The Early Life and Family of Kafka
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Birth Birth Date: 3 July 1883 Birthplace: Prague,
Austria-Hungary Parents: Hermann Kafka and Julie Kafka (Lwy)
Nationality: Bohemian (Austria-Hungary) Religion: Jewish
http://www.porges.net/KafkaFamilyTree.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka
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Family Franz Kafka was the eldest of six children Two brothers:
Georg and Hienrich Three sisters: Gabriele, Valerie and, Ottilie
http://www.porges.net/KafkaFamilyTree.html
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Early Life Franz was born to a family of the middle to upper-
middle class. Franzs brothers died at an early age, at less than a
year a piece. Franz and his sisters were mostly raised by
governesses, as was the common practice. The family moved a lot as
their financial status increased. Franz, though withdrawn and
quiet, was on good terms with his sisters and often wrote them
plays in his spare time. He learned Czech from one of his
governesses, he attended a German school, and did quite well.
http://www.kafka-franz.com/kafka-Biography.htm
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Fluent in German and Czech Deutsche Knabenschule school Jewish
education was the Bar Mitzvah Didnt like going to a synagogue
Charles- Ferdinand University Took law and became a lawyer in 1906
Met Max Brod at school Franz Kafka
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Works Novels Amerika The Trial The Castle Novellas The
Metamorphosis In the Penal Colony Jackals and Arabs Short Stories
The Refusal A Hunger Artist Investigations of a Dog Nonfiction
Franz Kafka: The Diaries 1910-1923 The Blue Octavo Notebooks The
Letters
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1 November 1907, he was hired at Assicurazioni Generali. 15
July 1908, he resigned and was hired by the Workers Accident
Insurance Institute of the kingdom of Bohemia Kafka and his friends
worked on literary works during the 1880s-end of WWI In 1911 he
joined with Karl Hermann to establish the factory Prager
Asbestwerke Herman and Co. Franz Kafka
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Kafka was a Vegetarian Became friends with Max Brod in 1901
Studied law at University of Prague. He received his doctorate in
1906 His first job was at the Assicurizioni Generali Insurance
Company in 1907 1908, he began working at the Workers' Accident
Insurance Institute.
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Started a notebook in 1910, but had to stop writing because of
the war (he was a short story writer/novelist at the time) He was
engaged to Felice Bauer who lived in Berlin. They met in Max Brod's
home on August 13, 1912. They were engaged twice and called it
quits in 1917. He Dedicated Metamorphosis and The Judgement to
Felice
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Only a few of his stories were written in his life time. In
1914 he started The Trial (his second novel) In August of 1917 he
began to suffer from tuberculosis. He had a dry sense of humor that
was supported greatly by his sister, Ottla.
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In 1920 he began an intense relation ship with a Czech
journalist and writer- Milena Jesenska In July 1923 met Dora
Diamant, a 25 year old kindergarten teacher Little women, the
burrow, and josphen the singer were written for Dora Later that
year he returned to Prague then went to Dr. Hoffmann's in hierling
for treatment
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He died June 3, 1924 (same year as Lenin) from starvation
because of his throat so he couldnt swallow and eating was painful
Dora was with him when he died He was brought back to Prague and
was buried June 11 1924 in the New Jewish Cemetery Dora changed her
name to Kafka even though they didnt marry (just like in the
titanic)
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as tragic as the death of Kafka may have been, he died before
he witnessed the suffering of most of his female friends and
family. All of his sisters perished in the Nazi death camps after
the breakout of world war two.
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July 3, 1883-June 3, 1924
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Born to Jewish parents in Prague, Kafka grew up experiencing
the old Anti-Semitism that had pervaded Europe for centuries. As a
populist, he was regarded with suspicion by the authorities in the
monarchical and conservative political system of
Austria-Hungary.
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As a citizen of a Central Power in WW1, Kafkas feelings of
isolation would only increase when Austria-Hungary was defeated by
the Entente, and was then broken into pieces. The ensuing anger
towards Jews would only increase after the war, a further blow to
Kafkas mentality.
absurdity, alienation, anxiety, cruelty, dark humour, doubt,
fasting/starvation, formality, futility, guilt, insignificance,
labyrinths, dominance vs. submission, meaninglessness, nature vs.
technology, inability to meet goals or destinations, escaping or
attempting to escape societal and mental limitations,
transformation.
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Expansion on some of those themes: Alienation: often from man,
in the Metamorphosis it is expanded into dehumanizing jobs
Formality: in style of writing and in the behaviour of characters
Guilt: often without a specific or logical source Labyrinths:
creates a sense of disorientation and complexity Transformation:
can be in a physical or mental sense
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Long sentence structure (sometimes a whole page) Ambiguous
terms, used on purpose Kafkaesque: narrative made combining a
realistic style with the distortions and absurdities of nightmare
scenario Some consider him existentialist, some modernist A mix of
realistic and detailed description with bizarre surreal events More
concise and lucid in his later years Many believe that you need to
look at him as an autobiographical artist because many of his short
stories were never supposed to be viewed by the public
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Kafka wrote in German so much of his long sentence structure
and ambiguous terms are missed in English It is up to the
translator to keep the style of Kafka alive even in
translation
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www.novelguide.com/themetamorphosis/the meanalysis.html
www.novelguide.com/themetamorphosis/the meanalysis.html
www.wordiq.com/definition/Franz_Kafka
www.kafka-franz.com/franz-kafka-writing.htm
www.online-literature.com/franz-kafka Franz Kafka - Richard H.
Lawsom
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Kafkaesque The Term Kafkaesque can is sometimes defined as :
-marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity
-marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger
-an existentialist state of ever-elusive freedom while existing
under immitigable control -an intentional distortion of reality by
powerful but anonymous bureaucrats -reminiscent of the nightmarish
dehumanized world portrayed in the novels of Franz Kafka, the
Czech
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Kafkaesque Works that are thought of as Kafkaesque usually
contain themes of alienation from and persecution by an
incomprehensibly complex, bizarre, and illogical and invincible
world or system. Works by Franz Kafka and those similar are
described as having a: ..nightmarish style of narration, in which
characters lack a clear course of action, the ability to see beyond
immediate events, and the possibility of escape.
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Kafkaesque The lives and worlds of Kafkas characters are
dismal, yet because of their inherent absurdity and futility they
appear almost comical Kafka presents a world that is at once real
and dreamlike and in which individuals burdened with guilt,
isolation, and anxiety, make a futile search for personal
salvation."
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Kafkaesque Other Characteristics of Kafkaesque Writings Morbid,
subtle and contradictory humor Isolation, solitude, insensitivity
and cruelty Exaggerated the bleakness Satirical wit
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Kafkaesque Examples of Kafkaesque FEMA arbitrarily denied
thousands of vulnerable displaced families access to housing aid
until a federal judge ruled against the agency last week,
describing FEMA's system for delivering aid as "Kafkaesque",
likening it to the writer's disturbing tales of horror. Jeffrey
Buchanan: Where is US Leadership in New Orleans on Human Rights
Day? You know, it has a kind of Kafkaesque or absurdist quality to
it. OPEDNEWS
July 3 rd, 1883: Franz Kafka is born to Hermann, a successful
merchant, and Julie Kafka 1889, 1890, 1892: Kafkas sisters Elli,
Valli, Ottla respectively born 1901: Kafka begins university at the
German University in Prague, where he switches from studying German
literature to law after a matter of days. 1902: Meets Max Brod,
fellow writer, critic, and lifelong friend of Kafkas 1903; Writes
Description of a Struggle 1906; Obtains law degree of doctor juris
Begins a yearlong law internship
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1909: 8 prose works are published in Hyperion, a literary
journal based out of Munich Writes The aeroplanes at Brescia 1911:
Becomes interested in Yiddish theatre, meets Isak Lowy Begins
writing Amerika 1912: Meets Felice Bauer, a secretarial assistant
with whom he falls in love Studies Judaism Writes the Metamorphosis
and The Judgment 1913: Meditation and The Judgment published 1914:
Gets engaged to Felice Bauer onApril 12 th, and breaks the
engagement only three months later 1917: Learns Hebrew July: Second
engagement to Felice Bauer September 4 th : Diagnosed with
Tuberculosis Breaks off second engagement
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1919: Felice Bauer married Becomes engaged with Julie Wohryzek,
daughter of a synagogue custodian Publishes In the Penal Colony and
A Country Doctor 1921: Writes stories later included in A Hunger
Artist 1922: Writes The Castle 1923: Meets and moves in with Dora
Diamant, an orthodox Jewess 1924: Writes Josephine the singer, or
the mouse folk Dies in Kierling, near Vienna on June 3 rd 1942
Death of Kafkas sisters in Auschwitz 1952: Death of Dora Diamant in
London 1960: Death of Felice Bauer
