A review by pzdrnk
Letter to His Father by Franz Kafka

5.0

Reading Kafka's Letter to His Father felt like being a psychotherapist with Kafka on the couch, listening to his innermost thoughts. Or perhaps more like an imposter, sneaking into his house, rifling through his drawers for a diary, and flipping through its pages hungrily, knowing you shouldn't. The letter wasn’t intended for publication—Kafka’s last wish was for his entire body of work to be burned. In fact, I’m not even sure the letter was truly meant for his father. It was handed to his mother, who chose not to pass it on. In my view, Kafka wrote this letter more for himself, as a way to unburden his soul.

Regardless of Kafka’s motives, reading this letter—whether before delving into his other works or after—opens both your eyes and your heart. It gives you a key to understanding his entire opus, and perhaps, his genius. Much like his novels The Trial, The Castle, or Metamorphosis, the letter exudes a blend of helplessness, sadness, confusion, fatalism, weakness, and fear—all conveyed with a passive, defeatist tone. As you turn the pages, this complex mix of emotions seeps into you like water into a sponge—slowly, pervasively, and irrevocably.