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drewsof's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely reintroduction to Kafka, beyond that most famous story about the man-bug. A recent SMDB guest mused that Kafka got distorted by his translators, burdened with Christian allegory etc, when he was actually quite a funny and human writer... and these Alexander Starritt translations prove the latter to be very true indeed. My favorites were honestly the truly short tales, the ones only a page or two or three in length -- although "In the Penal Colony" is as fantastic a story as any you'll find in a modern author's oeuvre too.
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
1.0
I adore short stories, and although I haven't enjoyed Kafka's longer work to date, I felt that reading him in a more accessible and varied form might make me warm to his prose. Sadly, this wasn't the case, and I have come to realise that he just isn't an author for me. I read the first four stories in this collection, but found them to be altogether too brief. They also ended quite abruptly, and did not satisfy me as a reader.
neftzger's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great collection of Kafta's works that introduces the reader to the author's short stories. Most readers probably only know of The Metamorphosis or The Trial, but Kafka has a lot to offer in stories of various lengths, some of which are only a paragraph in length, such as The Truth About Sancho Panza. Fans of magical Realism and stories with a surreal edge will love these.
Note: I received a free ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received a free ARC of this title from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
nietzschesghost's review against another edition
Why have I taken so long to pick up Kafka's impressive work despite knowing full well it's right up my street? I think it's fear of disappointment, but luckily that is far from what I feel right now as I read this for the second time.
arirang's review against another edition
3.0
'Some are fables, some are jokes, some seem placid at first then throw you out the window , some put pictures in your mind that no one but Kafka ever could and that will keep resurfacing for years afterwards as metaphors for your lived reality. Some you read and think, oh I see, this is Kafka, this is why Kafka was such an earthquake, this is why he’s unforgettable.'
The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories is a new translation and collection of Kafka's short stories by Alexander Starritt and published by Pushkin Press. On Twitter he explained some time ago:
This collection includes Kafka's best known short works such as In the Penal Colony, The Hunger Artist, A Report for an Academy and The Stoker (which of course was ultimately to form the first chapter of the uncompleted novel Amerika) along with others including several of the very short (often one page pieces). One omission is The Great Wall of China, represented only by the sub-story within "A Message from the Emperor".
Of the lesser known pieces my personal favourite is Poseidon (albeit one I had read previously), where the God of the Waves turns out really to be an office-bound administrator:
'What annoyed him most— and this was mostly due to dissatisfaction with his work— was when he heard about what people imagined he was like , for example that he was always careening through the waves with a trident. Meanwhile he was sitting down here in the depths of the ocean constantly going through the books.'
This collection also excludes the most famous Kafka story of all, The Metamorphosis, presumably ruled out on grounds of length, or perhaps the sheer number of other translations.
And that brings me on to a key question. Kafka has, of course, being extensively translated so why, with so many fine literary works untranslated into English, do we need another re-translation?
For example, for the short stories, the translations I have on my shelves currently are [b:Stories 1904-1924|116512|Stories 1904-1924|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171724346s/116512.jpg|112197] by J.A. Underwood and to complement that [b:The Great Wall of China and Other Stories|219320|The Great Wall of China and Other Stories|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386920785s/219320.jpg|171538] by Malcolm Pasley which focuses on several shorter pieces. While I haven't made an exhaustive comparison, I think pretty much everything in this edition is included in either or both books, and certainly it is all available in other collections.
Starritt's argument is that there has not been enough focus on the short-stories, although his argument starts rather weakly by questioning the pleasure of his novels:
'In English, the word that usually follows ‘Kafkaesque’ is ‘nightmare’. Hardly the thing to make you think, ‘Hurray, a new translation. No Netflix for me tonight.’ And in truth, Kafka’s work is respected far more than it is loved. Potential book buyers sense that reading one of his novels might be unpleasantly similar to appearing in it: boring and painful at the same time. Like a circle of hell reserved for bureaucracy and anxiety dreams, where you fill in meaningless forms until the end of time, and then discover the pen is actually a beetle. That feeling only gets stronger when you flick to the back of The Castle and see how many pages there are.
I can’t say I really disagree. There’s no question about how startling Kafka’s vision is, nor about how, despite the surrealism and the grotesquerie, it all feels so familiar. But are the novels a great read? I have my doubts.'
I did what he advised, using The English version of The Castle on my shelves, and the answer is 316 pages - hardly a dauntingly long read. I can assure anyone reading this review - or his introduction - that the novels are undoubtedly a great read, indeed books that I have and will re-read. There is no doubt that Kafka was an brilliant short-story writer, but let there be no doubt that he was also (indeed I would argue more so) brilliant and highly readable novelist: advocating his short-stories doesn't need to be at the expense of appreciating his novels. [Incidentally a more valid criticism of the novel's would be that none were finished and Kafka himself requested they be destroyed after his death: although many of the short-stories were equally unpublished and included in that request.]
Starritt is I think on stronger ground in arguing that more attention has been paid in translation to the novels - certainly the superstar re-translations in recent times of the Muir's originals have focused on the longer works.
And where I think this collection does truly score is in the selection of the material. Most other collections I am aware of tend to have a scholarly flavour: ordered by date published, comprehensive collections of everything that falls within their remit. But Sterritt says 'I haven’t put them in chronological order, or tried to showcase his different modes; my principle for inclusion has been: only the best,' and it makes for a far better artistic experience.
Overall - perhaps not one I would recommend to those who have Kafka's stories on their shelves already, but a great place to start for those newer to his work. But please do read the novels. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for the ARC.
The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories is a new translation and collection of Kafka's short stories by Alexander Starritt and published by Pushkin Press. On Twitter he explained some time ago:
'In 2003, I went to a week-long @VilliersPark summer camp for kids who wanted to do German at university. I got this old library book of Kafka short stories for 10p. 15 years on, I'm translating a selection for @PushkinPress.'and this is the result.
This collection includes Kafka's best known short works such as In the Penal Colony, The Hunger Artist, A Report for an Academy and The Stoker (which of course was ultimately to form the first chapter of the uncompleted novel Amerika) along with others including several of the very short (often one page pieces). One omission is The Great Wall of China, represented only by the sub-story within "A Message from the Emperor".
Of the lesser known pieces my personal favourite is Poseidon (albeit one I had read previously), where the God of the Waves turns out really to be an office-bound administrator:
'What annoyed him most— and this was mostly due to dissatisfaction with his work— was when he heard about what people imagined he was like , for example that he was always careening through the waves with a trident. Meanwhile he was sitting down here in the depths of the ocean constantly going through the books.'
This collection also excludes the most famous Kafka story of all, The Metamorphosis, presumably ruled out on grounds of length, or perhaps the sheer number of other translations.
And that brings me on to a key question. Kafka has, of course, being extensively translated so why, with so many fine literary works untranslated into English, do we need another re-translation?
For example, for the short stories, the translations I have on my shelves currently are [b:Stories 1904-1924|116512|Stories 1904-1924|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1171724346s/116512.jpg|112197] by J.A. Underwood and to complement that [b:The Great Wall of China and Other Stories|219320|The Great Wall of China and Other Stories|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1386920785s/219320.jpg|171538] by Malcolm Pasley which focuses on several shorter pieces. While I haven't made an exhaustive comparison, I think pretty much everything in this edition is included in either or both books, and certainly it is all available in other collections.
Starritt's argument is that there has not been enough focus on the short-stories, although his argument starts rather weakly by questioning the pleasure of his novels:
'In English, the word that usually follows ‘Kafkaesque’ is ‘nightmare’. Hardly the thing to make you think, ‘Hurray, a new translation. No Netflix for me tonight.’ And in truth, Kafka’s work is respected far more than it is loved. Potential book buyers sense that reading one of his novels might be unpleasantly similar to appearing in it: boring and painful at the same time. Like a circle of hell reserved for bureaucracy and anxiety dreams, where you fill in meaningless forms until the end of time, and then discover the pen is actually a beetle. That feeling only gets stronger when you flick to the back of The Castle and see how many pages there are.
I can’t say I really disagree. There’s no question about how startling Kafka’s vision is, nor about how, despite the surrealism and the grotesquerie, it all feels so familiar. But are the novels a great read? I have my doubts.'
I did what he advised, using The English version of The Castle on my shelves, and the answer is 316 pages - hardly a dauntingly long read. I can assure anyone reading this review - or his introduction - that the novels are undoubtedly a great read, indeed books that I have and will re-read. There is no doubt that Kafka was an brilliant short-story writer, but let there be no doubt that he was also (indeed I would argue more so) brilliant and highly readable novelist: advocating his short-stories doesn't need to be at the expense of appreciating his novels. [Incidentally a more valid criticism of the novel's would be that none were finished and Kafka himself requested they be destroyed after his death: although many of the short-stories were equally unpublished and included in that request.]
Starritt is I think on stronger ground in arguing that more attention has been paid in translation to the novels - certainly the superstar re-translations in recent times of the Muir's originals have focused on the longer works.
And where I think this collection does truly score is in the selection of the material. Most other collections I am aware of tend to have a scholarly flavour: ordered by date published, comprehensive collections of everything that falls within their remit. But Sterritt says 'I haven’t put them in chronological order, or tried to showcase his different modes; my principle for inclusion has been: only the best,' and it makes for a far better artistic experience.
Overall - perhaps not one I would recommend to those who have Kafka's stories on their shelves already, but a great place to start for those newer to his work. But please do read the novels. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Pushkin Press via Netgalley for the ARC.
noacohen's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing collection of many 5 star stories (Poseidon, A Message From the Emperor, The Verict, The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man, and the disturbing In the Penal Colony) brought down by The Stoker - not bad but definitely not the best of the lot and the book suffered by placing it so near the end. Get it out of the way in the middle and end strong.
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