Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was an Austrian-Czech writer widely regarded as having a lasting impact on literature and philosophy. Although he published only three novels, he wrote dozens of short stories. His best known work is the novella The Metamorphosis.
His stories often depict surreal and nightmarish scenarios, blending realism with the fantastic, and are characterized by themes of alienation, existential anxiety, and the absurdity of bureaucratic power.
These motifs influenced an abundance of 20th century media, earning them the description "Kafkaesque"; among them, Terry Gilliam's Brazil (with Jonathan Pryce), Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (with Nicole Kidman), and Jerry Juhl and Jim Henson's script for The Cube.
In addition to many adaptations, Kafka inspired the Alan Bennett play Kafka's Dick (1986) and the 1991 film Kafka (with Jeremy Irons, in which the author is caught up in a Kafkaesque plot).
References
- An Ernie and Bert sketch about "Duckie Feelings" begins with a reading of a line that paraphrases Kafka's The Metamorphosis: "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning, he found himself transformed into a gigantic pigeon." The cover of Bert's book, instead of a pigeon, is decorated with a bespectacled bug, cozily nestled in a bed, referencing the creature Gregor Samsa actually turned into in the original novella.
Connections
- Paul Brooke played the deputy bank manager in The Trial (1993 film)
- Raoul Delfosse played a policeman in The Trial (1962 film)
- Hans-Helmut Dickow played the deputy bank manager in "The Trial" (1960, German radio)
- Per-Arne Ehlin played a boarder in Metamorphosis (1976 Swedish film)
- Ernst Günther played Gregor Samsa's father in Metamorphosis (1976 Swedish film)
- Tony Haygarth played Willem in The Trial (1993 film)
- Klaus Höhne played the second agent in "The Trial" (1960, German radio)
- Jiří Lábus played Uncle Jakob and Father Rossman in Amerika (1994 film)
- Helmut Krauss played the fat man in "Description of a Struggle" (1983, German radio)
- Kyle MacLachlan played Josef K. in The Trial (1993 film)
- Anthony Perkins played Josef K. in The Trial (1962 film)
- Monique Tarbès played the maid in The Metamorphosis (1983 TV movie)
- Orson Welles directed, wrote, and played Albert Hastler in The Trial (1962 film)