If you follow the trend, you must be witnessing hashtags or tweets of people sharing the work of Franz Kafka and telling that how he is still so relatable.
Who was Franz Kafka?
Franz Kafka was born on 3rd July 1883 in a Jewish middle-class family who spoke German. His father Hermann Kafka was a self-employed retailer and his relationship with Kafka was quite complicated. Kafka was quite afraid of his father and his overbearing personality.
This can be seen in his letter to his father which he wrote in 1919 and his other works also which were quite based on his life only like Metamorphosis, the trial etc.
After his education, Kafka got a job at Assicurizioni Generali Insurance Company where he never got truly comfortable due to the 10-hour working time and he left that job. After which he joined another company with 6hr work time.
He found his routine office job quite exhausting and torturous. Kafka published only a few short stories when he was alive and after his death in 1924 his friend, Max Brod went on to publish his work between 1925 and 1933.
He told how Kafka didn’t want his work to be published and requested him to burn them unread. Later, he went on to complete many of Kafka’s works and also wrote a biography on him.
About His Popular Books
The common themes which can be interpreted in his books are alienation,existential anxiety, guilt and absurdity.
The Metamorphosis- This can be said as one of the most popular works of Franz Kafka. It is said that if you want to read just one work by him this is just that. It is a short novella published in 1915. It is based on magical realism where the protagonist, Gregor Samsa who is a salesman wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a huge insect.
In this sense, it touches too many themes like a disconnect between the body and soul and struggles to express one’s own identity. People find it quite relatable as they see the whole struggle of Gregor Samsa through the humane perspective where he finds the difficulty in living in modern society and the need for social acceptance. The story shows how suffering is the main component of life.
The Trial- This book was published in 1925. It is the story of Josef K., who gets arrested and prosecuted by a remote. The book shows his struggle and how he encounters the invisible law and the untouchable court. The nature of his crime is neither revealed to him nor us as readers.
The book is quite mind-boggling and a must-read if you are into literature and Kafka. The themes which can be seen in this novel are totalitarian politics and the illogical beaurocracy, which is quite seen in modern living, society and class, etc.
Philosophy of Kafkaesque
Kafka might not have much work yet his influence on part of human emotion was so great that now we call it ‘Kafkaesque’. Many people use this word in the wrong way and Karl described what this is.
According to him, “You don't give up, you don't lie down and die. What you do is a struggle against this with all of your equipment, with whatever you have. But of course, you don’t stand a chance. That’s Kafkaesque."
In simple words, Kafkaesque is a horrifying situation like a nightmare with no possible escape. It refers to absurd, upsetting and oppressive situations. For example- if a person loses his friend, or job and broke his car on the same day that situation can be said as Kafkaesque due to the continuous suffering and horrifying events.
Franz Kafka was considered a child of Shakespeare, Goethe and Cervantes who touched humanity and is one of the major figures of the 20th century. In his novels, the protagonists mostly failed to reach their goals and had a premature death, in very lonely and harsh surroundings.
It further can be analyzed how life is never easy and the idea of horrific, arbitrary judgement can always be seen. Kafka’s work can’t be said as pleasant but we at some point in our lives end up there.
Whenever we feel humiliated, controlled, or bullied by someone, we enter his orbit- a place where we might feel ashamed of our body, and sexual urges and would only desire punishment without mercy.
Written By- Kirti Garg
Edited By- Rumela Gupta
.jpeg)
0 Comments