Окно на улицу

by Franz Kafka, Франц Кафка, Соломон Апт (Translator)

Рассказы и романы Кафки аллегоричны, но не в обычном смысле этого слова; они являются, так сказать, математическими, алгебраическими символами — столько же условными, сколько реальными. Это своеобразие творческого метода Кафки возникло не само по себе. В нем явственно ощутимы традиции романтического и даже реалистического гротеска прошлого века. Гофман, Гоголь, Достоевский, новеллы Эдгара По — вот те источники, из которых питалось воображение писателя, стремившегося раскрыть некие потаенные, невидимые простым глазом, непознаваемые здравым рассудком отношения человека с действительностью и самим собой... Такими эти отношения представлялись ему, жившему в

Genres: Classics, Short Stories, Literature, Fiction

1 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1912

About the author

Franz 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.

Reviews

[Parastooghf · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[amal · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[Bartleby]

Kahden kuukauden /vieressä/ kokonaiset niteet

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 stars

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

[Aiman Rehman · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[vino4d · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one wants to be alone completely.

[Maria Weezer · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[↟° IRIS ⇞↟⇞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

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

[Flora Jurgens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo unico k c nesecita es una ventana

[Clive Barker Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Pari shaikh · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short contemplation about loneliness right to the point