"Kafka" redirects here. For other uses, see Kafka (disambiguation).

Franz Kafka (IPA: ) (July 3, 1883 – June 3, 1924) was one of the major German-language novelists and short story writers of the 20th century, whose unique body of writing — most of it incomplete, and published posthumously despite his wish that it be destroyed — has become iconic in Western literature.Contijoch, Francesc Miralles (2000) "Franz Kafka". Oceano Grupo Editorial, S.A. Barcelona. ISBN 84-494-1811-9.

His most famous pieces of writing include his short story Die Verwandlung (The Metamorphosis) and his unfinished novel Der Prozess (The Trial). The adjective "kafkaesque" has come into common use to denote mundane yet absurd and surreal circumstances of the kind commonly found in Kafka's work.

Life

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Family

Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of Bohemia, a kingdom that was then part of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. His father, Hermann Kafka (1852–1931), was described as a "huge, selfish, overbearing businessman" (Corngold 1972) and by Kafka himself as "a true Kafka in strength, health, appetite, loudness of voice, eloquence, self-satisfaction, worldly dominance, endurance, presence of mind, knowledge of human nature ..." [http://www.kafka-franz.com/KAFKA-letter.htm Franz Kafka's Letter to his father www.kafka-franz.com. Kafka struggled to come to terms with his domineering father. Hermann was the fourth child of Jacob Kafka, a butcher, and came to Prague from Osek, a Jewish village near Písek in southern Bohemia. After working as a traveling sales representative, he established himself as an independent retailer of men's and women's fancy goods and accessories, employing up to 15 people and using a jackdaw (kavka in Czech) as his business logo. Kafka's mother, Julie (1856—1934), was the daughter of Jakob Löwy, a prosperous brewer in Podebrady, and was better educated than her husband.Gilman, Sander L. (2005) "Franz Kafka". Reaktion Books Ltd. London, UK. p.20-21. ISBN 1-86189-254-3.

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