Title: The Trial
Author: Franz Kafka
Published: 1925 (Posthumously)
Pages: 233
Structure: 10 chapters
Although I hated reading this book, I think it is great. It reminds me that it is not always the job of literature to entertain us, but also to challenge and confront us. I finished it shaking my head, asking myself “what have I just read?” and feeling angry about the abuse of power. So, on that metric, this is a powerful novel that is worthy of our attention.
Title: The Metamorphosis (Die Verwandlung)
Author: Franz Kafka
Written: 1915
Translator: Michael Hofmann, 2007
Pages: 77
Structure: 3 chapters.
“When Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself changed into a monstrous cockroach in his bed.”
What an unusual way to start a book! This strange, funny, sad, absurd, and alarming book is a powerful insight into what it’s like to live in a world where things can go wrong through no fault of our own, and we find ourselves rejected out of fear, and when we’re no longer useful.
