Franz Kafka (1883 - 1924) was born into a German speaking Jewish family in Prague. He wrote in German and is regarded as one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. His works examine the themes of transformation, alienation, bullying and the characters are given insuperable quests. This book contains two of his most famous stories - "Metamorphosis" and "The Trial". Metamorphosis begins like this: "One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked." The story is harrowing, but funny in a dark way, it explores the themes of alienation - the guilt, inadequacy and anguish of transformation. Samsa's predicament is perhaps the predicament we all face at times, and especially if we suffer illness or disability. This is one of the most influential books of all time. The Trail also starts with a stark problem: "Someone must have been telling lies about Josef K., he knew he had done nothing wrong but, one morning, he was arrested. Every day at eight in the morning he was brought his breakfast by Mrs. Grubach's cook - Mrs. Grubach was his landlady - but today she didn't come." We never find out what Josef K was arrested for, he is a respected worker in a bank and he has to defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. This is a terrifying tale but again is comic at times. It explores the nightmare of excessive bureaucracy, hold onto your hat because this book is a psychological roller-coaster.
