The Works of Franz Kafka

The works of Franz Kafka - Franz Kafka lived from 1883 - 1924. Today, Kafka is considered to be amongst the most important writers of the 20th Century. Nevertheless, had it not been for his friend Max Brod’s disobedience against Kafka’s specific orders to destroy much of his literary output upon his death, we may not know whom Kafka was today. Many have accused Kafka of having been nothing more than a Talmudic wanna be version of Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky, but he was much - much more than that!...

Kafka has influenced some of the greatest writers and philosophers of the 20th Century; likewise, Kafka was himself influenced by some of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 19th Century. However, what makes Kafka unique, is that even though traces and cues from Kierkegaard and Dostoevsky are eminent throughout his relatively small literary output; the one thing which Kafka remains the sole and undisputed master in, is apathy. He lets drama, terror, and other horrific life events unfold themselves throughout his novels and short stories with little to no intervention from him. He’s very intellectual, like few before him, or since, but he exhibits a somewhat computerized and robotic intellectualism which shows little to no human emotion. Kafka, unlike his icon Dostoevsky, and in spite of Kafka having been accused by some scholars to have been nothing more than a Dostoevsky 'wanna be', whereas most of Dostoevsky’s characters are deranged psychopaths and mental defectives, Kafka’s characters are confident, resourceful, and extremely secure of themselves ("The Metamorphosis" - Gregor Samsa is not upset that he has turned into a horrific monster overnight. He’s upset because he doesn’t know how he’s going to be able to make a living in his present condition. Looks mean nothing to Samsa).

Camus, in his great philosophical essay “The Myth of Sisyphus,” discusses the works of Dostoevsky and Kafka in great detail.... According to Camus, Kafka is a perfect example of what he terms “The Absurd.” Although it was Kierkegaard who first used the term “Absurd” to describe awkward ideas in certain religions, Camus also uses this term when describing unusual plots in literature. Sisyphus, who instead of dying, chose eternal life (he was hoodwinked by the gods) even if it meant pushing a large rock to the top of a hill, only to watch roll down again - he was cursed to do this deed over and over - for eternity!...

Some of Kafka’s larger literary works were left unfinished upon his death. This may have been one of the reasons that Kafka wanted them to be destroyed after he died. Nevertheless, Brod did not grant Kafka’s wishes. Finished or not, some of Kafka’s novels like “The Castle” and “The Trial" are considered today to be amongst the most important literary works of the 20th Century, some say of all times. In “The Castle,” its protagonist K., tries to gain access to a mysterious castle, but never can.... Many Kafka scholars have commented that this castle is simply a metaphor (a word which is oftentimes used when discussing Kafka’s works) for God, and the reason K. never gains access to the castle is because God is basically inaccessible to mankind. In “The Trial,” a man is accused of having committed a crime, nevertheless, his accusers never tell him what his crime was.. Again, some of Kafka’s scholars have commented on Kafka’s prophetic vision, since when the Nazi’s took control of Germany and Austria, many Jews were accused, interrogated, and at times executed for crimes that they never committed. “The Trial” concludes with its protagonist being knifed and killed “like a dog” as he says.

Kafka was equally as gifted in his shorter works of fiction, as he was in his novels. “A Hunger Artist,” is the story of a man who fasts in a circus for a living. This dark tale was written just a few months before Kafka’s own death from tuberculosis at the early age of 40. In Kafka’s time, parenteral nutrition (IV or tube feeding) did not exist yet, so “A Hunger Artist” provided something of the narrative to Kafka’s own personal demise: Kafka's throat was in too much pain, so he couldn’t eat or swallow any food - after 11 days of starvation, he finally succumbed to the decease.