Kafka - by Ritchie Robertson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Franz Kafka died in 1924, when he was not yet forty one. During his life he published only seven small books, but he left behind three unfinished novels and a mass of stories, reflections and personal writings which were published after his death. His novels in particular, alongside short stories such as The Judgement and The Metamorphosis, have made him one of the most widely read, significant and influential writers of the twentieth century. His writings show an extraordinary ability to speak to the changing concerns of later generations. This collection of essays, illustrated with manuscripts, archival material, postcards and family photographs, not only sets Kafka in the context of his life and times but also shows how his own experiences nourished his imagination. Literal travel in Western Europe enabled him, as his notebooks reveal, to practise descriptive writing. Imaginative travel through reading strengthened his fascination with remote spaces and made him aware of European colonialism. Familiar settings in his fiction become alien and bewildering. When writing about animals, he sought to enter imaginatively into their non-human way of being. This book is a celebration not just of Kafka's achievements and creativity, but also of how -- even 100 years after his death -- Kafka continues to inspire new literary, theatrical and cinematic creations around the world"--

Book Synopsis

An authoritative collection of essays celebrating Franz Kafka's life and work.

Franz Kafka died in 1924 when he was not yet forty-one years old. During his life, he published only seven small books, but he left behind three unfinished novels and a mass of stories, reflections, and personal writings that were published after his death. In particular, his novels, alongside short stories such as The Judgement and The Metamorphosis, have made him one of the most widely read, significant, and influential writers of the twentieth century.

Coinciding with the centennial of Kafka's death, this collection of essays, illustrated with manuscripts, archival material, postcards, and family photographs, contextualizes Kafka in his life and times while showing how his own experiences nourished his imagination. This book is a celebration not just of Kafka's achievements and creativity, but also of how--even a century after his death--he continues to inspire new literary, theatrical, and cinematic creations around the world.

Review Quotes

"Among the best are Kafka: Making of an Icon, a sumptuously illustrated collection of essays by the curators of an exhibition at Oxford's Bodleian Library."-- "The Financial Times"

"Richly illustrated with pictures of manuscripts, reproductions of movie posters, drawings and photographs, Kafka: Making of an Icon explores the social milieu in which Kafka grew up, the history of his manuscripts and the nuances of his Jewishness."-- "Literary Review"

"This exhibition is serious, funny, and brilliant all at once-and brings us closer to the real Kafka than ever before."-- "The Daily Telegraph"

About the Author

Ritchie Robertson is the Emeritus Schwarz-Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. He is the author of Kafka: Judaism, Politics, and Literature.