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tayboud's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
samzwiefelhofer's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed The Judgement, The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor, A Country Doctor, The Hunter Gracchus, A Report to an Academy, A Hunger Artist, A Little Woman, The Burrow, and Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk.
However, I wish that I had first read one of Kafka’s novels before jumping into his entire collection of stories. Some of the stories were rather dense, and others were rather confusing, and some were both. I found many of the short stories to be especially trying, despite the brief length of the individual stories.
One story that particularly stood out to me was “The Burrow.” Perhaps overlooked by “The Metamorphosis” or “The Hunger Artist,” I found The Burrow to be rich with illustrative description and engaging turmoil within the story. The imagery that Kafka was able to conjure was entertaining from a self-visualization standpoint, and I enjoyed the twisting, claustrophobic nature of the burrow in a literal sense but also in regard to developments in the plot. I was reminded of Tana French’s “Broken Harbour.”
However, I wish that I had first read one of Kafka’s novels before jumping into his entire collection of stories. Some of the stories were rather dense, and others were rather confusing, and some were both. I found many of the short stories to be especially trying, despite the brief length of the individual stories.
One story that particularly stood out to me was “The Burrow.” Perhaps overlooked by “The Metamorphosis” or “The Hunger Artist,” I found The Burrow to be rich with illustrative description and engaging turmoil within the story. The imagery that Kafka was able to conjure was entertaining from a self-visualization standpoint, and I enjoyed the twisting, claustrophobic nature of the burrow in a literal sense but also in regard to developments in the plot. I was reminded of Tana French’s “Broken Harbour.”
briandice's review against another edition
4.0
There is something about Kafka's writing that just pulls you in, ties you to the chair and makes you experience it - in all of its frustration, humor and sadness. When observed objectively, it is almost insane that we still read an author that only published a few completed short stories. Kafka ordered all of his work to be burned upon his early death at 41 - his executor and friend, Max Brod, sensed the unfulfilled genius in Kafka's work, and refused his friend's dying wish.
So I asked myself when I took this book of the shelf a couple of months ago, "Why read this book of stories for the third time?" I can't think of another collection of short stories I've read cover-to-cover more than twice. In addition, most of the stories in this collection are unfinished. The jewels of the collection, "The Hunger Artist", "A Report to an Academy", "In the Penal Colony" and the eponymous "Metamorphosis" are outstanding. The remainder of the collection is like staring into a handful of uncut, unpolished diamonds - the reader is forced to look at the potential rather than the current state. This collection includes everything that exists from Kafka's pen, with the exception of his three unfinished novels.
I don't think that Kafka is the best short story writer. But after reading his stories for the third time, I think I've realized why I like him so much. Kafka's particular talent at a particular point in human history is serendipitous. I believe that his writing is a bridge between the story writing and telling of the 19th century and the dawning of a new age in literature (the "Modern" and then "Post-Modern" literature ages). I can sense 19th century Europe in his stories as much as I can the David Foster Wallace, Ben Marcus and other talented late 20th century writers. This positioning is unique and rather daunting for an author with little finished work.
A word of warning: the last third of the book contains "short short stories", many of which aren't more than a paragraph long and are really nothing more than ideas for later consideration. Reading through pages of these is like a journey through a deranged mind, so if you choose to read this book cover-to-cover, plan on tackling this section in short bursts.
So I asked myself when I took this book of the shelf a couple of months ago, "Why read this book of stories for the third time?" I can't think of another collection of short stories I've read cover-to-cover more than twice. In addition, most of the stories in this collection are unfinished. The jewels of the collection, "The Hunger Artist", "A Report to an Academy", "In the Penal Colony" and the eponymous "Metamorphosis" are outstanding. The remainder of the collection is like staring into a handful of uncut, unpolished diamonds - the reader is forced to look at the potential rather than the current state. This collection includes everything that exists from Kafka's pen, with the exception of his three unfinished novels.
I don't think that Kafka is the best short story writer. But after reading his stories for the third time, I think I've realized why I like him so much. Kafka's particular talent at a particular point in human history is serendipitous. I believe that his writing is a bridge between the story writing and telling of the 19th century and the dawning of a new age in literature (the "Modern" and then "Post-Modern" literature ages). I can sense 19th century Europe in his stories as much as I can the David Foster Wallace, Ben Marcus and other talented late 20th century writers. This positioning is unique and rather daunting for an author with little finished work.
A word of warning: the last third of the book contains "short short stories", many of which aren't more than a paragraph long and are really nothing more than ideas for later consideration. Reading through pages of these is like a journey through a deranged mind, so if you choose to read this book cover-to-cover, plan on tackling this section in short bursts.
ltg61's review against another edition
2.0
Kafka has to be one of the most inconsistent authors I can think of. I'd even go so far as to say hes - gasp! - overrated.
Before reading this, I was consumed by The Trial. The Trial is a book that absolutely justifies any Kafka worship. It was aggravating, tedious and absurd, but in a profoundly realistic, relatable way. It was surreal but identifiable.
As for most of these stories? Aimless rambling. They lack the absurdity to make them interesting, but not earthly enough to feel personal. "Investigations of a Dog" certainly sticks out as the worst of the bunch. I honestly couldnt tell you what its about. Its a string of introspective babbling that requires multiple read-throughs to decipher any meaning, and considering how boring it was, that sounds like absolute torture. Far too many stories found in this collection bear the same qualities. After a good majority of these tales I found myself thinking "what the hell was the point of all that? Never mind, I dont care."
Thats not to say there wasn't some diamonds in the rough - both "Metamorphosis" and "The Penal Colony" are worthy of his reputation. I cant help but think that people extend the love they have for his strong work to all his work, instead of accepting the uncomfortable fact that he produced brilliance and boring trash in equal measure.
Before reading this, I was consumed by The Trial. The Trial is a book that absolutely justifies any Kafka worship. It was aggravating, tedious and absurd, but in a profoundly realistic, relatable way. It was surreal but identifiable.
As for most of these stories? Aimless rambling. They lack the absurdity to make them interesting, but not earthly enough to feel personal. "Investigations of a Dog" certainly sticks out as the worst of the bunch. I honestly couldnt tell you what its about. Its a string of introspective babbling that requires multiple read-throughs to decipher any meaning, and considering how boring it was, that sounds like absolute torture. Far too many stories found in this collection bear the same qualities. After a good majority of these tales I found myself thinking "what the hell was the point of all that? Never mind, I dont care."
Thats not to say there wasn't some diamonds in the rough - both "Metamorphosis" and "The Penal Colony" are worthy of his reputation. I cant help but think that people extend the love they have for his strong work to all his work, instead of accepting the uncomfortable fact that he produced brilliance and boring trash in equal measure.
farrahrotman's review against another edition
5.0
i hate you daddy but i love you because you’re my daddy
nunuseli's review against another edition
5.0
Las narraciones de Franz Kafka me gustan más que sus novelas, pero no tanto como sus diarios, cartas y escritos personales. Kafka es uno de mis escritores favoritos, uno con los que tengo una relación más especial e íntima, y también es uno de los que más me cuesta hablar. Cuando me siento a escribir una reseña sobre Kafka no sé nunca qué decir (y siempre acabo diciendo que no sé qué decir). Kafka se tiene que leer. Al explicarlo se pierde toda la magia y toda la fuerza. Pongamos como ejemplo el relato 'Ante la ley'. Va de un hombre que quiere presentarse ante la ley para reclamar justicia (nunca se nos dice qué exactamente). Ante la puerta hay un guardián que le impide el paso. Le dice que espere y el hombre espera y espera. Pasan los años y al fin muere. Antes de morir le pregunta al guardián por qué durante todo este tiempo nadie más se ha presentado y el guardián le dice que es porque esa puerta era sólo para él y que ahora la cerrará. Y está claro que este relato quiere decir lo que dice y mucho más, que es una alegoría de algo mucho más grande pero no sabemos exactamente qué e intentar explicar en voz alta lo que quizás quiere decir sería simplificarlo, porque nunca podremos abarcar todas las interpretaciones y toda la complejidad que reside en la simplicidad de las narraciones de Kafka. No me parece que sea justo soltar unos cuantos adjetivos (incluyendo kafkiano) intentando explicar cómo es Kafka y quedarme tan ancha, porque ni todos los adjetivos del mundo podrán describir lo especial para mí que es Franz.
La edición que he leído esta vez de las narraciones de Kafka no son las narraciones completas, sino las narraciones que Kafka publicó en vida o autorizó publicar (y salvar de la quema): el librito 'Contemplación', el relato 'La Condena', 'La Metamorfosis', 'En la colonia penitenciaria' y las colecciones 'Un médico rural' y 'Un artista del hambre'. La más floja es 'Contemplación', los relatos son algo torpes y blandengues, parecen más probaturas que otra cosa; de hecho Kafka le dijo su amigo Max Brod que no era necesario que quemara todos los ejemplares existentes porque sería demasiado trabajo (¡menos mal!), pero le pidió que no se reeditara nunca. Y dejando a parte el clásico de 'La Metamorfosis', mi favorito es 'Un médico rural'. Es el Kafka más angustiante y más desconcertante. Pura pesadilla. Y aún así nunca deja de tener cierto sentido del humor, incluso en los momentos más grotescos (especialmente en los momentos más grotescos). Creo que habla de relaciones de poder y sumisión y como estas relaciones envilecen tanto al sometido como al que somete. Sus relatos son secos y austeros, pero a la vez tan ricos.
Adoro también 'La condena', me parece una Metamorfosis en miniatura. Empieza como una narración más bien realista y costumbrista sobre las dificultades de escribir una carta y luego da un giro inesperado y magnífico y se convierte en un juicio en el que padre e hijo se acusan, nunca sabemos de qué, pero no importa. Lo que importa es la condena y como el hijo la asume sin protestar. También me encanta 'Un artista del hambre'. Sus cuentos, aunque no lo parezca, hablan de arte, literatura, márketing y del escritor como inadaptado social rechazado por intentar ser original y valiente. Creo. Quiero especialmente 'Una mujercita' sobre la relación de odio entre el narrador y una mujer que apenas le conoce. Kafka se adentra de manera brillante en la psicología de estos dos personajes, de una manera tan detallista y tan certera que produce vértigo. Creo que la grandeza de Kafka está en que habla de cosas universales desde un punto de vista personal, habla de la angustia que produce estar viva y ser un simple engranaje de algo mayor que no te tiene en cuenta, del dolor particular de todos y cada uno de nosotros porque todos y cada uno de nosotros está sometido a una serie de circunstancias y es víctima de cosas que no puede controlar.
Pero no olvidéis que he vuelto a fracasar porque Kafka es mucho más de lo que se puede decir sobre él.
Una página con algunos relatos de Franz Kafka.
La edición que he leído esta vez de las narraciones de Kafka no son las narraciones completas, sino las narraciones que Kafka publicó en vida o autorizó publicar (y salvar de la quema): el librito 'Contemplación', el relato 'La Condena', 'La Metamorfosis', 'En la colonia penitenciaria' y las colecciones 'Un médico rural' y 'Un artista del hambre'. La más floja es 'Contemplación', los relatos son algo torpes y blandengues, parecen más probaturas que otra cosa; de hecho Kafka le dijo su amigo Max Brod que no era necesario que quemara todos los ejemplares existentes porque sería demasiado trabajo (¡menos mal!), pero le pidió que no se reeditara nunca. Y dejando a parte el clásico de 'La Metamorfosis', mi favorito es 'Un médico rural'. Es el Kafka más angustiante y más desconcertante. Pura pesadilla. Y aún así nunca deja de tener cierto sentido del humor, incluso en los momentos más grotescos (especialmente en los momentos más grotescos). Creo que habla de relaciones de poder y sumisión y como estas relaciones envilecen tanto al sometido como al que somete. Sus relatos son secos y austeros, pero a la vez tan ricos.
Adoro también 'La condena', me parece una Metamorfosis en miniatura. Empieza como una narración más bien realista y costumbrista sobre las dificultades de escribir una carta y luego da un giro inesperado y magnífico y se convierte en un juicio en el que padre e hijo se acusan, nunca sabemos de qué, pero no importa. Lo que importa es la condena y como el hijo la asume sin protestar. También me encanta 'Un artista del hambre'. Sus cuentos, aunque no lo parezca, hablan de arte, literatura, márketing y del escritor como inadaptado social rechazado por intentar ser original y valiente. Creo. Quiero especialmente 'Una mujercita' sobre la relación de odio entre el narrador y una mujer que apenas le conoce. Kafka se adentra de manera brillante en la psicología de estos dos personajes, de una manera tan detallista y tan certera que produce vértigo. Creo que la grandeza de Kafka está en que habla de cosas universales desde un punto de vista personal, habla de la angustia que produce estar viva y ser un simple engranaje de algo mayor que no te tiene en cuenta, del dolor particular de todos y cada uno de nosotros porque todos y cada uno de nosotros está sometido a una serie de circunstancias y es víctima de cosas que no puede controlar.
Pero no olvidéis que he vuelto a fracasar porque Kafka es mucho más de lo que se puede decir sobre él.
Una página con algunos relatos de Franz Kafka.