Who was Franz Kafka | Life, Works and Curiosities

If anywhere you find this phrase: "One morning, after a restless sleep, Gregorio Samsa woke up turned into a monstrous insect.", You will not need more to know that you are before the beginning of Kafka's most famous novel, "The Metamorphosis." The man turned into an insect is alive and present in the imagination of many of us , not in vain Kafka's work is considered one of the most influential of all literature of the twentieth century. In Supercurious we wanted to approach this great writer and discover Who was Franz Kafka, his life, his works and some curiosities related to his figure . Do you want to go with us?

Who was Franz Kafka: discover his life, works and curiosities

1. Brief biography of Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague , which at that time was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a Jewish family of middle class and German-speaking. It was The eldest of the 6 children of marriage , his two brothers died in childhood and his three sisters in concentration camps . His father was a man of dominant character who despised the literary interests of his son and made him study law. Throughout his life, Kafka sought understanding with his difficult father. His mother, more cultured than his father, worked in the family business, so the children were practically educated by governesses and servants.

To understand who was Franz Kafka it is important to know that, despite being Czech, he always studied in German schools and that even being of Jewish religion his family was not very religious. He studied law and in college he met those who would be his great friends Max Brod and Felix Weltsch . He received his doctorate in law in 1906. He worked first in a large Italian insurance company that left because of the schedule, since it did not allow him to devote himself to literature. In his new company, which he only left when his illness did not allow him to continue working, he was an effective employee despite the fact that it was an unsatisfactory job, but that allowed him to live and write at the same time.

In 1912 he met Felice Bauer with whom he undertook , after several ups and downs in the relationship, in 1917 they definitely broke. In that same year, Kafka contracted the tuberculosis that would take him to the grave . The other most important women in her life were Czech journalist and writer Milena Jesenská and Dora Diamant , a teacher who influenced Kafka's interest in the Talmud and hid many of his later writings until the Gestapo confiscated them in 1933.

Throughout his life he suffered depression and anxiety accompanied by migraines, insomnia and other ailments produced basically by stress . He tried to solve his problems with various naturopathic treatments, but his tuberculosis became worse and he died in Kierling, Austria, on June 3, 1924. He is buried in the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague.

2. Main Works of Franz Kafka

Who was Franz Kafka is evident in his symbolic and deeply disturbing and unsettling narrative in which the author anticipates the oppression and anguish of the 20th century . He is one of the most influential writers of later literature influencing authors such as Albert Camus , Sartre , Borges or García Márquez . Despite its importance, his work is not very extensive. He was the author of three novels: «The Process», «The Castle» and «America» . Also of two short novels, «The Metamorphosis» and «In the Penitentiary Colony» and a series of short stories and parables.

In addition, to know who was Franz Kafka, we have an abundant correspondence and several autobiographical writings that were published posthumously. If you want to deepen your figure, we suggest reading this compilation of Phrases by Franz Kafka .

3. Curiosities of Franz Kafka

one . Like many other writers, Franz Kafka left written that his papers were burned after his death . Fortunately, his friend and executor Max Brod did not do it.

two . Vladimir Nabokov, the author of the famous novel "Lolita", said in a lecture that the insect that had become Gregorio Samsa was a dung beetle that even had small wings that the protagonist never discovered.

3 . One of Kafka's ideas for getting rich and being able to keep up with literature was to write, along with Max Brod, travel guides for people who would like to move around Europe at low cost . An advance to his time!

4. "Kafkian" or "Kafkaesque" it has become an adjective that defines the tragically absurd character of a situation, similar to those described by Franz Kafka in his works.

5 . Kafka, throughout his life committed himself to several women but never married.

6 . In 1988, the manuscript of his novel "The Process" sold for almost 2 million dollars.

In addition to writing, to know who was Franz Kafka it is necessary to know that he was also interested in aspects of life such as alternative medicine, modern educational methods such as the Montessori system or technical novelties such as film or aviation.

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We finish here our approach to this figure, but before we encourage you to leave us a comment. ¿ Did you know who Franz Kafka was? ? Did you know the importance of his figure in world literature and its influence on later writers? Have you read any of his novels? Do you have more information about him that you want to share with us? We will be happy to read you!