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A Ramble through Smilie Land

Franz Kafka-The Czech yet not author

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Kafka is a mystery, he really is. Several times in the last couple of weeks Ive been asked have you read any Czech authors to which Ive replied no but Im about to read Kafka, to which i inevitably get a blank stare and the words oh but he's not really Czech he was German...??? err come again

Well it turns out while he was born and lived in Prague, and there are streets named after him and the museum, he wrote in german and spoke german and thus does not qualify as a Czech writer, which is a tad annoying as it means there are no Czech authors translated into english available online boo hoo

Chapter I Anyways the Metamorphosis what a gruesome horrible story I mean ick cockroach
Chapter II Its also a bit Oedipus-ish isnt it exept that its the father after killing his son. And what made him transforme? and why a ccokroach of all things, and my God how much thinkig did Kafka put into this?

Then I keep hearing that fairytales and witches magic is a large or was rather of Bohemian culture prhaps that were the idea for the metamorpphisis comes? A fairy/folk tale.... more research needed.

Chapter III
oh


Well now one of the librarians I work with translated the title as the changing but Gregor isnt the only one that changes his sister Grete does too. maybe the tale is of the metamorphosis of the whole family rather than just Gregor
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Updated 08-20-2008 at 05:22 PM by Nightshade

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Litnet Challenge

Comments

  1. Virgil's Avatar
    Milan Kundera and Vaclav Havel are famous Czech authors. You should "Czech" them out.
  2. Nightshade's Avatar
    huh, yes read the Unbearable lightness of being I meant for the litnet challenge,
  3. Erichtho's Avatar
    Jaroslav Hasek and his Good Soldier Svejk is certainly also available in English translation. And Kafka was Jewish by ethnicity, raised bilingual Czech (mainly by the employees of his father) and German (spoken in his family), but attending German schools, since this is what offered greater career opportunities (which changed of course after WW1). He wrote in German and is therefore part of German literature. And concerning Die Verwandlung, transformation or metamorphosis are probably more literal translations, but verwandeln means to change, to turn into sth., to transform, so I guess The Changing is a possible translation. Anyway, have fun in Praha, the golden city.