The Life Of The Fantastic Author Franz Kafka

At the end of the 20th century, a poll asked people to choose who they thought was the most important author of the millennium. Franz Kafka, the child of Shakespeare, Goethe and Cervantes, won with bravura. Kafka touched humanity more than any other author.

Kafka is so large that the term “Kafkaesque” is found in several languages. It refers to absurd, oppressive and outrageous situations. He was one of those writers who was able to create a literary world with his own atmosphere and unique codes. In his world, logic is both compelling and poetic.

One of the most notable aspects of his writing is his intellectual honesty. Franz Kafka was not a rhetorical or pretentious writer. In fact, Kafka even asked his friend Max Brod to burn everything he had written. Fortunately, Brod did not, and it is thanks to him that we can enjoy Kafka’s masterpieces today. Franz Kafka did not become known through good marketing or a wealthy sponsor. He is known for the unique quality of each line he wrote.

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883 in Prague, in what is now the Czech Republic, but was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father Hermann came from a family of butchers. He was a self-taught businessman and had a well-paid job when Franz was born. His mother Julie came from a wealthy family. She was better educated than her husband, but she had little influence over the education of her own children.

Kafka was the eldest and had five siblings. However, two of his brothers died before his first birthday. Franz and his three sisters survived. Perhaps that is why his father was particularly authoritarian and strict with Franz. We know that Franz’s relationship with his father was difficult, something he emphasized and emphasized in his writing.

Franz Kafka studied in two important and demanding Jewish schools. He began writing at the age of thirteen. However, we do not have an overview of much of his early writing because young Kafka burned most of it. He was a member of an anti-clerical group called the Free School Group. There he began to read about philosophy, socialism and atheism.

Franz Kafka and education

Kafka started high school in the chemistry line, but he quickly realized that it was not for him. Thus, he decided to change majors. His father, however, made sure he studied the law, even though Franz would not. It was during his university years that he met his friend Max Brod. Kafka and Brod were close friends until Kafka’s death.

After graduating, Kafka worked at several law firms. He later got a part-time job with an insurance company. There he barely earned enough to survive, but he had enough time to do what he loved most: writing. Therefore, he continued to work there until 1917 when he contracted tuberculosis. The story goes that he possibly got the disease because he liked to drink unpasteurized milk.

Romance and later life

During these years, Franz Kafka had confusing relationships with the women who came into his life. His romances often began through letters, and ended suddenly and without explanation. Kafka was a complex person with complex relationships. For example, he could never get over the fact that his girlfriend, Felice Bauer, reacted with indifference when he showed her The Metamorphosis.

From 1917 until his death

Franz Kafka was in and out of the hospitals. He lived in Germany from 1920 to 1923 in an attempt to distance himself from his family. However, a severe case of pneumonia forced him to return to his parents’ house in 1924.

Franz got worse when he arrived. He was taken to the hospital again and the tuberculosis spread to the larynx. His throat condition made it too painful to eat, and after a few weeks in June 1924, Kafka died. He was only 41 years old.

Franz Kafka left behind many short stories and several novels. His most famous are The Trial, The Metamorphosis, and The Castle. He also left beautiful testimonies in the form of letters to, among others, his sister Ottla, Max Brod and Felice. His legacy will affect many generations to come.