Famous authors – Franz Kafka

This is another blog post about a famous author who wrote in German but wasn’t German.

Franz Kafka is one of the most important and influential writers of the 20th century. His works, which include novels, short stories, and essays, are characterised by their dark humor, absurdist themes, and exploration of the human condition.

Kafka was born on the 3rd of July 1883 in Prague, Austria-Hungary. He studied law at the University of Prague, but then worked as a claims adjuster for an insurance company.

Kafka began writing in his early twenties, but he published very little during his lifetime. His first book, The Metamorphosis, was published in 1915. It tells the story of a man who wakes up one day to find that he has transformed into a giant insect. If you are interested, I wrote a blog post about the different ways you can read it: 5 ways for German learners to read Kafka

Kafka’s other major works include The Trial, The Castle, and In the Penal Colony. These novels and stories explore themes of alienation, bureaucracy, and the absurdity of the human condition.

Kafka died on the 3rd June 1924 at the age of 40. His works were not widely read until after his death, but they have since become classics of modern literature.

Klexikon has written a lovely text about him aimed at German children: Franzk Kafka – Klexikon – das Kinderlexikon. It’s a lot easier that reading the German Wikipedia text.

Here are three videos about his books/ stories, all in English.

I’ll leave you with a Kafka quote that I like a lot:”Jeder, der sich die Fähigkeit erhält, Schönes zu erkennen, wird nie alt werden.” “Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”

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