Why We Should Read Kafka?

Introduction

Franz Kafka was a Czech novelist who wrote in German. He is considered to be one the greatest novelists of the 20th century. His notable works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial and The Castle.

Life of Franz Kafka

Born in a Jewish Family on 3 July, 1883 in Prague, he was not his father's favorite boy. His relationship with his father was not a bright one. Franz tried to tell his father several times by his letters of how his presence has affected his life. How he had influenced him for the worst and never gave him a chance to justify himself. But he couldn’t gather up the courage to send the letter.  Franz was born a meek and a weak kid and suffered various problems during his life. He had several unsuccessful relationships with women though he got engaged, all these events shaped his literary career. He started writing at a very young age though particularly he didn't attach much value to his work. His works disgusted him. He worked at an insurance company for nearly a year but left it to join a writing firm. He was never married and he was always frustrated with himself. He even wrote his friend Max Brod to burn all this books and manuscripts and not to publish them. Kafka died young at the age of 40.

The Kafkaesque

The Kafkaesque is a term which was introduced by Franz Kafka. It describes the concepts and situations similar to his literary works. It depicts a situation where the protagonist or the central character is utterly helpless under the power of bureaucratic governments and totalitarian regimes. The character is lost in a maze or sort of a labyrinth and lack clear course of action in their lives. It mainly deals with the ideas of Existentialism with a nightmarish reality.

The Metamorphosis

This novel is greatly influenced by Kafka's own life. The situations he faced with his life, with his intimidating father are similar to the protagonist Gregor Samsa. Samsa wakes up one morning and finds himself transformed into a disgusting loathsome creature. His family betrays him and try to get rid of him. A nightmare in the truest sense.

The Trial

The extent of powers the Bureaucratic governments and Totalitarian states possess are endless. Here K. finds himself getting arrested for no reason and is soon allowed to stand trial. He finds himself totally helpless under the mysterious court and goes in search for finding answers.

The Castle

"By the authority of the castle, you are ordered to leave this place immediately". A small village run by the Castle and it's members who refuse to come out of the shadows. A mysterious novel full of suspense and the lack of decisions we can make in our lives under a such a powerful force as the Castle.

Kafka's works still continue to influence societies or people all together. The inescapable fate of our lives, the work, the corrupted governments and the meaningless existence of our lives are all what Kafka teaches us. We are all  characters of a Kafkaesque world.