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jasonfurman 's review for:
The Unhappiness of Being a Single Man: Essential Stories
by Franz Kafka
"Are [Kafka's] novels a great read? I have my doubts. Not so about the short stories. There, the ideas that feel interminable in the novels are quick, funny, strange and sad... Just to be blunt: I think the short stories you hold in your hand are the best thing Kafka ever wrote, and the best of them are as good as anything written by anyone."
So says Alexander Starritt in his (short) introduction to the beautifully translated and produced set of Kafka short stories published by Pushkin Press. I am not sure I fully agree with him about the novels, but there are times in The Castle and Amerika when it can feel that way. But I certainly agree with him about the stories. And this selection of the stories is excellent. Most of the (handful) of stories that Kafka actually published in his lifetime are here--"The Verdict" (usually translated as "The Judgment"), "A Hunger Artist," "In the Penal Colony," and "The Stoker" (the most notable absence is
"Josefine, the Singer, or the Mouse People." These are interspersed with other unpublished stories, many of them very short vignettes, often quite funny or surreal that play on other literature--like Don Quixote, the Odyssey, or other greek myths.
If you read just one book by Kafka there is a strong case for making it this one (although you would also need to read [b:The Metamorphosis|17986414|The Metamorphosis|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395614944s/17986414.jpg|2373750] so actually would be tow books by Kafka). Alternatively, my favorite collection is [b:Metamorphosis and other Stories|1677233|Metamorphosis and other Stories|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473737812s/1677233.jpg|19196823] which includes all of Kafka's published work and has the advantage of putting them together in the collections they originally appeared so you can better understand the context for them.
So says Alexander Starritt in his (short) introduction to the beautifully translated and produced set of Kafka short stories published by Pushkin Press. I am not sure I fully agree with him about the novels, but there are times in The Castle and Amerika when it can feel that way. But I certainly agree with him about the stories. And this selection of the stories is excellent. Most of the (handful) of stories that Kafka actually published in his lifetime are here--"The Verdict" (usually translated as "The Judgment"), "A Hunger Artist," "In the Penal Colony," and "The Stoker" (the most notable absence is
"Josefine, the Singer, or the Mouse People." These are interspersed with other unpublished stories, many of them very short vignettes, often quite funny or surreal that play on other literature--like Don Quixote, the Odyssey, or other greek myths.
If you read just one book by Kafka there is a strong case for making it this one (although you would also need to read [b:The Metamorphosis|17986414|The Metamorphosis|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1395614944s/17986414.jpg|2373750] so actually would be tow books by Kafka). Alternatively, my favorite collection is [b:Metamorphosis and other Stories|1677233|Metamorphosis and other Stories|Franz Kafka|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473737812s/1677233.jpg|19196823] which includes all of Kafka's published work and has the advantage of putting them together in the collections they originally appeared so you can better understand the context for them.