Synopses & Reviews
Franz Kafka was the poet of his own disorder. Throughout his life he struggled with a pervasive sense of shame and guilt that left traces in his daily existenceandmdash;in his many letters, in his extensive diaries, and especially in his fiction. This stimulating book investigates some of the sources of Kafkaandrsquo;s personal anguish and its complex reflections in his imaginary world.
In his query, Saul Friedlandauml;nder probes major aspects of Kafkaandrsquo;s life (family, Judaism, love and sex, writing, illness, and despair) that until now have been skewed by posthumous censorship. Contrary to Kafkaandrsquo;s dying request that all his papers be burned, Max Brod, Kafkaandrsquo;s closest friend and literary executor, editedand#160;and publishedand#160;the authorandrsquo;s novels and other works soon after his death in 1924. Friedlandauml;nder shows that, when reinserted in Kafkaandrsquo;s letters and diaries, deleted segments lift the mask of andldquo;sainthoodandrdquo; frequently attached to the writer and thus restore previously hidden aspects of his individuality.
Review
and#160;andldquo;This is a book that springs directly from the author's background and from a manifest love forandmdash;and great knowledge ofandmdash;Kafka's work and his milieu. The book's main objective is to mine the question of Kafka's guilt and shame, and Friedlander is more probing, historical and impartial in examining these questions than just about any other scholar I know.andrdquo;andmdash;Mark Anderson, author of Reading Kafka and Kafkaandrsquo;s Clothes
Review
andldquo;Friedlandauml;nderandrsquo;s concise new book, born of both sorrow and affection, is an ideal place to begin among the hulking alps of Kafka studies.andrdquo;andmdash;William Giraldi, New Republic
Review
"This book is a clear, uncensorious and serious contribution to the publisherand#8217;s Jewish Lives series. It is the work of a great historian paying careful attention to a great and disquieting writer."and#8212;Robert Eaglestone, Times Higher Education Supplement
Review
"Like Kafkaand#8217;s work, Franz Kafka is dense and provocative. In his exploration of Kafkaand#8217;s work, Friedland#228;nder calls on his rich knowledge of Central Europe during Kafkaand#8217;s lifetime. . . A candid and stimulating examination of the forces that shaped Kafkaand#8217;s anguished life/work."and#8212;Maron L. Waxman, Jewish Book Council
Review
"One turns with relief to the immensely readable Saul Friedland#228;nder, whose short biographical essay on Kafka appears in the excellent Jewish Lives series from Yale University Press. . . . Friedland#228;nderand#8217;s style is elegant and lucid, his knowledge of Kafkaand#8217;s oeuvre and social world superb, his command of the critical literature impeccable. . . . Could very well serve as the new classic short introduction to modernismand#8217;s most elusive writer."and#8212;Weekly Standard
Review
and#160;"A creative, risky approach to interpreting Kafka. . . . Friedland#228;nder's approach should motivate us to do what we should: reread one of the masters of 20th-century fiction."and#8212;The Forward
Review
"Interweaving Kafkaand#8217;s letters, diaries and stories, [Friedlander] shows us a new and vital Kafka, who made literature out of all the things he brilliantly failed at in his mostly painful life. Friedlander, the great historian of the Holocaust, intricately reveals how longing and personal history can disturb and inspire genius. Itand#8217;s as if Iand#8217;d never read Kafka before, and finally know him."and#8212;Philip Schultz, Harriet: A Poetry Blog, the Poetry Foundation
Review
"[Friedland#228;nder] has clearly mastered the vast scholarship that has attached itself to Kafka, and he brings fresh insights of his own to the challenging body of work Kafka left behind."and#8212;Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal
Review
Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2013 in the Germanic Category. Jonathan Kirsch - Jewish Journal
Review
"This stimulating book investigates some of the sources of Kafka's personal anguish and its complex reflections in his imaginary world."—Jewish Ledger Outstanding Academic Title - Choice
Synopsis
A highly original and engaging appraisal of Kafkaand#8217;s life, work, legacy, and thought
Synopsis
A highly original and engaging appraisal of Kafka's life, work, legacy, and thought
Franz Kafka was the poet of his own disorder. Throughout his life he struggled with a pervasive sense of shame and guilt that left traces in his daily existence--in his many letters, in his extensive diaries, and especially in his fiction. This stimulating book investigates some of the sources of Kafka's personal anguish and its complex reflections in his imaginary world.
In his query, Saul Friedl nder probes major aspects of Kafka's life (family, Judaism, love and sex, writing, illness, and despair) that until now have been skewed by posthumous censorship. Contrary to Kafka's dying request that all his papers be burned, Max Brod, Kafka's closest friend and literary executor, edited and published the author's novels and other works soon after his death in 1924. Friedl nder shows that, when reinserted in Kafka's letters and diaries, deleted segments lift the mask of "sainthood" frequently attached to the writer and thus restore previously hidden aspects of his individuality.
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a highly original and engaging appraisal of Kafka's life, work, legacy, and thought
Franz Kafka was the poet of his own disorder. Throughout his life he struggled with a pervasive sense of shame and guilt that left traces in his daily existence--in his many letters, in his extensive diaries, and especially in his fiction. This stimulating book investigates some of the sources of Kafka's personal anguish and its complex reflections in his imaginary world.
In his query, Saul Friedl nder probes major aspects of Kafka's life (family, Judaism, love and sex, writing, illness, and despair) that until now have been skewed by posthumous censorship. Contrary to Kafka's dying request that all his papers be burned, Max Brod, Kafka's closest friend and literary executor, edited and published the author's novels and other works soon after his death in 1924. Friedl nder shows that, when reinserted in Kafka's letters and diaries, deleted segments lift the mask of "sainthood" frequently attached to the writer and thus restore previously hidden aspects of his individuality.
About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a highly original and engaging appraisal of Franz Kafka's life, work, legacy, and thought
"The work of a great historian paying careful attention to a great and disquieting writer."--Robert Eaglestone, Times Higher Education Supplement
Franz Kafka was the poet of his own disorder. Throughout his life he struggled with a pervasive sense of shame and guilt that left traces in his daily existence--in his many letters, in his extensive diaries, and especially in his fiction. This stimulating book investigates some of the sources of Kafka's personal anguish and its complex reflections in his imaginary world.
In his query, Saul Friedl nder probes major aspects of Kafka's life (family, Judaism, love and sex, writing, illness, and despair) that until now have been skewed by posthumous censorship. Contrary to Kafka's dying request that all his papers be burned, Max Brod, Kafka's closest friend and literary executor, edited and published the author's novels and other works soon after his death in 1924. Friedl nder shows that, when reinserted in Kafka's letters and diaries, deleted segments lift the mask of "sainthood" frequently attached to the writer and thus restore previously hidden aspects of his individuality.
About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
In this highly original book, Saul Friedlandauml;nder appraises Kafkaandrsquo;s life and work, tracing his personal anguish as reflected in his writings and showing how earlier censorship efforts concealed crucial aspects of Kafkaandrsquo;s individuality.
About the Author
My familyandrsquo;s world was that of Prague Jews, belonging to a slightly younger cohort than Franzandrsquo;s generation. Theirs was a quiet middle-class existence; they were relatively well off and considered themselves politically safe, notwithstanding ever more threatening rumblings during later years. They spoke German better than Czech (yet spoke Czech nonetheless). A few among them were interested in Zionism, but, with rare exceptions, those who emigrated to Palestine at the very last moment did so only by dint of the most catastrophic circumstances.
My father studied at the German Law School of Charles University, which Kafka had attended some fifteen years before; like Kafka, he eventually became legal adviser in a Prague insurance company. My motherandrsquo;s family lived in the German-speaking area of Northern Bohemia in Ober-Rochlitz (which Kafka mentions as Randouml;chlitz, near Gablonz, which he visited several times). My motherandrsquo;s first name was Elli (Gabriele), as was that of Franzandrsquo;s eldest sister. And, like those of Kafkaandrsquo;s three sisters, my parentsandrsquo; lives ended in German camps. All these hidden links, discovered over time, may have added to my predilection for Kafkaandrsquo;s texts, beyond the appeal of their intrinsic greatness. . . .