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Franz Kafka

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The Trial (Oxford World's Classics) 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Franz Kafka (Author), Mike Mitchell (Author, Translator), Ritchie Robertson (Author, Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 283 ratings

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'Someone must have been telling tales about Josef K. for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.'

A successful professional man wakes up one morning to find himself under arrest for an offence which is never explained. The mysterious court which conducts his trial is outwardly co-operative, but capable of horrific violence. Faced with this ambiguous authority, Josef K. gradually succumbs to its psychological pressure. He consults various advisers without escaping his fate. Was there some way out that he failed to see? Kafka's unfinished novel has been read as a study of political power, a
pessimistic religious parable, or a crime novel where the accused man is himself the problem.

One of the iconic figures of modern world literature, Kafka writes about universal problems of guilt, responsibility, and freedom; he offers no solutions, but provokes his readers to arrive at meanings of their own. This new edition includes the fragmentary chapters that were omitted from the main text, in a translation that is both natural and exact, and an introduction that illuminates the novel and its author.

ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mike Mitchell taught at the universities of Reading and Stirling before becoming a full-time translator.
Ritchie Robertson is Fellow and Tutor in German at St. John's College, Oxford.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003N2P42G
Publisher ‏ : ‎ OUP Oxford; 1st edition (July 9, 2009)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 9, 2009
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 697 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 227 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #292,289 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #100 in German Literature (Books)
- #655 in Alternative History
- #836 in Classic Literary Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.5 283 ratings

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Franz Kafka

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Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, where he lived most of his life. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories, including “The Metamorphosis,” “The Judgment,” and “The Stoker.” He died in 1924, before completing any of his full-length novels. At the end of his life, Kafka asked his lifelong friend and literary executor Max Brod to burn all his unpublished work. Brod overrode those wishes.

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Franz Kafka (Praga, Imperio austrohúngaro, 3 de julio de 1883 - Kierling, Austria, 3 de junio de 1924) fue un escritor de origen judío nacido en Bohemia que escribió en alemán. Su obra está considerada una de las más influyentes de la literatura universal y está llena de temas y arquetipos sobre la alienación, la brutalidad física y psicológica, los conflictos entre padres e hijos, personajes en aventuras terroríficas, laberintos de burocracia, y transformaciones místicas.

Fue autor de tres novelas, El proceso (Der Prozeß), El castillo (Das Schloß) y El desaparecido (Amerika o Der Verschollene), la novela corta La metamorfosis (Die Verwandlung) y un gran número de relatos cortos. Además, dejó una abundante correspondencia y escritos autobiográficos. Su peculiar estilo literario ha sido comúnmente asociado con la filosofía artística del existencialismo --al que influenció-- y el expresionismo. Estudiosos de Kafka discuten sobre cómo interpretar al autor, algunos hablan de la posible influencia de alguna ideología política antiburocrática, de una religiosidad mística o de una reivindicación de su minoría etnocultural, mientras otros se fijan en el contenido psicológico de sus obras. Sus relaciones personales también tuvieron gran impacto en su escritura, particularmente su padre (Carta al padre), su prometida Felice Bauer (Cartas a Felice) y su hermana (Cartas a Ottla).

El término kafkiano se usa en el idioma español para describir situaciones surrealistas como las que se encuentran en sus libros y tiene sus equivalentes en otros idiomas. Solo unas pocas de sus obras fueron publicadas durante su vida. La mayor parte, incluyendo trabajos incompletos, fueron publicados por su amigo Max Brod, quien ignoró los deseos del autor de que los manuscritos fueran destruidos.

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4.5 out of 5

283 global ratings

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Amazonian

The book was good quality but i hate the contents

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2022

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This book seller is great. The book itself, confusing, jumpy , puzzling….“kafkaesque” is a term i did not need to know of but yeah this book embodies it bc its confusing dream like plot is way too demanding on the audience. On a positive note, it is a great window into the criminal justice system and everything that’s wrong with the court system.

One person found this helpful

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Misty

Even better the second time

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020

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How does Kafka do it? Create a bizarre world of spooky, dreamlike hyperreality that creates such oppressive feelings that seem to always lurk at the back of one's mind. Thank heavens Brod did not accede to his friends wishes and let this timeless work see the light of day!

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2014

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I read this book after my visit to Prague.
Although I read "The Metamorphosis" some years ago, I believe that with this book I learned
much about Kafka, perticularly his life, his time and his writing style.
This reading gave me the opportunity to appreciate the importance of Kafka in the literature.
I liked this edition because it gives a brief summary of Kafka's life and also explains the organization of the book (which is important to undestand the novel).

5 people found this helpful

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Steen Bruun-Nielsen

Highly recommendable

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2015

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Kafka's story is well-known and still reads as a thriller and with layers of meaning that will haunt you forever. This particular edition is highly recommendable. It includes towards the end the chapters that were not included in previous editions. Kafka left behind a manuscript consisting of individual chapters where the sequencing is in certain cases uncertain and where it is debatable whether the chapters were actually completely finished. This -together with a fine introduction and excellent notes - allows the reader more approaches to understanding and enjoying the book.

3 people found this helpful

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Spokane Customer

Nice translation at an affordable price. Kafka's work speaks for itself.

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2014

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I will not go into a review of Kafka's work because it does speak for itself and it has stood the test of time.

The translation is quite good.(yes, translations do vary and they do matter). Very helpful introduction gives context to the work and can help someone new to Kafka to get what he is possibly all about (the debate about that will continue for a long time.) The price is reasonable. From my experience, it is hard to go wrong with Oxford publications.

6 people found this helpful

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Rui Esteves

A masterpiece. This is my second reading (first audio) and this reading makes me feel so complete. Kafka is my measure and my starting point for all my assessments of other books from others authors. The air is heavy, full of sentience and

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2018

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A masterpiece. This is my second reading (first audio) and this reading makes me feel so complete. Kafka is my measure and my starting point for all my assessments of other books from others authors. The air is heavy, full of sentience and horror towards bureaucratic society.

5 people found this helpful

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Muhannad

Good one

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2019

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Finally a good translation of Kafka’s.

2 people found this helpful

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shtraus

Pure sarcasm

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2013

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I don't think Kafka is depressing and disturbing. I find him rather comforting. He is laughing at all our prejudices, stereotypes and perceptions of success. He makes fun of our goals and purposes. He despises servility and authorities. Kafka is not unsuccessful; he doesn't want to be successful. In a society of floggers and flogged, his choice is to be a not flogger, which puts him on the flogged side.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

salma

Satisfied

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2021

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Great

Timothy Gouldson

The average functionaire of today finds himself in the same predicament now as he was over 100 years ago -- only worse. It's not

Reviewed in Canada on February 7, 2017

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The Trial is dichotomous. On the one hand, if you're looking for something to take you way from it all, The Trial will deliver in spades. At the same time, you will likely realize that this allegory is a frightening depiction of today's zeitgeist, just as it was during the period in which Kafka penned this astounding gem of a book. Not much has changed between 1915, the year the book was published, and today's world. The average functionaire of today finds himself in the same predicament now as he was over 100 years ago -- only worse. It's not enough to settle into job and do your best and reap the rewards you are entitled to. Today, one must navigate through through an unfathomable house of mirrors, and the discomfort of knowing you can be replaced at any given moment. For our protagonist Joseph K. however, the stakes are much higher. After reading this book the questions you must ask yourself are: where do I stand this societal nightmare, and what resources are at my disposal to avoid the same trials of Joseph K.

One person found this helpful

DHANESH.M

need not rate 1-5 as its one of world classics. brilliant!

Reviewed in India on June 30, 2015

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feed your brain as well as your philosophical-mind!!!!!

One person found this helpful