Franz Kafka is one of the most widely read and discussed authors of the twentieth century Europe. His stories are among the darkest in literature, with grotesque vision of the world in which alienated and disturbed characters make a futile search for salvation. His best known works are The Trial and The Metamorphosis.
Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, into a middle-class Jewish family to Hermann, a successful businessman, and Julie Kafka. He had two younger brothers, both of whom died in infancy and three younger sisters Gabriele, Valerie, and Ottilie, who all died in concentration camps.
Kafka was educated in German schools, not Czech, although he understood Czech. He did well in schools, especially classes like Latin, Greek and history. When he went to University, he decided to study chemistry, but switched after two weeks to law. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Law in 1906.
During the university years he met a fellow Jew, literary artist, Max Brod, who became his lifelong friend and advocate.
After graduation, he worked for an insurance company for many years - a job he did not enjoy. But he didn't show any indifference towards it. As a safety professional he actually invented the safety helmet and received a medal for his invention.
During his lifetime, Kafka published only a few short stories and was known as a writer only within his small literary, intellectual circle in Prague. He never finished any of his novels and prior to his death asked his friend, Max Brod, to destroy all of his works after his death.
He wrote most of his works before WWI. The Metamorphosis is his most famous work. It's a masterfully written short story about a travelling salesman who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. Bizarre and thought-provoking like most of his writings.
Kafka was such a unique writer that his name inspired a term - Kafkaesque. The word means something resembling the literary work of Kafka - something absurd, bizarre, disorienting, opposite of reason and logic.
Kafka died from complications related to tuberculosis on June 3, 1924 near Vienna. He was buried in Prague.
Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, into a middle-class Jewish family to Hermann, a successful businessman, and Julie Kafka. He had two younger brothers, both of whom died in infancy and three younger sisters Gabriele, Valerie, and Ottilie, who all died in concentration camps.
Kafka was educated in German schools, not Czech, although he understood Czech. He did well in schools, especially classes like Latin, Greek and history. When he went to University, he decided to study chemistry, but switched after two weeks to law. He obtained the degree of Doctor of Law in 1906.
During the university years he met a fellow Jew, literary artist, Max Brod, who became his lifelong friend and advocate.
After graduation, he worked for an insurance company for many years - a job he did not enjoy. But he didn't show any indifference towards it. As a safety professional he actually invented the safety helmet and received a medal for his invention.
During his lifetime, Kafka published only a few short stories and was known as a writer only within his small literary, intellectual circle in Prague. He never finished any of his novels and prior to his death asked his friend, Max Brod, to destroy all of his works after his death.
He wrote most of his works before WWI. The Metamorphosis is his most famous work. It's a masterfully written short story about a travelling salesman who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant insect. Bizarre and thought-provoking like most of his writings.
Kafka was such a unique writer that his name inspired a term - Kafkaesque. The word means something resembling the literary work of Kafka - something absurd, bizarre, disorienting, opposite of reason and logic.
Kafka died from complications related to tuberculosis on June 3, 1924 near Vienna. He was buried in Prague.
About the Author:
Paul Hooke is a photographer and a book lover. Franz Kafka The Trial is his favorite book. To learn more about Kafka, take a look at Franz Kafka bio.
