Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, European, Eastern European, Biography & Memoir, Literary
Cover of the book Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life by James Hawes, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: James Hawes ISBN: 9781429988834
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: July 8, 2008
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: James Hawes
ISBN: 9781429988834
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: July 8, 2008
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

Everybody knows the face of Franz Kafka, whether they have read any of his works or not. And that brooding face carries instant images: bleak and threatening visions of an inescapable bureaucracy, nightmarish transformations, uncanny predictions of the Holocaust. But while Kafka's genius is beyond question, the image of a mysterious, sickly, shadowy figure who was scarcely known in his own lifetime bears no resemblance to the historical reality. Franz Kafka was a popular and well-connected millionaire's son who enjoyed good-time girls, brothels, and expensive porn, who landed a highly desirable state job that pulled in at least $90,000 a year in today's dollars for a six-hour day, who remained a loyal member of Prague's German-speaking Imperial elite right to the end, and whose work was backed by a powerful literary clique.

Here are some of the prevalent Kafka myths:

*Kafka was the archetypal genius neglected in his lifetime.

*Kafka was lonely.

*Kafka was stuck in a dead-end job, struggling to find time to write.

*Kafka was tormented by fear of sex.

*Kafka was unbendingly honest about himself to the women in his life – too honest.

*Kafka had a terrible, domineering father who had no understanding of his son's needs.

*Kafka's style is mysterious and opaque.

*Kafka takes us into bizarre worlds.

James Hawes wants to tear down the critical walls which generations of gatekeepers---scholars, biographers, and tourist guides---have built up around Franz Kafka, giving us back the real man and the real significance of his splendid works. And he'll take no prisoners in the process.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Everybody knows the face of Franz Kafka, whether they have read any of his works or not. And that brooding face carries instant images: bleak and threatening visions of an inescapable bureaucracy, nightmarish transformations, uncanny predictions of the Holocaust. But while Kafka's genius is beyond question, the image of a mysterious, sickly, shadowy figure who was scarcely known in his own lifetime bears no resemblance to the historical reality. Franz Kafka was a popular and well-connected millionaire's son who enjoyed good-time girls, brothels, and expensive porn, who landed a highly desirable state job that pulled in at least $90,000 a year in today's dollars for a six-hour day, who remained a loyal member of Prague's German-speaking Imperial elite right to the end, and whose work was backed by a powerful literary clique.

Here are some of the prevalent Kafka myths:

*Kafka was the archetypal genius neglected in his lifetime.

*Kafka was lonely.

*Kafka was stuck in a dead-end job, struggling to find time to write.

*Kafka was tormented by fear of sex.

*Kafka was unbendingly honest about himself to the women in his life – too honest.

*Kafka had a terrible, domineering father who had no understanding of his son's needs.

*Kafka's style is mysterious and opaque.

*Kafka takes us into bizarre worlds.

James Hawes wants to tear down the critical walls which generations of gatekeepers---scholars, biographers, and tourist guides---have built up around Franz Kafka, giving us back the real man and the real significance of his splendid works. And he'll take no prisoners in the process.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Goddess of Vengeance by James Hawes
Cover of the book Rob Thy Neighbor by James Hawes
Cover of the book Feral Passions by James Hawes
Cover of the book Cometh the Hour by James Hawes
Cover of the book Good Earl Gone Bad by James Hawes
Cover of the book Buck Colter by James Hawes
Cover of the book Fame, Fortune, and Ambition by James Hawes
Cover of the book It Happened in the Highlands by James Hawes
Cover of the book Dead Woman Walking by James Hawes
Cover of the book The Kennedy Heirs by James Hawes
Cover of the book Smoke in the Wind by James Hawes
Cover of the book Wedding Night With the Earl by James Hawes
Cover of the book Some Like It Hot by James Hawes
Cover of the book Ex-Con: Part 1 by James Hawes
Cover of the book The Genesis Prayer by James Hawes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy