Reviews

The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories by Franz Kafka

latterman's review against another edition

dark funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

rifkautami's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

claire_hell's review

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

meganoh's review against another edition

4.0

Am i... an unhappy single man?

bibliosarah's review against another edition

5.0

Homecoming and A Hunger Artist are going to stick with me for awhile. No one paints the human experience of isolation as well as Kafka can.

keir_batchelor's review against another edition

funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

sirhe's review

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This collection of short stories does a good job of showing the versatility Kafka's writing. This includes some humorous pieces of flash fiction, to short stories about Father-Son relationships, and longer stories about obsessive individuals who have mental breakdowns. Some of the stories include angsty narrators, which are popular motifs in Kafka's works. Other's focus on the personification of objects, nature, and animals, which are unheard of, yet still Kafkaesque. 

In this collection, I enjoyed eight of the twenty-two stories. I recommend you take a look at "The Verdict", "The Hunger Artist", "In the Penal Colony", and "A Report for an Academy". These are the best stories in the collection. Of the flash fiction, make sure to check out "A Short Fable", "Poseidon", "The Trees", and "Give up!".

3⭐

clare_tan_wenhui's review against another edition

3.0

"The Trees" seems to sum up the themes and tone of defines'Kafkaesque' well enough, though it perhaps also points up the biggest problem with Kafka's works. Regardless of it's length, from snappy one page musings like "The Trees" or his most famous [b:The Metamorphosis|485894|The Metamorphosis|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1359061917l/485894._SY75_.jpg|2373750] (which I'd completed last year), the payoff is exactly the same to the reader, which then leaves one with a nagging discomfort and inertia to explore his other heavy works, like [b:The Trial|17690|The Trial|Franz Kafka|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320399438l/17690._SY75_.jpg|2965832] (which I'd gotten stuck). This doesn't really help me in gaining stamina to go back to complete it.

ainepalmtree's review against another edition

kafka in miniature is the best kind

peelspls's review against another edition

3.0

No beetles were harmed in the making of this anthology

This is a solid collection of short stories for those who want to be introduced to Kafka's style without the commitment of an entire novel. There are some common themes across all of the stories: the pursuit of perceived justice, anxious bureaucracy, absurd situations that leave you with unresolved anxiety and the metaphorical study of systems as living beings. The text meanders during some short stories, and some of them are merely one to two paragraphs long. I want to say that some of them could have used editing to get to the point faster, but Kafka also seems to put in effort in creating the environment within which the absurd makes sense.