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librarianryan's review against another edition
This book is DNF. It talks about how a wizard made a new person from clay and then 31 years later found more clay and made another little tiny person that turns out to be Kafka. It’s a combination of what the way this story is written and the illustrations just put this reader to sleep and makes them not want to turn the pages. There is nothing redeeming in the first 20% of this book to make me want to finish.
tawfek's review against another edition
5.0
First of all Thanks to Nicolas Mahler and Alexander Booth and The late Great Pushkin Press (i have many works by Pushkin didn't read any yet lol) For allowing all the readers of NetGalley to read this beautiful Graphic Biography of Franz Kafka, i am not sure if it's still available for grabs, i didn't take that long to finish it, so it's probably still there.
It's Divine Poetry i finish this today for 3 hours i did nothing but read the rest of this biography, i was sick with the cold, my body feels weak, taken a medication that usually puts me to sleep but my body resisted this time, and so we read, enjoying the company of kindred soul in Kafka, all the quotes i ll share in this review i feel too all the time, Unlike Kafka i don't have a terminal disease to take me out, my journey might be longer, but it will not be more pleasant sadly, because these feelings we share together only get worse the older we grow.
as you guessed this review will be a little personal but fuck it, i feel like talking, because right now i don't feel alone, in a melancholic way.
Each time my father asks me to marry making the offer more enticing each time, i refuse, and i think in my head, since his reason is to keep the bloodline continue, i don't think this bloodline should continue, what's so good about it? why does he think that his bloodline is so good it should survive the trials of time? Me and His late Father are the only readers in his vast family, two people who seek knowledge in a vast family of thousands, what he does is sit all day watching stupid football, and argues about things he is too ignorant to even begin to comprehend, I think bad father is one more thing i share with Kafka lol
It's funny i always tell my older friends i can't wait to be old too, and i always fear that they might think i am making fun of their age, but really it's not, i really really just want to get there closer to the end, Youth is the age of expectation, the expectation you have for yourself, and the expectations the world puts on you and those around you put on you.
There in lies melancholy and depression, your body can't take on that huge weight you have put on yourself, it can't, it can't handle that character, it can't handle your goals, and the only way to even feel a little bit alive is to either have another unattainable goal that you think maybe you can reach with your talent, or to let go of all of it, and just enjoy the rest.
You know i actually like for Kafka that he died so early, all his sisters died in the holocaust in the gas chambers, imagine that delicate soul going through the motions of being in a concentration camp, he was greedy for solitude, imagine not having any resemblance of solitude in a concentration camp, it's would have been way too much, mental break down too much...
Again another thing we share, that i don't think anyone would really understand, the joking instead of being serious, it's literally where i feel most comfortable, and i do realize it might come out as awkward, because the other don't get it, but it's my comfort zone, it's what makes me able to deal with people in general.
I totally get how Kafka faced Death stoically, it was over it was the end, When i was dying at one point i didn't shed a single tear, and when i survived i wept, did i weep because of the final feeling of loneliness or did i weep because it wasn't over who knows, we are going anyway...
Max thanks for being that man's friend, thanks for not burning his unfinished works like he requested he wasn't appreciated in life, but we all enjoyed his works sadly after his passing, and thanks for having such a high opinion of him, i might not have found my Max Brod yet, but maybe one day.
Perhaps i should tell you a bit more about the evening, i was tired, empty, bored, beatable, apathetic, and from the outset wanted nothing but my bed.
It's Divine Poetry i finish this today for 3 hours i did nothing but read the rest of this biography, i was sick with the cold, my body feels weak, taken a medication that usually puts me to sleep but my body resisted this time, and so we read, enjoying the company of kindred soul in Kafka, all the quotes i ll share in this review i feel too all the time, Unlike Kafka i don't have a terminal disease to take me out, my journey might be longer, but it will not be more pleasant sadly, because these feelings we share together only get worse the older we grow.
I am not doing well, what with all the effort i need to keep myself alive and sane, i could have built the pyramids, Franz.
as you guessed this review will be a little personal but fuck it, i feel like talking, because right now i don't feel alone, in a melancholic way.
You can't achieve anything with this kind of body.
I shall have to get used to its continuous failings.
Each time my father asks me to marry making the offer more enticing each time, i refuse, and i think in my head, since his reason is to keep the bloodline continue, i don't think this bloodline should continue, what's so good about it? why does he think that his bloodline is so good it should survive the trials of time? Me and His late Father are the only readers in his vast family, two people who seek knowledge in a vast family of thousands, what he does is sit all day watching stupid football, and argues about things he is too ignorant to even begin to comprehend, I think bad father is one more thing i share with Kafka lol
Youth's meaninglessness Fear of youth, fear of meaninglessness, of the meaningless rise of an inhuman life, this is Kafka's youth.
It's funny i always tell my older friends i can't wait to be old too, and i always fear that they might think i am making fun of their age, but really it's not, i really really just want to get there closer to the end, Youth is the age of expectation, the expectation you have for yourself, and the expectations the world puts on you and those around you put on you.
There in lies melancholy and depression, your body can't take on that huge weight you have put on yourself, it can't, it can't handle that character, it can't handle your goals, and the only way to even feel a little bit alive is to either have another unattainable goal that you think maybe you can reach with your talent, or to let go of all of it, and just enjoy the rest.
I don't hide from people because i want to live quietly, but because i want to expire quietly.
You know i actually like for Kafka that he died so early, all his sisters died in the holocaust in the gas chambers, imagine that delicate soul going through the motions of being in a concentration camp, he was greedy for solitude, imagine not having any resemblance of solitude in a concentration camp, it's would have been way too much, mental break down too much...
He meant something seriously or whether he was joking Franz was particularly fond of straddling the line between seriousness and jest and did so with a high degree of virtuosity.
Again another thing we share, that i don't think anyone would really understand, the joking instead of being serious, it's literally where i feel most comfortable, and i do realize it might come out as awkward, because the other don't get it, but it's my comfort zone, it's what makes me able to deal with people in general.
The only complaint of Kafka's he recalls is that there are so many stations on the way to your death, it goes so slowly.
I totally get how Kafka faced Death stoically, it was over it was the end, When i was dying at one point i didn't shed a single tear, and when i survived i wept, did i weep because of the final feeling of loneliness or did i weep because it wasn't over who knows, we are going anyway...
I do not think not to have known Kafka is an advantage.
- Max Brod
Max thanks for being that man's friend, thanks for not burning his unfinished works like he requested he wasn't appreciated in life, but we all enjoyed his works sadly after his passing, and thanks for having such a high opinion of him, i might not have found my Max Brod yet, but maybe one day.
twicomb's review against another edition
5.0
A strange and enjoyable little meander through Kafka's life. Somehow it manages to be both emotionless in its factual retelling, yet empathetic in the extreme with the circumstances of Kafka and his thoughts. I think this due to the combination of text and illustrations (which are so quick and simple that they feel more like a moment of emotion than a representation of any event, person, or location). I am a Kafka fan and have read several books about him, including a fully illustrated graphic novel biography. I still found much to appreciate in this new book. A nice addition to a Kafka collection. Also a non-threatening way to dip your toe into Kafka's life story without sitting down to read a massive tome.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.
_jane4's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you, Pushkin Press and NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this work, we are introduced to the life of Franz Kafka in a fun way, full of funky illustrations. It takes a closer look at who he really was, his upbringing, loved ones, work, and ups and downs. I found it really cute and a quick read. This format is very simple and could be helpful for those who would like to get to know this timeless author better or have no knowledge about him at all.
niffler_for_words's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
“At first glance, Kafka was a healthy young man, if strangely quiet, observing, reserved.”
(Max Brod)
I have to admit that I mostly know F. Kafka through excerpts of his love correspondence. That had left me curious about the author and about the man, as in these his sensitivity and sensibility to the world seemed deep and peculiar.
That short biography was for me the opportunity to have a first glimpse about the author and the man. I loved the minimalist and raw graphic –that I found very appropriate to the “character” and how he saw his surroundings. The text mixes Kafka’s works and correspondence, interviews from people who knew him and comments from the author. How the all is structured is almost like a tale, which fits that special way of thinking that apparently inhabited Kafka. His diseases, both mental and physical, are omnipresent, of course, like a wire connecting everything (work, moods, love, self-depreciation, etc).
It was, for me, a great way to start my journey with F.K. and I will, without a doubt, dig into the extensive bibliography in the future.
alifff's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
i love kafka but i might have never read his biography so this was a great summary. he didn’t feel like a very pleasant person 😃 loved the art too.
thanks to netgalley for free copy!
thanks to netgalley for free copy!
hannahrowan13's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, the book was decently informative over Kafka, and his various interpersonal relationships. By using very unique illustrations, as well as excerpts from his various letters and other writings, insight is given about Kafa and his life.
The illustrations are simple, and sometimes hard to decipher what is happening within them. The information presented to the reader lacks much depth. The text makes an attempt to give a broad view of Kafka's life. This is the weakest point of the novel. The story of Kafka and his life become simplified to the point that very little information is told about him. It was an interesting read, but left me feeling like there was a lot missing.
The illustrations are simple, and sometimes hard to decipher what is happening within them. The information presented to the reader lacks much depth. The text makes an attempt to give a broad view of Kafka's life. This is the weakest point of the novel. The story of Kafka and his life become simplified to the point that very little information is told about him. It was an interesting read, but left me feeling like there was a lot missing.