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sidharthvardhan's review
4.0
Most of these were published posthumously. A lot many are incomplete.
A few of my favorites:
The Truth about Sancho Panza
The brain(Sancho Panza) knows that the heart (Quixote) is full of desires that will be destructive to the whole person and so it calms the heart down by feeding it on dreams and fantasies of adventures during evenings and nights.
The Hunter Gracchus
This one begins in a very realistic environment for a Kafka story; The vivid descriptions of very normal village people seems to make direct contrast with Grachus’ fabulous story – and none shows any amazement on seeing the other. They both belong to same world. Another story about pre-destined - loneliness - something of a wondering Jew in it.
The Silence of the Sirens
A very good study in game theory. Both sirens and Ulysses seems to be aware of each other’s tactics and each is trying to better the other.
The Great Wall of China
An allegory on absurdity that a common man finds with his role in (God’s ) grater plan regarding the universe.
The Giant Mole
How the thing that is most important part of your life can be seen as of no value to others. It can also be read as an allegory on miracles – showing the problem of lack of belief in miracles. Giant mole being the miracle, the village school teacher being apostle and the business man being believer. Village schoolmaster lacks the skill and tools to prove beyond doubt the occurrence of miracle.
A few of my favorites:
The Truth about Sancho Panza
The brain(Sancho Panza) knows that the heart (Quixote) is full of desires that will be destructive to the whole person and so it calms the heart down by feeding it on dreams and fantasies of adventures during evenings and nights.
The Hunter Gracchus
This one begins in a very realistic environment for a Kafka story; The vivid descriptions of very normal village people seems to make direct contrast with Grachus’ fabulous story – and none shows any amazement on seeing the other. They both belong to same world. Another story about pre-destined - loneliness - something of a wondering Jew in it.
The Silence of the Sirens
A very good study in game theory. Both sirens and Ulysses seems to be aware of each other’s tactics and each is trying to better the other.
The Great Wall of China
An allegory on absurdity that a common man finds with his role in (God’s ) grater plan regarding the universe.
The Giant Mole
How the thing that is most important part of your life can be seen as of no value to others. It can also be read as an allegory on miracles – showing the problem of lack of belief in miracles. Giant mole being the miracle, the village school teacher being apostle and the business man being believer. Village schoolmaster lacks the skill and tools to prove beyond doubt the occurrence of miracle.
savaging's review
5.0
"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." -Reflections on Sin, Pain, Hope, and the True Way
I am completely charmed by Kafka's short stories and aphorisms. "The Great Wall of China" is the fictional equivalent of the anthropology of James C. Scott and David Graeber, about societies slippery to control, egalitarian in the teeth of hierarchical empire. And good lord, that singing dog.
Some reviewers have been miss-listing the short stories in this volume. It doesn't contain a lot of his most well-known short stories, like "In the Penal Colony" or "The Hunger Artist," or the one about the ape's report. These are much lesser known. Begin with the book IN THE PENAL COLONY, and only venture here if you've already fallen in love with Kafka.
I am completely charmed by Kafka's short stories and aphorisms. "The Great Wall of China" is the fictional equivalent of the anthropology of James C. Scott and David Graeber, about societies slippery to control, egalitarian in the teeth of hierarchical empire. And good lord, that singing dog.
Some reviewers have been miss-listing the short stories in this volume. It doesn't contain a lot of his most well-known short stories, like "In the Penal Colony" or "The Hunger Artist," or the one about the ape's report. These are much lesser known. Begin with the book IN THE PENAL COLONY, and only venture here if you've already fallen in love with Kafka.
claireescott's review against another edition
5.0
I spent the semester rationing this one out, reading one or two stories a week. The little stories are like candy-- funny, punchy, engaging. The aphorisms are sharp and incisive in twisting and nuanced ways, "Everything he does seems to him extraordinarily new, but at the same time, because of this unbelievable spate of novelty it seems extraordinarily amateurish, scarcely even tolerable, incapable of finding its place in history, breaking the chain of the generations, cutting off at its most profound source the music of the world for the first time, which before then could at least be divined. Sometimes in his arrogance he has more anxiety for the world than for himself."
bookish_skies's review
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
larkspire's review
3.0
Judging by the couple of incomplete stories and notes about "no author's title" "from the diary of the author" "unlike several others in this volume, the author probably considered publishing this story" make me think it's aimed at people more familiar with Kafka. Enjoyable, but I'd probably have been better off getting a hold of The Trial first.
jonathanovd's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
savaging's review against another edition
5.0
"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait. Do not even wait, be quite still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet." -Reflections on Sin, Pain, Hope, and the True Way
I am completely charmed by Kafka's short stories and aphorisms. "The Great Wall of China" is the fictional equivalent of the anthropology of James C. Scott and David Graeber, about societies slippery to control, egalitarian in the teeth of hierarchical empire. And good lord, that singing dog.
Some reviewers have been miss-listing the short stories in this volume. It doesn't contain a lot of his most well-known short stories, like "In the Penal Colony" or "The Hunger Artist," or the one about the ape's report. These are much lesser known. Begin with the book IN THE PENAL COLONY, and only venture here if you've already fallen in love with Kafka.
I am completely charmed by Kafka's short stories and aphorisms. "The Great Wall of China" is the fictional equivalent of the anthropology of James C. Scott and David Graeber, about societies slippery to control, egalitarian in the teeth of hierarchical empire. And good lord, that singing dog.
Some reviewers have been miss-listing the short stories in this volume. It doesn't contain a lot of his most well-known short stories, like "In the Penal Colony" or "The Hunger Artist," or the one about the ape's report. These are much lesser known. Begin with the book IN THE PENAL COLONY, and only venture here if you've already fallen in love with Kafka.
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