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Isn't the literariness of biography precisely how it approaches the questions asked in this article, and in the biography on Kafka? It comes up again and again

Isn't the literariness of biography precisely how it approaches the questions asked in this article, and in the biography on Kafka? It comes up again and again in most renowned biographies. On the surface they are about an individual, in their depths, they are about how one tells the story of a life and the many conceptual choices one takes while writing. The best make that superficial/deep relationship seamless. I guess these ones on Kafka don't. Aside, can anyone recommend the best work to start with for Kafka?

booleandilemma 9y ago
In the Penal Colony is a good one. His most widely known story is probably The Metamorphosis. He has a lot of short works you can get through in under 10 minutes. "A Message from the Emperor", for instance.
- JMunce 9y ago
  Any suggestions for people who don't really like Kafka based on the few most common works usually talked about? Didn't he only write like 30 stories or something? I think there might be something to an idea that people who already have considered things the way Kafka does might not value his pieces much, because other than conceptually there might not be as much there as other famous classics writers?
  - xamuel 9y ago
    Kafka only wrote 3 novels, all unfinished, all excellent. "The Trial" is the conventional starter Kafka novel. It's the only one with an ending. "The Castle" is my favorite. A good entry if you think you already understand Kafka (you may be surprised). "Amerika", or "The Man Who Disappeared", is an under-appreciated gem but should be read 3rd because it's the least complete and you'll need the practice appreciating unfinished novels.
thinkfurther 9y ago
> Aside, can anyone recommend the best work to start with for Kafka? I think I might like his "little bits" even more than the longer stories; diary entries, letters, aphorisms etc. A book full of those is never misspent money.
leephillips 9y ago
Start with his short stories. One of the best, and one of my favorite stories by any author, is "A Little Fable": http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0012-a-little-fable-franz-kafka.html http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0012-a-little-fable... Then, perhaps, "The Metamorphosis", before or after reading Nabokov's lecture on it.
pmoriarty 9y ago
Here is one of my favorite Kafka stories, Before the Law.[1] It's very short. You can read it in maybe five minutes. [1] - http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/kafka/beforethelaw.htm http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/kafka/beforethelaw.htm
- rexpop 9y ago
  I don't understand. Is this a reification of the social construct of "law" to which he desires entrance, or do I not understand an archaic idiom?
  - pmoriarty 9y ago
    To my eyes, what "the law" is is actually immaterial to the story's point. It's something the protagonist desperately desires, and the story is about how he goes about trying to attain that desire and what stands in his way. That's the important part.
    - _asummers 9y ago
      To me, it was getting obsessed with breaking through the first obstacle, but forgetting the eventual end goal. Despite gifts and conversation, he never once made his own luck. He trusted that the guardian was telling the truth, until it was too late for him to even try. Better to fall down trying than to never succeed without even attempting. I've never been one for literary analysis, however, and may be missing the point.
      - pmoriarty 9y ago
        Part of the story does have to do with the protagonist's passivity and lack of initiative, but also with his deference to authority. Kafka has the gatkeeper speak in ambiguous ways, hinting at something that's never made clear. Is he on the supplicant's side, or is he against him? Does he wield vast power, or is it all a bluff? Kafka does not give us any answers to these questions, but really challenges us to reflect on them ourselves, and to perhaps see some parallels to this in our own lives. The whole story could be seen as a miniature version of all too many desperate, futile lives that people live today -- they yearn for something, but meekly, perhaps out of some defect in their characters (a defect but perhaps also a virtue -- that of trust and obedience or deference to authority) fail to attain what they yearn for. We could probably go on analyzing this tale for some time. I find the it to be quite deep and rich in meaning, and that's why I love it.
parondea 9y ago
I'd definitely recommend his short stories, Metamorphosis and The Judgement. I also really enjoyed the novel, The Trial.
okket 9y ago
There are some free ones from Kafka on Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=kafka http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=kafka In english I see there "Metamorphosis" (also as audiobook) and "The Trial".

booleandilemma 9y ago

In the Penal Colony is a good one. His most widely known story is probably The Metamorphosis. He has a lot of short works you can get through in under 10 minutes. "A Message from the Emperor", for instance.

JMunce 9y ago
Any suggestions for people who don't really like Kafka based on the few most common works usually talked about? Didn't he only write like 30 stories or something? I think there might be something to an idea that people who already have considered things the way Kafka does might not value his pieces much, because other than conceptually there might not be as much there as other famous classics writers?
- xamuel 9y ago
  Kafka only wrote 3 novels, all unfinished, all excellent. "The Trial" is the conventional starter Kafka novel. It's the only one with an ending. "The Castle" is my favorite. A good entry if you think you already understand Kafka (you may be surprised). "Amerika", or "The Man Who Disappeared", is an under-appreciated gem but should be read 3rd because it's the least complete and you'll need the practice appreciating unfinished novels.

thinkfurther 9y ago

> Aside, can anyone recommend the best work to start with for Kafka? I think I might like his "little bits" even more than the longer stories; diary entries, letters, aphorisms etc. A book full of those is never misspent money.

leephillips 9y ago

Start with his short stories. One of the best, and one of my favorite stories by any author, is "A Little Fable": http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0012-a-little-fable-franz-kafka.html http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0012-a-little-fable... Then, perhaps, "The Metamorphosis", before or after reading Nabokov's lecture on it.

pmoriarty 9y ago

Here is one of my favorite Kafka stories, Before the Law.[1] It's very short. You can read it in maybe five minutes. [1] - http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/kafka/beforethelaw.htm http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/kafka/beforethelaw.htm

rexpop 9y ago
I don't understand. Is this a reification of the social construct of "law" to which he desires entrance, or do I not understand an archaic idiom?
- pmoriarty 9y ago
  To my eyes, what "the law" is is actually immaterial to the story's point. It's something the protagonist desperately desires, and the story is about how he goes about trying to attain that desire and what stands in his way. That's the important part.
  - _asummers 9y ago
    To me, it was getting obsessed with breaking through the first obstacle, but forgetting the eventual end goal. Despite gifts and conversation, he never once made his own luck. He trusted that the guardian was telling the truth, until it was too late for him to even try. Better to fall down trying than to never succeed without even attempting. I've never been one for literary analysis, however, and may be missing the point.
    - pmoriarty 9y ago
      Part of the story does have to do with the protagonist's passivity and lack of initiative, but also with his deference to authority. Kafka has the gatkeeper speak in ambiguous ways, hinting at something that's never made clear. Is he on the supplicant's side, or is he against him? Does he wield vast power, or is it all a bluff? Kafka does not give us any answers to these questions, but really challenges us to reflect on them ourselves, and to perhaps see some parallels to this in our own lives. The whole story could be seen as a miniature version of all too many desperate, futile lives that people live today -- they yearn for something, but meekly, perhaps out of some defect in their characters (a defect but perhaps also a virtue -- that of trust and obedience or deference to authority) fail to attain what they yearn for. We could probably go on analyzing this tale for some time. I find the it to be quite deep and rich in meaning, and that's why I love it.

parondea 9y ago

I'd definitely recommend his short stories, Metamorphosis and The Judgement. I also really enjoyed the novel, The Trial.

okket 9y ago

There are some free ones from Kafka on Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=kafka http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=kafka In english I see there "Metamorphosis" (also as audiobook) and "The Trial".