Rare till photo of Franz Kafka.
Franz Kafka, an Austrian-Czech novelist and one of the most prominent short story writers of the early 20th century, is celebrated for his nightmarish portrayals of isolation, bureaucracy and human absurdity. His writing style, which features realism and the grotesque, has influenced modern literature and created a lane that is authentically his. Like many authors who have mastered specific themes within the art form, Kafka was able to take the concept of absurdity and make it compelling to the average reader. Kafka started experimenting with writing in his early 20s and later developed a unique style characterized by existential dread, alienation and the struggle for individual freedom against internal and external oppressive forces. He is most famous for his novella The Metamorphosis and his novel The Trial, which follows a man accused of an unknown crime.
How Many Books Did Kafka Have?
Kafka wrote three major novels and a collection of about 40 short stories in his lifetime and posthumously. Kafka was his own harshest critic and was reportedly very dissatisfied with his own work to the extent that he destroyed several manuscripts. After his death, however, his friend Max Brod went against Kafka’s wishes to have his manuscripts destroyed and instead posthumously published several of his stories.
Top Books Written By Franz Kafka
This subjective list represents five of Kafka’s most celebrated works, considering their critical acclaim, literary importance and influence on generations of writers and readers.
5. The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka (1971)
While Kafka is most famous for his longer works, The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka is equally important for understanding his genius. This is a compilation of all of Kafka’s short stories, except for three novels and other shorter prose works, like parables and other unfinished fragments of his works. These stories, including “The Hunger Artist,” “In the Penal Colony” and “A Country Doctor,” show Kafka's mastery of the short form, with each story delivering unsettling plots presented in a way that is authentically Kafka.
Who should read this? Readers who appreciate allegory and symbolism.
Where can you read this book? Penguin Random House
Pages from the original manuscript of Franz Kafka's "The Trial on display at the exhibition "Franz ... [+]
4. Amerika (1927)
Originally titled The Man Who Disappeared, Amerika is Kafka’s first unfinished novel. It tells the bizarre story of Karl Rossmann, a 16-year-old who is exiled to America after getting the housemaid pregnant. Karl's American experience is marked by bizarre and outlandish encounters that reflect Kafka's perspective on American society and its emphasis on material success and conformity. Amerika was inspired by Kafka’s love of travel books and memoirs, and he was the closest he came to writing one, even though he had never traveled beyond Europe. His readings and imagination greatly influenced the creation of Amerika, making it the closest he came to writing a travel narrative.
Who should read this? Readers familiar with The Trial or The Metamorphosis will appreciate Amerika as a continuation of Kafka’s signature themes, presented in a lighter tone.
Where can you read this book? New Directions Publishing
3. The Castle (1926)
In Kafka’s last novel titled The Castle, a land surveyor named “K.” arrives in a village and struggles to gain access to the titular Castle owned by Graf Westwest. He becomes increasingly frustrated by the process, which seems endless and bureaucratic. The story reflects Kafka's signature fascination with the dehumanizing effects of frustrating institutions and struggles against the absurd. The Castle is also one of Kafka’s unfinished works, which adds to its unique mystique.
Who should read this? Fans of open-ended plots that leave a lot to interpretation.
Where can you read this book? Penguin Random House
2. The Trial (1925)
The Trial follows Josef K., a bank officer arrested and imprisoned for an unknown crime that remains unknown to Josef and the reader. Kafka brilliantly creates an atmosphere of paranoia and dread as Josef wrestles with the, well, Kafkaesque nature of the legal system — arbitrary, secretive and ultimately incomprehensible. Kafka also uses a labyrinth of bureaucracy as a major hook to this novel, which fits in well within the framework of this plot. The novel offers chilling commentary on the dangers of convoluted bureaucracy and the overwhelming struggle that can come with it.
Who should read this? Readers who enjoyed The Metamorphosis or Kafka’s short stories will find The Trial a fascinating expansion of his thematic style.
Where can you read this book? Penguin Random House
1. The Metamorphosis (1915)
The Metamorphosis is arguably Kafka's most well-known work. This novella tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a hideous insect. This body of work is Kafka’s most poignant exploration of alienation, family dynamics and the humiliation that can come with physical and societal isolation. The Metamorphosis is a must-read for any lover of modern literature.
Who should read this? Readers who enjoy bizarre and absurdist fiction.
Where can you read this book? Simon & Schuster
Bottom Line
Kafka’s works capture the anxieties of the modern age: the dehumanizing effects of bureaucracy, the loss of individual agency and the suffocating effect of social alienation. Although he did not value much of his work, his output continues to offer important reflections on the alienation and existential angst of the modern age.
