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jolovesbookstbh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
kewpiedude's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
i can't provide a rating under 5 stars simply bc of how real + personal these diaries were. i feel deep privilege getting to read kafka's private words, + i am a better, braver person because of it.
bagusayp's review against another edition
3.0
The letters in Letters to Milena are essentially a reflection of the real Kafka and who he was as a human being. Kafka's letters serve as more than mere correspondence; they are a reflection of his true self, stripped of the layers of abstraction found in his fictional works. Originally published in German in 1952 as Briefe an Milena, the letters were edited by Willy Haas, who made certain deletions to protect the privacy of those still living at the time. Despite these alterations, Kafka's essence shines through, revealing a man grappling with the complexities of existence and the inexorable passage of time. A newer version of it, translated by Philip Boehm in 1990, reflects the full contents of Kafka’s letters without these alterations.
Reading Letters to Milena evoked in me similar feelings to reading [a:Anne Frank|3720|Anne Frank|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343271406p2/3720.jpg]’s diary, for the contents are real correspondences between people who lived almost 100 years ago (this year, 2024, would be the centenary of Kafka’s death). The letters contain Kafka’s raw emotions and the intensity of the relationship that he had with Milena Jeseńska in the span of three years between 1920-1923, unfolding a relationship marked by passion, longing, and unspoken desires. In them, contained the frustration of two people longing to see each other who for obvious reasons could not be united (Milena was married, for one, while Kafka was mostly bedridden by sickness which hindered him from travelling).
Long-distance relationships from 100 years ago had a typical problem that couples still face today: how to shorten that distance. Kafka’s conversations with Milena revolved around their longings to see each other again. What began as a professional relationship (Milena was initially Kafka’s principal translator to Czech) turned into a romantic one. They incessantly exchanged letters in the span of several months in 1920, to the point that they had to number the letters they sent, as they could send several different letters on the same day, effectively making it difficult for them to trace which letter was the reply to which. Their frustration over their distance is reflected through frequent visits to post offices, difficulties securing postal stamps and arranging short rendezvous to quench their longings.
Unlike reading fiction though, there are so many information gaps for those uninformed about Kafka’s biography and his illnesses. Both Kafka and Milena are constantly preoccupied with the questions of illnesses and death (Kafka was already sick with tuberculosis by that time). As Kafka and Milena confronted their mortality, they confronted the very essence of what it means to be alive, grappling with the inevitability of death while clinging to the hope of a love that transcends the boundaries of time and space. The lack of plot, a given as these letters are principally correspondences, could also potentially make the letters boring at times with their repetitive contents of quotidian life.
Reading Letters to Milena evoked in me similar feelings to reading [a:Anne Frank|3720|Anne Frank|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1343271406p2/3720.jpg]’s diary, for the contents are real correspondences between people who lived almost 100 years ago (this year, 2024, would be the centenary of Kafka’s death). The letters contain Kafka’s raw emotions and the intensity of the relationship that he had with Milena Jeseńska in the span of three years between 1920-1923, unfolding a relationship marked by passion, longing, and unspoken desires. In them, contained the frustration of two people longing to see each other who for obvious reasons could not be united (Milena was married, for one, while Kafka was mostly bedridden by sickness which hindered him from travelling).
Long-distance relationships from 100 years ago had a typical problem that couples still face today: how to shorten that distance. Kafka’s conversations with Milena revolved around their longings to see each other again. What began as a professional relationship (Milena was initially Kafka’s principal translator to Czech) turned into a romantic one. They incessantly exchanged letters in the span of several months in 1920, to the point that they had to number the letters they sent, as they could send several different letters on the same day, effectively making it difficult for them to trace which letter was the reply to which. Their frustration over their distance is reflected through frequent visits to post offices, difficulties securing postal stamps and arranging short rendezvous to quench their longings.
Unlike reading fiction though, there are so many information gaps for those uninformed about Kafka’s biography and his illnesses. Both Kafka and Milena are constantly preoccupied with the questions of illnesses and death (Kafka was already sick with tuberculosis by that time). As Kafka and Milena confronted their mortality, they confronted the very essence of what it means to be alive, grappling with the inevitability of death while clinging to the hope of a love that transcends the boundaries of time and space. The lack of plot, a given as these letters are principally correspondences, could also potentially make the letters boring at times with their repetitive contents of quotidian life.
saphaven's review against another edition
5.0
the fact that he fell in love with her because of how well she understood his word in her translations is just peak fucking romance to me. this had inspired me to forever love and yearn except i’m not a porn addict and i’m gay
neomemeo's review against another edition
5.0
i què dir d'aquest llibre que m'ha costat tant acabar perquè no volia quedar-m'hi sense cartes per llegir? He fet tota una recopilació de les meves parts preferides.
ja sabeu el moltíssim que m'agraden les metàfores i encara més si és per descriure "l'amor" així que he gaudit molt aquest llibre. és clar, he de dir, tant de bo trobar algú que faci això per mi, perquè, jo sense cap mena de dubte ho faria per algú.
de tot cor espero que Franz hagi trobat pau en la mort, em sap molt greu el patiment que hi va haver de passar i m'alegra que la Milena li portés confort.
ja sabeu el moltíssim que m'agraden les metàfores i encara més si és per descriure "l'amor" així que he gaudit molt aquest llibre. és clar, he de dir, tant de bo trobar algú que faci això per mi, perquè, jo sense cap mena de dubte ho faria per algú.
de tot cor espero que Franz hagi trobat pau en la mort, em sap molt greu el patiment que hi va haver de passar i m'alegra que la Milena li portés confort.