freaky stuff. I loved the sparse use of characters and how defined they all felt. How they didn’t have names but titles.
The Great Wall of China: interesting despite being boring. That’s my general thought for these essays from the perspective of a fiction character. Dense and hard to get through. I like story telling!
The Country Doctor: totally awesome and very ambiguous and yet so clearly defined as a dream. Kind of shows what exactly is necessary for a story. Details no, only feeling.
A Common Confusion: funny, only a page and a half. Sort of speaks to a truth about life though. About misunderstandings. There’s something truthful in there, even though it is ridiculous.
The New Advocate: really short and I didn’t really get it and don’t really remember it.
An Old Manuscript: cool. Interesting piece of life. About the Chinese men living next to the emperors palace and there are northern barbarians living in the square.
The Fratricide: didn’t remember based on the title so I had to re-read the first sentence. Interesting truth(?) about humanity and conflict. Someone’s murdered and a person from a window watches and doesn’t stop it for hope of punishing the murderer?
A Report to an Academy: this was my favorite beside metamorphosis. So cool. The only essay style one that I could fully get behind because he’s also telling a story. I am surprised by how many of these are about animals. Really liked the ape’s thoughts about freedom.
The Hunter Gracchus: mysterious and cool and was making me think about death in a way I don’t quite remember.
The Hunger Artist: immensely interesting and feels to me, somehow, the most personal to Kafka. Idk. Just seems like he’s really speaking from himself here. The whole story and personality is unusually clear.
Investigations of a Dog: so dense. Some of the paragraphs were 5 pages. The world was very interesting, and some of the events in the broad story were too, like the music and the fast and the hound, but I could never get fully behind it. Ok yeah but one idea that was so interesting was the truth that everyone is silent about their knowledge. How everyone is pledged to silence. I can understand exactly what he means. It’s frustrating and lonely but I too, despite my frustration, remain silent.
The burrow: I don’t really think it needed to be as long as it was, because I kind of got the feeling of anxiety after the first page. But it was interesting to be in the mind of this animal that is really very human. Everyone is familiar with this sort of crazed thought. I suppose it’s a study on anxiety and paranoia as a whole.
Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk: cool world and some cool truth out there about art and how cultures view it. The role it plays in a society. A very interesting discussion now that I think about it. And it is just that: a discussion. The narrator has no real character. They just represent their people and talk about Josephine and how people feel about her. Interesting and a little disconnected.
Overall I found much of this book difficult to read but I was always interested in the truth he was trying to express. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. He seemed like he was always getting at something innate to humanity, even if the story was about an animal. Maybe just innate to life. The fictional essay style of writing was interesting but I still much prefer when he would write stories. I’m not sure what will stick with me from this over the years. But I do feel like some stuff will.
March 24, 2025
Every time I read or re-read a Kafka novel or short story, I think, why am I doing this? There's never much of a story line, the characters are unrelatable, it's often repetitive, it can be maddeningly obscure, and always ends badly or trails off indeterminately. Yet I confess that I am drawn to Kafka. His writing is imaginative to the highest degree, the fact that very little actually happens in his stories is fascinating, a deep read finds symbolic layers, and his general pessimism aligns with mine. Do not read Kafka to brighten your day.
Kafka had a tortured, unhealthy, lonely, and short life. Still there are truths in his fictions. Some label him an existentialist; about this I suspend judgement. Even though his best known story, Metamorphosis, appeals to young readers in its sheer outlandishness, I recommend Kafka to the mature reader who is has left Pollyannaishness behind.
Kafka had a tortured, unhealthy, lonely, and short life. Still there are truths in his fictions. Some label him an existentialist; about this I suspend judgement. Even though his best known story, Metamorphosis, appeals to young readers in its sheer outlandishness, I recommend Kafka to the mature reader who is has left Pollyannaishness behind.
August 13, 2025
Reading the short stories of this author is not unlike taking medicine; one knows that the medicine is good and necessary, but not a joy in most ways. However, I did enjoy reading these stories, and enjoyed them more than I thought I would.
The major story in this collection is “The Metamorphosis”, notable not just because the main character is utterly transformed, but because he and his family attempt to maintain normal lives while he is thus transformed. The stories include “In the Penal Colony”, “The Great Wall of China”, and “A Hunger Artist”. The story I enjoyed most was “The Burrow”, in which the author transforms the making and maintaining of a burrow by some relatively small carnivorous burrowing animal into a metaphor of life. Indeed, all of this author’s writings are metaphors on life, but some metaphors are more accessible than others.
I am glad to have read this book, but also glad that I am done reading it and having to think so hard on it.
The major story in this collection is “The Metamorphosis”, notable not just because the main character is utterly transformed, but because he and his family attempt to maintain normal lives while he is thus transformed. The stories include “In the Penal Colony”, “The Great Wall of China”, and “A Hunger Artist”. The story I enjoyed most was “The Burrow”, in which the author transforms the making and maintaining of a burrow by some relatively small carnivorous burrowing animal into a metaphor of life. Indeed, all of this author’s writings are metaphors on life, but some metaphors are more accessible than others.
I am glad to have read this book, but also glad that I am done reading it and having to think so hard on it.
Read
January 30, 2018Well this is Kafka, and it is a pretty mixed collection. His better known are better known for a reason. Those are his more universally appealing and for me better written works. He does drone on and on, intentionally having a single paragraph cover multiple pages. I enjoyed revisiting some of my favorites which I read in my youth. Some of the others which I had never read made me wonder if Kafka had those in mind when he requested his friend burn his manuscripts after his death. -Just kidding.- But reading his stories came make you feel like a dung beetle, so perhaps he is to be viewed, in the end, as succeeding in achieving the desired effect.
September 1, 2022
Can’t believe it took me 9 years to read this. The Burrow was my favorite, with In the Penal Colony as a close second. Josephine was great too. The dog one was a little much, and had some highlights but it almost felt like a lesser version of The Burrow. The Hunger Artist was funny, although less funny after I found out Kafka starved to death.
August 20, 2022
I think Kafka and Ottessa Moshfegh could get coffee together and kiki. They both have a love for taking an idea and pushing it to the outrageous extreme, letting paranoid delusions derail the plot, and writing about death.
Kafka’s writing seems to me to like a erratic purging of the messiest corners of his mind, like each story is just the extrapolation of his own intrusive thoughts.
However, the bizarre ideas are watered down (in my opinion) by long prose and wordy tangents, that turn his stories into musings at best. Is it that I am ruined by my horrifically short, zillenial attention span? Perhaps. Moving on.
I love this man for his ability to pair despair and whimsy in such a harmonic way, but I only wish he could get to the point a lot sooner.
Kafka’s writing seems to me to like a erratic purging of the messiest corners of his mind, like each story is just the extrapolation of his own intrusive thoughts.
However, the bizarre ideas are watered down (in my opinion) by long prose and wordy tangents, that turn his stories into musings at best. Is it that I am ruined by my horrifically short, zillenial attention span? Perhaps. Moving on.
I love this man for his ability to pair despair and whimsy in such a harmonic way, but I only wish he could get to the point a lot sooner.
December 26, 2022
I'll give it a 3.75.
September 14, 2015
Though I knew what "The Metamorphosis" was about I had never actually read Kafka before. It was one of those things that I had always meant to do but never managed to find the time and/or inspiration to get it done. So last month I came across this collection of some of his short stories and finally added it to the top of my reading list.
Most of the stories included in this book will give you a good taste of the paranoia and bizarreness that are usually associated with Kafka's style. "In the Penal Colony" is dark, "A Country Doctor" is a bit surreal and strange, "The Judgement" is just straight out odd with an ending that left me wondering if I had missed something, and "The Metamorphosis" is comical (despite what happens to Gregor Samsa, the main character, his family's attempt at contiuing a 'normal' life is amusing), entertaining and gross. Had this book included only these stories, I'd probably given this book a much higher rating.
My biggest issue with this book is with the inclusion of three stories, namely "Investigations of a Dog", "The Burrow" and "Josephine the Singer". These stories share the common trait that their main characters are animals talking about their personal lives, issues and paranoias. I felt that the stories were a bit repetitive (the character in "The Burrow" going over and over his plans on how to check all the compartments on his home, or the dog asking "Whence does the Earth procure its food?") and just too long. I'm sure that if you're a big Kafka scholar and enjoy looking for examples of how his stories are filled with themes of paranoia and psychological conflicts, then you'll definitely enjoy these stories. For me they were boring and no matter how hard I tried to find the beauty in them, I almost gave up on the entire book many times.
Most of the stories included in this book will give you a good taste of the paranoia and bizarreness that are usually associated with Kafka's style. "In the Penal Colony" is dark, "A Country Doctor" is a bit surreal and strange, "The Judgement" is just straight out odd with an ending that left me wondering if I had missed something, and "The Metamorphosis" is comical (despite what happens to Gregor Samsa, the main character, his family's attempt at contiuing a 'normal' life is amusing), entertaining and gross. Had this book included only these stories, I'd probably given this book a much higher rating.
My biggest issue with this book is with the inclusion of three stories, namely "Investigations of a Dog", "The Burrow" and "Josephine the Singer". These stories share the common trait that their main characters are animals talking about their personal lives, issues and paranoias. I felt that the stories were a bit repetitive (the character in "The Burrow" going over and over his plans on how to check all the compartments on his home, or the dog asking "Whence does the Earth procure its food?") and just too long. I'm sure that if you're a big Kafka scholar and enjoy looking for examples of how his stories are filled with themes of paranoia and psychological conflicts, then you'll definitely enjoy these stories. For me they were boring and no matter how hard I tried to find the beauty in them, I almost gave up on the entire book many times.
February 19, 2019
Like so many things, I can't believe it took me until my 30s to read Kafka. I've often felt a bit in the dark when faced with a Kafka reference, but still never got around to reading him. I'm glad I finally have. While I didn't love each story, some are so enjoyable that as a whole this collection is very worth reading. I knew the rough story of the Metamorphosis, but in its entirety the nuance and feeling of the story is so much more engaging that a mild reference. In the Penal Colony is so random (which is wonderful) and I enjoyed the Burrow so much that I can't even quite explain why. Highly recommend a read.
May 4, 2016
I don't know how many people have translated for Kafka, but this translation bored me to death. I would recommend any other translation, but great stories nonetheless. "The Great Wall of China" and "A Common Confusion" are my favorites.
November 7, 2018
When has Kafka been disappointing?
March 24, 2019
Gibberish?
November 22, 2019
the only reason it took me so long to start and restart and read and reread this collection was because I didn't read its introduction until recently. what I learned was that although most of these stories were published during Kafka's all too short lifetime, some of them weren't, and all but one of those were left unfinished. this made reading those stories (which are the longest in the collection, imho because they never got an editing round since franz got busy with other books, and a girl, and tuberculosis of all things) extremely difficult, because they weren't intended to be read in their current (and unfortunately eternal) states. there's usually a reason certain authors ask for their work to be burned when they die, and though I am of course grateful to his greedy publisher friend for not doing as he was asked, I am certain that franz Kafka's ghost gave him a talking to shortly after his writing became so well-known.
so: 'a common confusion', 'the hunter gracchus' (the story I yearn most greatly for the ending of), 'the great wall of china', 'the burrow', and 'investigations of a dog' were all unpublished and/or unfinished. compare the last two with similarly long finished and published stories like 'Josephine the singer, or the mouse folk' and 'the metamorphosis', and josie and Gregor's stories are phenomenally better-constructed, finished in the sense not only that their endings exist for our perusal, but in that they lead themselves to a timely and succinct emotional end.
btw, there is little like 'the metamorphosis'. I consider it a work of genius even if only in the sheer abstraction of it--one can read anything one wishes into its plot and intention, and still come out of it with some sense of profundity. the rest of the finished stories (and so many of the unfinished ones!) here are fantastic as well, and the ones along with 'metamorphosis' that have resonated with me the most upon rereads are 'a country doctor' and 'the new advocate' (which is only about a page, and has the most splendid twist-that-you-maybe-saw-coming). a shame that so many were left without proper endings, because at least half of them deserve something to settle my fear! but that was life for Kafka, his sad fate the predecessor of generations of adoring readers and his lovely, if not unsettling and silly, lifelike life's work.
so: 'a common confusion', 'the hunter gracchus' (the story I yearn most greatly for the ending of), 'the great wall of china', 'the burrow', and 'investigations of a dog' were all unpublished and/or unfinished. compare the last two with similarly long finished and published stories like 'Josephine the singer, or the mouse folk' and 'the metamorphosis', and josie and Gregor's stories are phenomenally better-constructed, finished in the sense not only that their endings exist for our perusal, but in that they lead themselves to a timely and succinct emotional end.
btw, there is little like 'the metamorphosis'. I consider it a work of genius even if only in the sheer abstraction of it--one can read anything one wishes into its plot and intention, and still come out of it with some sense of profundity. the rest of the finished stories (and so many of the unfinished ones!) here are fantastic as well, and the ones along with 'metamorphosis' that have resonated with me the most upon rereads are 'a country doctor' and 'the new advocate' (which is only about a page, and has the most splendid twist-that-you-maybe-saw-coming). a shame that so many were left without proper endings, because at least half of them deserve something to settle my fear! but that was life for Kafka, his sad fate the predecessor of generations of adoring readers and his lovely, if not unsettling and silly, lifelike life's work.
September 4, 2021
As I was reading through this compilation of Franz Kafka short stories, I felt as though the whoever edited and compiled this particular selection did not understand the assignment. Choose a bunch of Kafka stories to showcase in one book, sure, yes; but the problem was that most of these short stories did not make any sense all together and didn't make a very good experience of reading Kafka. I've only read a few of the stories in this book, and those I appreciated again—"The Metamorphosis," "A Hunger Artist," "In the Penal Colony," some of his most famous and memorable stories—but the stories that were new to me made no sense at all and were, to me, unreadable. "The Burrow" and "Investigations of a Dog" in particular, I thought, would have fit better in their own collection of anthropomorphic animal stories, because they didn't make any sense here. They didn't have the same sense of bizarreness or unsettling nature that so many of Kafka's other stories do. And in that sense, I perfectly understand that this book is only snippets of Kafka's work and life, but I was disappointed by the reputation I know and have read of Kafka compared to some of the stories here. This wasn't a great collection. I'd rather just look up individual stories than have to force myself ot make it through a collection of stories like this one that just didn't fit together.
May 19, 2022
This was my first exposure to Kafka after having heard about him for my whole adult life, and I emerged with a mixed opinion. I definitely understand why he has the status he does, though not all of it is for me. It's almost amazing the ability he has to transmit anxiety to the reader, I feel especially a reader who might not deal with symptoms of major anxiety/adhd/autism. Mentioning those is a common refrain from me of course, but he's maybe the first author I've read to so fully encapsulate and be able to translate those feelings in such an understandable way on every level of his writing (structure, diction, etc).
Investigations of a Dog was easily my favorite of the stories, and though parts of it go on well after making their point, this one captured so perfectly the dual helplessness and determination of an "undesirable" yet still accepted individual within society who questions the hostile gnostic architecture of the world that houses this society. At the risk of sounding wildly conceited, it's the perfect sad feeling of the times in my life (namely early school) where you spend all your days trying to have conversations with peers whose attention spans never last longer than 2 minutes.
Investigations of a Dog was easily my favorite of the stories, and though parts of it go on well after making their point, this one captured so perfectly the dual helplessness and determination of an "undesirable" yet still accepted individual within society who questions the hostile gnostic architecture of the world that houses this society. At the risk of sounding wildly conceited, it's the perfect sad feeling of the times in my life (namely early school) where you spend all your days trying to have conversations with peers whose attention spans never last longer than 2 minutes.
February 15, 2023
I had read Franz Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis' last year and fell in love with it, it was an eye opener for me and because of it I read about Franz Kafka's life a little bit. Since then I wanted to read more works of him, so getting this book at an amazing deal was a no brainer for me. This book isn't a collection of your daily life short stories, it's a collection of stories which will certainly go over your head upon your first read and you will have to think on it, google it's meaning (I will probably warn all of you that different people have different interpretations of all his works so be ready to read several different interpretations 😮💨) and finally re read it to figure out what it means for you. His works show us what a great level of deep thinking he had about everything, throughout his life he had seen this world through his own unique way of observation. I would always recommend this book for everyone who love Franz Kafka.
July 14, 2024
Compared to his (albeit unfinished) novels, Kafka’s short stories are much more lucid even though they are still quite strange, layered.
I think his use of symbolism is just so good because the animal-narrator starts out leading us into its world, and we leave behind our filters and biases that we would take with us with a human-narrator. Our humanity prevents us— or at least renders it difficult— to get outside of ourselves well enough to judge our own nature. But when we go along with a dog, or ape, or mouse, or burrowing-critter, we aren’t expecting to see ourselves and aren’t nixing some trait that is presented in an attempt at self protection (or self denial). Now, you learn to expect it, but I still think it’s an effective way to escape our inner filters on humankind :)
I think his use of symbolism is just so good because the animal-narrator starts out leading us into its world, and we leave behind our filters and biases that we would take with us with a human-narrator. Our humanity prevents us— or at least renders it difficult— to get outside of ourselves well enough to judge our own nature. But when we go along with a dog, or ape, or mouse, or burrowing-critter, we aren’t expecting to see ourselves and aren’t nixing some trait that is presented in an attempt at self protection (or self denial). Now, you learn to expect it, but I still think it’s an effective way to escape our inner filters on humankind :)
Read
November 13, 2023What a perfect introduction to Franz Kafka. It’s genuinely some of the most fascinating writing I’ve ever read. I love the subconscious, estranged absurdity that Kafka seems to be involved in. He describes remote concepts in an alarming amount of paragraphs, and through that extensive elaboration, he enters this strange dimension of thinking that you end up being sucked into as a reader. These stories are so weird and barely grounded in a reality, but somehow they still feel deeply human. My favorites were The Judgement, The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, A Hunger Artist, A Report to an Academy, and A Country Doctor.
June 27, 2020
Highly recommend for, of course, "The Metamorphosis", plus "In the Penal Colony", "The Hunger Artist", "The Judgement", and new favorite "The Hunter Gracchus". Other lesser works between these classics dilute their overall impact as a collection, but who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? First discovering Kafka and then returning to his stories, again and again, has brought me a lot of satisfaction. Nearly one hundred years since his death, he's still one of the darkest, funniest, and smartest writers ever and can pack more power in a sentence than most writers can in a lifetime.
December 13, 2022
¿Qué decir de la habilidad narrativa de Kafka? En estos cuentos se pueden apreciar sus habilidades para construir historias en las que lo desconcertante y el desconcierto ante el mundo es la regla. Desde un artista que hizo del ayuno su forma de vida, un arte (que es también una reflexión), hasta el joven que enviado de Alemania a EUA pensaba enrolarse en la tripulación de un barco para descubrir que tiene un futuro más prometedor, Kafka ofrece cuentos que son obras maestras en sí mismos, en su concisión, una lección de cómo se ha de componer un cuento.
February 22, 2018
I loved the book when I started reading it. As I progressed through the book, the quality (IMHO) gradually deteriorated till I couldn't even finish the last three stories. I would rather recommend the following Kafka stories that mostly form the first half of the book instead of reading the whole book and diluting your experience:
1) The Judgment
2) In the penal colony
3) The Hunger Artist (My favorite!)
4) The Great Wall of China
5) The Metamorphosis
1) The Judgment
2) In the penal colony
3) The Hunger Artist (My favorite!)
4) The Great Wall of China
5) The Metamorphosis
April 28, 2020
Surreal existential pessimism... these stories stick to you like mud.
Effective writing.
But I generally dislike surrealism in stories- don’t look for any concrete plot lines or clear causes in these stories. It’s mostly: insanity happens just because.
Worth a read, if you don’t mind bizarre happenings with no explanation you’ll likely rate it higher than I have.
Try to look at them less as stories and more as poetic nightmares.
Effective writing.
But I generally dislike surrealism in stories- don’t look for any concrete plot lines or clear causes in these stories. It’s mostly: insanity happens just because.
Worth a read, if you don’t mind bizarre happenings with no explanation you’ll likely rate it higher than I have.
Try to look at them less as stories and more as poetic nightmares.
September 10, 2021
Even though the metamorphosis is one my favorites novels of all-time, i still find the rest of kafka writings to be extremely boring (that includes 'the trial' and 'the castle'), and it's not out of being unable to understand his style, since my own writings are inspired a little bit by his, but it always seem there's something missing in the translations even when it's clearly that not the case, i like his style but not the stories themselves if that make Sense.
August 30, 2024
Franz Kafkas' stories feel like reading an amazing intro to an unfinished story, which is very frustrating. Some of them don't even feel like proper stories.. just some prologue he thought of, and that's it.
But otherwise, the good stuff was REALLY good. Metamorphosis keeps you up at night thinking about cockroaches.
In The Penal Colony, The Great Wall of China, The Hunter Gracchus, and A Hunger Artist were the highlights for me
But otherwise, the good stuff was REALLY good. Metamorphosis keeps you up at night thinking about cockroaches.
In The Penal Colony, The Great Wall of China, The Hunter Gracchus, and A Hunger Artist were the highlights for me
February 15, 2018
goat
"Alas," said the mouse, "the world gets smaller every day. At first it was so wide that I ran along and was happy to see walls appearing to my right and left, but these high walls converged so quickly that I’m already in the last room, and there in the corner is the trap into which I must run."
"But you’ve only got to run the other way," said the cat, and ate it.
"Alas," said the mouse, "the world gets smaller every day. At first it was so wide that I ran along and was happy to see walls appearing to my right and left, but these high walls converged so quickly that I’m already in the last room, and there in the corner is the trap into which I must run."
"But you’ve only got to run the other way," said the cat, and ate it.
January 26, 2022
Good, a lot of the stories arent to be taken at face value and can be hard to understand. Some of the stories are a slog to read but most are good. These stories are translated from German to English and my neighbor who knows German told me a certain irony or feel in some of the stories weren't translated well to English.
November 26, 2022
i admit, most of the stories with animal narrators were lost on me. the metamorphosis was unsurprisingly good though and i really enjoyed josephine the singer. i thought almost every story in this was very interesting. i liked in the penal colony, but it was definitely a weird one. i would definitely read this again so i could maybe understand it a bit better than i did this time
Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews