Kafka is not from my generation. I'm at least two generations apart from his writing and his influence on literature. He has inspired many writers around the world to seek new dimensions in literature. Even filmmakers are influenced by him. He is a trendsetter who changed the path of literature. His fame lead me to follow up on his writing.
Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) was a writer who wrote in German language. I was exposed to him from a Sri Lankan Sinhalese film that was directed by the great Dharmasena Pathiraja (1943 - 2018) titled "Swaroopa" (ස්වරූප) (2014) based on his most famous novella "Metamorphosis" (1913).
With that inspiration, I also bought the Sinhala language translation of the same book by the renowned writer Tennyson Perera (1940 - Present). This book contains a literary review written by Saman Wickramarachchi (1952 - Present).
The book I read is translated to English by a renowned English language lecturer Michael Hofmann. (1957 - Present)
As an amateur English language reader for me, the greatness that lies within Franz Kafka is his ability to create surreal humour with a bleak tone in writing. And also his writing style is unique with a use of language that is not evident in any writing of his time.
It's very innovative for his time considering how he manipulated absurdity in such short paragraphs and stories.
His "The judgement: A story for F." (1913) is very creative writing that unlocks new paradigms of the social context that was evident during the time this relevant story took place.
"The Metamorphosis" (1913) is a dark and cruel story about Gregor Samsa and how he comes to face his sad fate.
The movie ["Swaroopa" (ස්වරූප) (2014)] reflects from the perspective of Gregor Samsa's family members.
This book contains the stories that were published during the writer's lifetime and garnered him some respect and recognition in the world of literature.
Kafka is like a writer who envisions the realities of the world through a different scope by altering the storylines and narratives through creative absurdity in writing and explores a sarcastic vision to his life and the life of his stories. Many allegorical tactics are evident when reading his novellas and short stories.
Cruelty is the main characteristic of Franz Kafka's stories.
Kafka's language and structure are very complex and hard to understand hence it forces the readers to read the stories multiple times.
Kafka's attention to detail in the stories is very commendable and creates a sense of awe in the minds of the readers.
Sometimes the surreal nature of his stories (Kafka) makes the reader feel pointless in following up his stories, but it is also a reminder that what is surrealism is all about.
The short story " A report to an academy " (1917) is an allegorical vision of human evolution and how it reflects the transition to the modernity of human beings. This short story is a part of "A country Doctor: Short Prose for my father" (1920)
Reading Franz Kafka is hard but it is very innovative hence allows the readers to find new paradigms.
A great surreal part reading experience.
Overall rating - 3/5
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