Myths of our beloved authors ("Why you should read Kafka before you waste your life")

I've recently came across "Why you should read Kafka before you waste your life" by James Hawes. Has anyone read this work and can comment on whether Hawes is as honest as he claims to be or is he simply being polemical? The view of Kafka portrayed in his book is completely the opposite of what I perceived him to be.

Anyone interested in the this book (spoiler alert), it highlights the other life Kafka was immersed in. Most notably presented by Hawes is Kafka's affinity for pornography and brothels. Hawes also digs out Kafka's claim to fame and his well connected literary circles thereby rebuking the myth that Kafka was largely ignored during his life.

In summation I would like to pose a more general question: "Do the myths of authors affect how you perceive their works?". I still prefer the myth of Kafka as the conflicted reclusive virtuoso writer which seems to reflect his works.

Kafka still might be like that, a tormented soul. Maybe the hedonism tormented him...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ohmyscience

In summation I would like to pose a more general question: "Do the myths of authors affect how you perceive their works?". I still prefer the myth of Kafka as the conflicted reclusive virtuoso writer which seems to reflect his works.

---

Well they shouldn't if you are focusing on the words on the page and not the author behind them. Sometimes though if you know too much about the author it can affect how you read the text, it shouldn't but it can.

The thing about looking at Kafka's work through the lens of biography is that it would lead you to believe (at least as I understand him) that he didn't really view himself as a writer by profession. It feels like we possess a treasure in Kafka's writing because he was so self-critical.

In Kafka's case it does seem to explain some of the peculiarities of his prose, but I don't think the image we get of the author too dramatically impacts our view of his work. The man's work is revered for a reason. It's right there on the page.

If we have a work with an unknown author, how can we see the work through the author's biography? An example can be "Beowulf".
I don't contest the fact that some works are influenced by the author's life and experiences, but trying to explain a work that way is a big fault.

It appears that Kafka was capable of writing in many European languages ... astonishing ... I didn't know that.
Also interesting the attempts to write in languages he obviously did not know very well - and the meticulously crossing out of all the mistakes.

Quite a pleasure to view these examples:

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/FF-Mister-K/159436