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Die Verwandlung. Das Urteil. In der Strafkolonie.
Franz Kafka steht in dem Ruf, daß er sein Werk vor der Öffentlichkeit habe verstecken wollen und zu jeder Publikation von außen habe gedrängt werden müssen. Um so erstaunlicher ist es, daß ein Buchprojekt, das er selbst ins Auge gefaßt hat, bis heute nicht realisiert worden ist. Im Frühjahr 1913 schlägt Kafka dem Verleger Kurt Wolff vor, das Urteil, den Heizer und die Verwandlung in einem Novellenband unter dem Titel Die Söhne zusammenzufassen, und bittet darum, die Formulierung eines solchen "Versprechens in den jetzigen Vertrag über den Heizer aufzunehmen". Dennoch kommt dieser Plan, in modifizierter Form, erst über zwei Jahre später wieder zur Statt des Heizers soll nun die inzwischen hinzugekommene Erzählung In der Strafkolonie den Band komplettieren. Auch dieses Buch, für das Kafka den Titel Strafen vorsieht, kommt nicht zustande, und die Strafkolonie wird erst 1919 in einer bibliophilen Einzelausgabe publiziert. So kommt es, daß drei zentrale Texte aus Kafkas oeuvre ers t jetzt unter dem von Kafka vorgesehenen Titel in der von ihm gewünschten Zusammenstellung präsentiert Das Urteil, Die Verwandlung, In der Strafkolonie.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Franz Kafka
3,646 books41.5k followersFranz Kafka was a German-speaking writer from Prague whose work became one of the foundations of modern literature, even though he published only a small part of his writing during his lifetime. Born into a middle-class Jewish family in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Kafka grew up amid German, Czech, and Jewish cultural influences that shaped his sense of displacement and linguistic precision. His difficult relationship with his authoritarian father left a lasting mark, fostering feelings of guilt, anxiety, and inadequacy that became central themes in his fiction and personal writings.
Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague, earning a doctorate in 1906. He chose law for practical reasons rather than personal inclination, a compromise that troubled him throughout his life. After university, he worked for several insurance institutions, most notably the Workers Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. His duties included assessing industrial accidents and drafting legal reports, work he carried out competently and responsibly. Nevertheless, Kafka regarded his professional life as an obstacle to his true vocation, and most of his writing was done at night or during periods of illness and leave. Kafka began publishing short prose pieces in his early adulthood, later collected in volumes such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor. These works attracted little attention at the time but already displayed the hallmarks of his mature style, including precise language, emotional restraint, and the application of calm logic to deeply unsettling situations. His major novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika were left unfinished and unpublished during his lifetime. They depict protagonists trapped within opaque systems of authority, facing accusations, rules, or hierarchies that remain unexplained and unreachable. Themes of alienation, guilt, bureaucracy, law, and punishment run throughout Kafka’s work. His characters often respond to absurd or terrifying circumstances with obedience or resignation, reflecting his own conflicted relationship with authority and obligation. Kafka’s prose avoids overt symbolism, yet his narratives function as powerful metaphors through structure, repetition, and tone. Ordinary environments gradually become nightmarish without losing their internal coherence. Kafka’s personal life was marked by emotional conflict, chronic self-doubt, and recurring illness. He formed intense but troubled romantic relationships, including engagements that he repeatedly broke off, fearing that marriage would interfere with his writing. His extensive correspondence and diaries reveal a relentless self-critic, deeply concerned with morality, spirituality, and the demands of artistic integrity. In his later years, Kafka’s health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, forcing him to withdraw from work and spend long periods in sanatoriums. Despite his illness, he continued writing when possible. He died young, leaving behind a large body of unpublished manuscripts. Before his death, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to destroy all of his remaining work. Brod ignored this request and instead edited and published Kafka’s novels, stories, and diaries, ensuring his posthumous reputation.
The publication of Kafka’s work after his death established him as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. The term Kafkaesque entered common usage to describe situations marked by oppressive bureaucracy, absurd logic, and existential anxiety. His writing has been interpreted through existential, religious, psychological, and political perspectives, though Kafka himself resisted definitive meanings. His enduring power lies in his ability to articulate modern anxiety with clarity and restraint.
Kafka studied law at the German University in Prague, earning a doctorate in 1906. He chose law for practical reasons rather than personal inclination, a compromise that troubled him throughout his life. After university, he worked for several insurance institutions, most notably the Workers Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. His duties included assessing industrial accidents and drafting legal reports, work he carried out competently and responsibly. Nevertheless, Kafka regarded his professional life as an obstacle to his true vocation, and most of his writing was done at night or during periods of illness and leave. Kafka began publishing short prose pieces in his early adulthood, later collected in volumes such as Contemplation and A Country Doctor. These works attracted little attention at the time but already displayed the hallmarks of his mature style, including precise language, emotional restraint, and the application of calm logic to deeply unsettling situations. His major novels The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika were left unfinished and unpublished during his lifetime. They depict protagonists trapped within opaque systems of authority, facing accusations, rules, or hierarchies that remain unexplained and unreachable. Themes of alienation, guilt, bureaucracy, law, and punishment run throughout Kafka’s work. His characters often respond to absurd or terrifying circumstances with obedience or resignation, reflecting his own conflicted relationship with authority and obligation. Kafka’s prose avoids overt symbolism, yet his narratives function as powerful metaphors through structure, repetition, and tone. Ordinary environments gradually become nightmarish without losing their internal coherence. Kafka’s personal life was marked by emotional conflict, chronic self-doubt, and recurring illness. He formed intense but troubled romantic relationships, including engagements that he repeatedly broke off, fearing that marriage would interfere with his writing. His extensive correspondence and diaries reveal a relentless self-critic, deeply concerned with morality, spirituality, and the demands of artistic integrity. In his later years, Kafka’s health deteriorated due to tuberculosis, forcing him to withdraw from work and spend long periods in sanatoriums. Despite his illness, he continued writing when possible. He died young, leaving behind a large body of unpublished manuscripts. Before his death, he instructed his close friend Max Brod to destroy all of his remaining work. Brod ignored this request and instead edited and published Kafka’s novels, stories, and diaries, ensuring his posthumous reputation.
The publication of Kafka’s work after his death established him as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. The term Kafkaesque entered common usage to describe situations marked by oppressive bureaucracy, absurd logic, and existential anxiety. His writing has been interpreted through existential, religious, psychological, and political perspectives, though Kafka himself resisted definitive meanings. His enduring power lies in his ability to articulate modern anxiety with clarity and restraint.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 16, 2022
Užtikrintai Kafka įsikuria mano mėgstamiausių rašytojų tarpe, tiesiog džiaugsmas apima skaitant tokią nuostabią literatūrą. Kaip ir Cervantesas, tai yra klasika, kurią verta skaityti dėl to, kad yra labai gerai, o ne vien dėl to, kad yra klasika ir kažkam ten padarė įtaką ar iškėlė kokias tai svarbias idėjas.
September 30, 2018
Kafka - mano meile! Gerai, nusivalom tas sentimentalias seiles....
Kokia nusususi knygele. Isleista 1994 metais leidyklos Europa, Kaunas. Byranciu lapu rinkinyje - trys apsakymai: Pataisos kolonijoje, Nuosprendis ir Persimainymas (cia Metamorgoze). Ir tai yra tai, ka perskaityti yra privalu.
Kokia nusususi knygele. Isleista 1994 metais leidyklos Europa, Kaunas. Byranciu lapu rinkinyje - trys apsakymai: Pataisos kolonijoje, Nuosprendis ir Persimainymas (cia Metamorgoze). Ir tai yra tai, ka perskaityti yra privalu.
January 17, 2021
Die Verwandlung: 5/5
Sehr surreal und fantastisch. Ich denke, es gibt viel zu viele hervorragende Bewertungen, es ist nicht nötig, dass ich noch etwas hinzufüge. Diese Geschichte ist einfach unglaublich düster.
Das Urteil: 3/5
Hat mich irgendwie gar nicht gepackt, bis ich dann die letzten Worte der Geschichte las. Die haben es dann zu was ganz Besonderem gemacht, aber trotzdem ist es mir nicht so gut in Erinnerung geblieben.
In der Strafkolonie 5/5
Von dieser Geschichte habe ich am wenigsten erwartet und wurde (unteranderem deshalb) am meisten überrascht. Wieder sehr leidvoll und obskur. Brilliant.
Sehr surreal und fantastisch. Ich denke, es gibt viel zu viele hervorragende Bewertungen, es ist nicht nötig, dass ich noch etwas hinzufüge. Diese Geschichte ist einfach unglaublich düster.
Das Urteil: 3/5
Hat mich irgendwie gar nicht gepackt, bis ich dann die letzten Worte der Geschichte las. Die haben es dann zu was ganz Besonderem gemacht, aber trotzdem ist es mir nicht so gut in Erinnerung geblieben.
In der Strafkolonie 5/5
Von dieser Geschichte habe ich am wenigsten erwartet und wurde (unteranderem deshalb) am meisten überrascht. Wieder sehr leidvoll und obskur. Brilliant.
May 16, 2025
This book made me open my eyes in a way I never thought it could. The devastating reality of feeling like a burden to the ones who allegedly love you (Read the book to know what I mean). *The Metamorphosis* is like a story of someone's soul dying before the body, and it's something that makes me realize even more how much we have to seize the day, because the tomorrow is so uncertain, just like everything in life.
May 18, 2022
rip kafka you would've loved therapy
July 13, 2018
"Das Urteil"
A short but very profound story about different aspects:
1. The relationship between father and son.
2. How we change our emotions and thoughts quickly - we can go from empathy and generosity to anger, or from love to hate in a matter of seconds.
3. The guilt we carry from the most absurd things.
4. How each individual lives in their own world, with their own visions and selfishness.
5. The guilt that each one carries, however absurd it may be.
6. The verdict we impose on ourselves and others, by a constant judgment by our own references.
7. The place of power where we place ourselves over others - through social hierarchies (such as the relationship of father and son) and the ideas we develop, for example the supposed "pity" we feel for others, we constantly put ourselves above of others.
8. The different characters we create from ourselves that we show at work, in society and at home, in our intimacy.
9. The "well of vanity" that we are.
Around all of this, there are other issues constantly present in Kafka's stories: alienation, condemnation and absurd condemnation.
The narrative revolves around a character who becomes engaged and decides to tell his or her engagement to a friend who moved to another city and who is experiencing difficulties and who does not want to return to his hometown because of the shame of not having given in nothing in life.
The protagonist does not want to tell the friend of his engagement not to make him more unhappy. Georg works and lives with his father, a widowed and old man.
Most of the story takes place in a dark room, with the windows closed, in a conversation between the father and son about Georg's decision to tell his friend about his engagement and the speeches his father makes to him in the light of that event.
As in other stories, Kafka provokes to life the selfish proportions that defy and define the limits of itself: its horizon, its hopes, expectations, memories and depravations, reaching the end of itself: the absurd meaning.
____
"O Veredito"
Uma história curta, mas muito profunda sobre diferentes aspectos:
1. A relação entre pai e filho.
2. Como mudamos de emoção e de pensamentos rapidamente - podemos ir da empatia e da generosidade à raiva, ou do amor ao ódio em questão de segundos.
3. A culpa que carregamos das coisas mais absurdas.
4. Como cada indivíduo vive em seu próprio mundo, com suas próprias visões e egoísmo.
5. A culpa que cada um carrega, por mais absurda que ela seja.
6. O veredito que impomos à nós mesmos e aos outros, por um julgamento constante por nossas próprias referências.
7. O lugar de poder onde colocamos nós mesmos sobre os demais - através de hierarquias sociais (como a relação de pai e filho) e sobre as idéias que desenvolvemos, por exemplo a suposta "pena" que sentimos pelos outros, constantemente nos colocamos acima dos demais.
8. Os diferentes personagens que criamos de nós mesmos que mostramos no trabalho, na sociedade e em casa, na nossa intimidade.
9. O "poço de vaidade" que somos.
Em torno de tudo isso, há outras questões constantemente presentes nas histórias de Kafka: a alienação, a condenação e a condenação absurda.
A narrativa gira em torno de um personagem que torna-se noivo e decide contar ou não seu noivado a um amigo que mudou-se para outra cidade e que passa por dificuldades e que não quer retornar à sua cidade de origem pela vergonha de não ter dado certo em nada na vida.
O protagonista não quer contar ao amigo de seu noivado para não deixá-lo mais infeliz. Georg trabalha e mora com o pai, um homem viúvo e já velho.
A maior parte da história se passa dentro de um quarto escuro, com as janelas fechadas, numa conversa entre o pai e o filho sobre a decisão de Georg contar do noivado ao amigo e os discursos que o pai faz para ele em função desse acontecimento.
Como em outras histórias, Kafka provoca apontando à vida as proporções egoístas que desafiam e definem os limites dela mesma: seu horizonte, suas esperanças, expectativas, memórias e depravações, chegando ao fim dela mesma: o absurdo que se significa.
A short but very profound story about different aspects:
1. The relationship between father and son.
2. How we change our emotions and thoughts quickly - we can go from empathy and generosity to anger, or from love to hate in a matter of seconds.
3. The guilt we carry from the most absurd things.
4. How each individual lives in their own world, with their own visions and selfishness.
5. The guilt that each one carries, however absurd it may be.
6. The verdict we impose on ourselves and others, by a constant judgment by our own references.
7. The place of power where we place ourselves over others - through social hierarchies (such as the relationship of father and son) and the ideas we develop, for example the supposed "pity" we feel for others, we constantly put ourselves above of others.
8. The different characters we create from ourselves that we show at work, in society and at home, in our intimacy.
9. The "well of vanity" that we are.
Around all of this, there are other issues constantly present in Kafka's stories: alienation, condemnation and absurd condemnation.
The narrative revolves around a character who becomes engaged and decides to tell his or her engagement to a friend who moved to another city and who is experiencing difficulties and who does not want to return to his hometown because of the shame of not having given in nothing in life.
The protagonist does not want to tell the friend of his engagement not to make him more unhappy. Georg works and lives with his father, a widowed and old man.
Most of the story takes place in a dark room, with the windows closed, in a conversation between the father and son about Georg's decision to tell his friend about his engagement and the speeches his father makes to him in the light of that event.
As in other stories, Kafka provokes to life the selfish proportions that defy and define the limits of itself: its horizon, its hopes, expectations, memories and depravations, reaching the end of itself: the absurd meaning.
____
"O Veredito"
Uma história curta, mas muito profunda sobre diferentes aspectos:
1. A relação entre pai e filho.
2. Como mudamos de emoção e de pensamentos rapidamente - podemos ir da empatia e da generosidade à raiva, ou do amor ao ódio em questão de segundos.
3. A culpa que carregamos das coisas mais absurdas.
4. Como cada indivíduo vive em seu próprio mundo, com suas próprias visões e egoísmo.
5. A culpa que cada um carrega, por mais absurda que ela seja.
6. O veredito que impomos à nós mesmos e aos outros, por um julgamento constante por nossas próprias referências.
7. O lugar de poder onde colocamos nós mesmos sobre os demais - através de hierarquias sociais (como a relação de pai e filho) e sobre as idéias que desenvolvemos, por exemplo a suposta "pena" que sentimos pelos outros, constantemente nos colocamos acima dos demais.
8. Os diferentes personagens que criamos de nós mesmos que mostramos no trabalho, na sociedade e em casa, na nossa intimidade.
9. O "poço de vaidade" que somos.
Em torno de tudo isso, há outras questões constantemente presentes nas histórias de Kafka: a alienação, a condenação e a condenação absurda.
A narrativa gira em torno de um personagem que torna-se noivo e decide contar ou não seu noivado a um amigo que mudou-se para outra cidade e que passa por dificuldades e que não quer retornar à sua cidade de origem pela vergonha de não ter dado certo em nada na vida.
O protagonista não quer contar ao amigo de seu noivado para não deixá-lo mais infeliz. Georg trabalha e mora com o pai, um homem viúvo e já velho.
A maior parte da história se passa dentro de um quarto escuro, com as janelas fechadas, numa conversa entre o pai e o filho sobre a decisão de Georg contar do noivado ao amigo e os discursos que o pai faz para ele em função desse acontecimento.
Como em outras histórias, Kafka provoca apontando à vida as proporções egoístas que desafiam e definem os limites dela mesma: seu horizonte, suas esperanças, expectativas, memórias e depravações, chegando ao fim dela mesma: o absurdo que se significa.
April 30, 2023
The short trilogy provides strong evidence that fiction does not exist. In each book, the author represents their unique life experiences. Kafka demonstrates this skillfully, as every story immerses the reader in specific periods of his biography, including his difficult relationship with his father and his experiences during the war. Each narrative evokes distinct emotions, and once you read them, you will never be able to forget them.
📖 METAMORPHOSIS
A young salesman Gregor wakes up in a body of a bug. His parents and sister are disgusted by him, even if he had been the only one keeping the family on its feet in the last years. Through his metamorphosis, Gregor fully realizes what it means, to be a human. Despite experiencing violence and humiliation from his family, Gregor still holds onto his love for them. One of the saddest stories I've read.
📖 IN THE PENAL COLONY
The story takes us to the execution of a prisoner, who is supposed to undergo a horrific torture. A special machine slowly carves a commandment onto his body until it pierces through. The machine serves as a metaphor for a totalitarian regime, where those who serve it are mere cogs who feel no responsibility for their actions. A traveler witnesses the execution and voices his opposition to the regime, leading the officer in charge to ultimately make a difficult decision. This haunting story provides much food for thought and is one that will stick with you long after reading it.
📖 THE JUDGEMENT
It is a story about a son seeking advice from his father but instead receiving a barrage of sarcastic mockery and contempt, leading the calm narrative to transform into an insane anxious absurdity. To fully understand the meaning of this story, it is essential to be familiar with Kafka's biography, where his own father behaved similarly towards him, and Kafka felt that death was the only escape from this pressure.
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
📖 METAMORPHOSIS
A young salesman Gregor wakes up in a body of a bug. His parents and sister are disgusted by him, even if he had been the only one keeping the family on its feet in the last years. Through his metamorphosis, Gregor fully realizes what it means, to be a human. Despite experiencing violence and humiliation from his family, Gregor still holds onto his love for them. One of the saddest stories I've read.
📖 IN THE PENAL COLONY
The story takes us to the execution of a prisoner, who is supposed to undergo a horrific torture. A special machine slowly carves a commandment onto his body until it pierces through. The machine serves as a metaphor for a totalitarian regime, where those who serve it are mere cogs who feel no responsibility for their actions. A traveler witnesses the execution and voices his opposition to the regime, leading the officer in charge to ultimately make a difficult decision. This haunting story provides much food for thought and is one that will stick with you long after reading it.
📖 THE JUDGEMENT
It is a story about a son seeking advice from his father but instead receiving a barrage of sarcastic mockery and contempt, leading the calm narrative to transform into an insane anxious absurdity. To fully understand the meaning of this story, it is essential to be familiar with Kafka's biography, where his own father behaved similarly towards him, and Kafka felt that death was the only escape from this pressure.
More reviews by me on instagram: @penguinna_books
April 25, 2019
Me fascina este autor, su manera oscura e impredecible de narrar. Tanto en el relato de la Condena como en el de La Colonia Penitenciaria nos hace reflexionar profundamente. Me ha encantado la crítica de los regímenes totalitarios que hace en el relato de la Colonia.
October 15, 2017
ach, ich glaub ich bin einfach kein Kafka-Fan :/
May 17, 2018
لقد مات وطننا, والاله حكم علينا بالموت .
October 28, 2021
Das Urteil 5/5
Die Verwandlung 4/5
In der Strafkolonie 4/5
Die Verwandlung 4/5
In der Strafkolonie 4/5
May 18, 2022
some of his characters just hit really hard home with their issues and thoughts.
therapy would be good for him, them and me.
therapy would be good for him, them and me.
September 24, 2025
Das Urteil 3/5
Die Verwandlung 4/5
In der Strafkolonie 4.5/5
Die Verwandlung 4/5
In der Strafkolonie 4.5/5
January 2, 2011
Read Franz Kafka, if possible in original german. And be terrified. Above all die Verwandlung with its well-known intro has to be one of the darkest stories ever, the stuff your nightmares are terrified of. It isn't even it's only darkness, the end provides some light, but it's such a perverted light, it only helps to make the whole story even more finister. His body of work contains stories of torture, stories of rapaces choking in the blood of the guts of their victims, stories of rats who having barely managed to escape the maze, get eaten by a cat, Kafka on a whole was not a very happy fellow, but die Verwandlung always stood out and allways will stand out.
November 29, 2014
I enjoy reading Kafka, I really do. This odd world, where everything is so familiar but somehow there's something off that throws you out of balance, that doesn't fit into what you've learned all your life and happens for no apparent reason - this is the world of Kafka.
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November 21, 2009None
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews