Franz Kafka

Have you ever wondered what you would do if you awoke one day as a giant insect? What about being put on trial but never told of your crime? These are the scenarios that German-language author Franz Kafka imagined and put to paper, leading to some of the most influential and enduring works of 20th-century literature and the establishment of Franz Kafka in the literary halls of fame.

Who is Franz Kafka?

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a writer born in Prague, which was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time, and is the capital city of the modern-day Czech Republic. He wrote and spoke in German and is regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century for his novels and short stories, which often involved anguished protagonists and absurd situations.

Franz Kafka: Biography

Franz Kafka was born on 3 July 1883 and grew up in a Jewish household in Prague with his mother, father, and three sisters; he also had two brothers who died as children. Kafka often felt the weight of being the oldest brother to his three sisters. Hermann Kafka, Franz's father, and Julie Kafka, his mother, worked together in the family business, running a clothing shop.

Kafka's father was authoritarian and overbearing, traits that are reflected in the domineering parental figures in Kafka's work. His mother, by contrast, was quiet and meek. Kafka was closest to his youngest sister Ottilie. When he was younger, he attended an academically rigorous school in Prague before studying law at the University of Prague. While he was at University, he met Max Brod who would become an important figure in Kafka's life as both his close friend and the man in charge of publishing Kafka's works.

Kafka was a shy individual; he had a lifelong love of reading and became increasingly interested in writing after entering the workforce and finding himself dissatisfied with the long hours of monotonous labour. He was an excessively tortured individual, riddled with anxiety and guilt over the smallest facets of daily life.¹ He never married but had relationships with many women throughout his life.

Prague skyline; the city where Franz Kafka grew up, pixabay.

Franz Kafka: Cause of Death

Kafka contracted tuberculosis in 1917, which eventually led to his death in 1924. On his deathbed, Kafka requested his friend, Max Brod, who was in charge of Kafka's literary estate, not to publish any more of Kafka's work posthumously and not to reprint any of his previously published works. Brod defied this order, and the proliferation of his work resulted in Kafka's continued influence and importance as a writer in the 20th century.

Franz Kafka: Philosophy

It is difficult to reduce Kafka's writing to one philosophical position. Critics and readers alike have long disagreed when it comes to interpreting his works. Despite these disagreements, there are certain perspectives and philosophical themes that Kafka is frequently associated with.

Kafka's works often dealt with existentialism. His existentialist characters wrestle with guilt and anxiety over their decisions in chaotic, meaningless environments. In "The Metamorphosis" (1915), Kafka's protagonist Gregor Samsa finds himself in the absurd situation of having been transformed into a massive insect. Gregor must attempt to make meaningful decisions in a world that has suddenly lost all meaning. In The Trial (1925), Kafka's protagonist Josef K. is under arrest but never informed of his crime. Instead, he must navigate a reality in which he is persecuted despite not knowing why. These absurd situations illustrate the chaotic worlds Kafka constructs, and his penchant for anxious, guilty characters that struggle to come to terms with their surreal circumstances.

Franz Kafka and Absurdism

In addition to existentialism, critics often consider Kafka an absurdist author. Absurdism in literature is the conflict between humans' search for purpose in existence and existence's inherent lack of meaning. While the absurdist literary movement developed after Kafka's death, many of its leaders, such as Albert Camus, were highly influenced by the writings of Kafka.

Kafka himself had likely read the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher who first posited a theory of the absurd. As previously mentioned, Kafka's works all concerned protagonists who strove to make decisions and find meaning in their lives when their existence had become completely absurd, as seen in "The Metamorphosis" and The Trial.

In sum, it is hard to distill Kafka's narratives into reflecting one particular philosophy, though he is often tied to existentialism and absurdism. At his core, Kafka writes about individuals grappling with the absurdity of existence, and the anguish of trying to make sense of a world that may just be entirely senseless.

Franz Kafka: Short Stories

Kafka wrote many short stories; most of these were originally published in magazines, but he also published selections of his short stories later in his lifetime. In 1912 he published his first collection of short stories titled "Contemplations," which was also his first published book. It featured 18 short stories, many of which had previously been published in magazines and periodicals. In 1919, Kafka published his second collection of short stories titled "A Country Doctor," which featured 14 stories written by Kafka. Kafka published other short stories independently in magazines, such as "The Metamorphosis" and "The Judgment (1913).

Franz Kafka: Novels

Kafka wrote many novels, including his most famous, The Trial, which is about a man arrested for a crime he was never informed of. The Trial was his second novel, and it was published after Kafka's death by his friend Max Brod. Brod had to edit and rearrange most of the novel as Kafka had left it unfinished. Brod also published and edited Amerika (1927) and The Castle (1926), Kafka's other two novels, which were also unfinished at the time of Kafka's death.

What Motifs did Franz Kafka use?

Kafka's work commonly featured strained father-son relationships, likely drawn from his own relationship with his father. Themes of isolation and alienation from society also dominated his work, as seen in "The Metamorphosis" and The Trial. His writing was also often centered around the law, which can be connected to his time studying the law at the University of Prague. Kafka's protagonists are often guilt-ridden and face judgments, whether from society or their close relations. His short stories, "The Judgment" and "In the Penal Colony" (1919), reflect the pervasive motifs of judgment, punishment, and judiciary in Kafka's work.

What was Franz Kafka's Influence?

Critics and writers consider Kafka one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. His literary perspective is compelling for the same reasons it is also so hard to pin down; he flows between existentialism, absurdism, and something uniquely Kafka. His style was new and inspired a range of authors after his time, including Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gabriel García Márquez, and J.D. Salinger. In his own original style and surreal humor, Kafka deftly wove a tapestry of absurd, rigidly bureaucratic worlds that his characters had to navigate. It is precisely his originality and visionary style that has secured his legacy as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

¹ Morris Dickstein, "A record of Kafka's love for a girl and hate for himself." The New York Times, 30 September 1973.