/lit/ - Literature

The Trial is great. Just so unique and subtly strange.

Metamorphosis is also pretty great. Deals with such a strange scenario in an unerringly calm way. Very emotional, too. By far the short story that mad moved me the most.

In the Penal Colony is also great. Less thoughtful and subtle, but a great Creepy Pasta like feeling.

Can honestly say I don't have a least favourite story, everyone I've read is great!

>>5919035
Have you read "The Castle?"
I have a friend who said it was his favorite, but I had never heard of it until he mentioned it.

>>5918986
I've read Metamorphosis, Penal Colony and The Trial, and they all are really good. I don't think I liked any of them much more than the other.
I'd recommend to start with something short first. Penal Colony would be fine.

>>5919059
Still haven't read that one. Got the complete works for Christmas so spending and time free from essay writing reading him.

Usually I just pick up some of his 1 page stories. Sound pretentious but they're pretty intriguing.

The Judgement, In the Penal Colony, An Old Leaf, The Castle, (more I cannot recall atm).

Disregard The Metamorphosis and The Trail, I consider both to be his weakest works.

Most libraries hold pic related, I recommend reading all the short stories first.

I picked up a collection of his stories today.

> reading the introduction by the translator
> Kafka's paragraphs frequently run to several pages, and his lengthy sentences are often structured by strings of commas. In order to make the text more reader-friendly... I have broken up the text into shorter paragraphs and used semicolons more frequently than Kafka does.
thanks...

Any recommendations for translations of his works?

>>5919126
>Disregard The Metamorphosis and The Trail, I consider both to be his weakest works.
shiggy

>>5919247
>reading the introduction
lol.
>I have broken up the text into shorter paragraphs and used semicolons more frequently than Kafka does.
Cardinal sin.

>>5919126
>Disregard The Metamorphosis and The Trail, I consider both to be his weakest works.

>>5919377
And he would had never known if he didn't read the introduction. Most of the time it's wise to read the translator's notes.

>>5919059
The Castle is the best imo, it perfectly puts together all the éléments that make Lafla so great (it even has humor). Such a shame it cuts off so abruptly, if it where finished I believe it would be regarded as a way better novel than the trial.

>>5919463
Sorry for the grammar, autocorrect

>>5918986
>favorite
The Castle. Surprised how it rarely comes up in /lit/ kafka discussions. Many regard it as his masterpiece.

>least favorite
The Trial

>good place to start
Amerika

>>5919035
Elena I love you.

>>5919463
>>5919500
This, The Castle is the pinnacle of Kafka's work

I cried at the end of The Metamorphosis. ;_;

>>5918986
The country doctor is my favorite story but everything he did was pretty good. I haven't read his last unfinished book though. Amerika

My favorite was The Castle. Least favorite was actually the Trial which seemed to be the more popular. I also really enjoyed The Metamorphosis which is probably the best place to start.

>>5920624
I am typically pretty unemotional but The Metamorphosis gave me some pretty strong feels. I'm not even sure what it is, probably because he doesn't curse his fate or even comment on it at all, he just thinks about how he is being a burden and such.

i think his short storyes are his best, just pick up any one of them, if you enjoy it, try to read the trail, metamorphosis and the castle

Read The Trail, Meta and the Castle. The Castle is the best

>>5920684
I woke up today with a considerably large pimple above my nose and between my eyebrows.
It was deep, deep enough for the skin to be absent of red--hurt.
I seemed to resemble a cave man or an autistic child.
It made me feel similar to the lizard bro in Metamorphosis.

The Judgement, is is the most well written

Honestly the Castle is his best work Metamorphosis was almost just as good but its shorter.

In the Penal Colony is a pet favorite, but the Castle is the best.

Favourite is the Castle. Least is The great wall of China collection.

By the way, has anyone tried reading Kafka in other translations? I know Borges tweeked Kafkas style to fit his own aesthetic, and the French translations are a complete mess from what the Pleiade edition says.

The Castle is the only book worth reading of his

Short stories and the Trial are good. my personal favorite is the Castle

check out pic related. Its his magnum opus

>>5921645
agreed, I didn't enjoy the trial as much as I was expecting but I gave this a try and I loved it

>>5921645
>>5919515
>>5919463
Is K in the Castle same person as in the Trial?

favorite: the castle
least favorite: Amerika

start on his short stories

>>5921683
No. Kafka just probably put the initial of his name 'K' because he couldnt think of a name and since he left them unfinished didnt bother to put a real one

>>5921645
> not Amerika
plebs all of you

Book: the trial. changed my damn life.
story: A Country doctor. read the last few pages about 12 times and was still shocked.

>tfw almost everyone here likes The Castle, and you found it boring and exhausting.

I read The Trial about 2 years ago and am finishing up his short stories right now. My absolute favorite of the things I've read has been "The Great Wall of China." It seems to put everything he has to say about the relationship between the individual and the government succinctly. Besides that, "A Hunger Artist," and "Josephine the Singer," I think his very short stories are the best; I especially like when he rewrites myths and folktales. He's not a favorite of mine, but he might just be the most imaginative writer I've ever read.

>implying his novels and novellas aren't shit
Just stick to the short stories, OP, most are decent, some are god-tier.

The Trial is fucking brilliant. Metamorphosis is really good too.
I gotta get my hands on the rest of his stuff.

Just a general rec for anyone in the thread, you'll probably like Darkenss At Noon if you liked The Trial.

the praise for the castle here seems an almost a universal consensus, but i found it to be basically "The Trial (Extended Club Mix)"

>>5924011

I'm with you 100% and he's one of my favorite writers.