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thevampiremars's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A lot of these stories didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, and I don’t know if that’s due to the writing style or poor translation. Maybe it’s just the summer humidity making my brain foggy. Interpreting Kafka’s writing feels like deciphering a riddle, and I mean that as both criticism and praise.
Contemplation (1913) – 4.5☆
A beautifully written series of vignettes romanticising the mundane. It’s more like a collection of poems than a sequence of chapters; there’s no narrative structure or throughline connecting each part. It serves as an enticing introduction to Kafka’s writing, like an instrumental opening track.
The Judgement: A Story for F (1913) – 3.5☆
This one felt incomplete, like a chapter from a longer story. I felt I was lacking context. I did a little research and it seems the German version contained some double meanings that got lost in translation, thereby obscuring the metaphor. Still, I didn’t dislike it, and I can appreciate what Kafka was going for.
The Stoker: A Fragment (1913) – 2.5☆
Ironically, this story actually was intended to be the first chapter in a novel, but it didn’t leave me wanting more like The Judgement did. If I had to sum up The Stoker in one word it would be “dull.” I just didn’t care.
Metamorphosis (1915) – 4.0☆
The main event, my reason for buying this book. I liked it and I can definitely see why it’s considered a classic, but I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m missing something.
It’s a thought-provoking tale, I’ll say that much! There’s a lot to chew on. It’s a fascinating blend of realism and fantasy with a surprising amount of depth.
In the Penal Colony (1919) – 2.5☆
Another dull story. The torture machine was convoluted and ridiculous so it didn’t have whatever horrifying and/or erotic effect Kafka was going for. I think he was trying to make a point about the criminal justice system, about how those in power are so perversely obsessed with punishment that it doesn’t matter to them whether or not their actions actually constitute any kind of “justice.” I’d honestly recommend watching the 1985 Doctor Who serial Vengeance on Varos instead of reading this – it plays with a lot of the same ideas, plus more.
A Country Doctor: Short Prose for My Father (1920) – 3.5☆
More poetic vignettes à la Contemplation, with higher highs and lower lows. It’s difficult to rate these collectively. My favourites were definitely Jackals and Arabs, an intriguing story commenting on colonialism and the self-appointed messianic role of Europeans, and A Report to an Academy, which was really poignant in its frank discussion of assimilation as a survival strategy. Some of the other stories were forgettable, impenetrable, sometimes feeling stubbornly pointless (though perhaps that pointlessness was the point, I don’t know). Overall, I think there’s more good than bad in this collection of short prose.
The Hunger-Artist: Four Stories (1924) – 3.5☆
Though listed as “Four Stories” I will review them together because they were grouped together. First Sorrow was simple but effective. My only real complaint is that maybe it’s a little too short; it would have been nice to see more of the trapeze artist’s craft before introducing the problem of travel and the rest of the narrative after that. A Little Woman reminded me of an ex. A Hunger-Artist was an evocative and sympathetic look at performers relying on attention almost literally as a means of sustenance. Josefine, the Singer, or The Mouse People struggled to hold my attention.
Aeroplanes in Brescia (1909) – 3.0☆
A quaint historical snapshot. The romantic descriptions of the little planes in flight makes me think of Porco Rosso even though that’s set a couple of decades later.
Great Noise (1912) – 3.0☆
It doesn’t have much to say and I don’t have much to say about it. It’s only half a page long, though, so it’s not like it overstays its welcome.
The Coal-Scuttle Rider (1921) – 3.5☆
A simple but effective tale of class conflict, of the haves leaving the have-nots to die preventable deaths if they cannot pay for what they need.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, and Abandonment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Incest, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
I tagged abandonment but neglect would be more accurate, and although not explicitly presented as an eating disorder I did tag that for the description of intentional starvationran_sophia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book contains only some stories that I liked, but otherwise I can say that the book did not interest me very much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, and Violence
scruffie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I found Crick's translation to be excellent, preserving much of the language ambiguity and other eccentricities that Kafka is known for. A pretty dark read overall, and very much to my liking. Quite slow-paced, especially if you also read the explanatory notes (which I recommend).
From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others ("The Judgement", "The Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony", "Letter to his Father") though. I'm curious to read the remaining works of Kafka.
From the stories in this book "Meditation" didn't really work for me; I really liked all the others ("The Judgement", "The Metamorphosis", "In the Penal Colony", "Letter to his Father") though. I'm curious to read the remaining works of Kafka.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence
cati's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Read this to expand my knowledge of Kafka, since I've never even read The Metamorphosis. Every story was fine to me. My favorites were The Metamorphosis, The Stoker: A Fragment, In The Penal Colony, and A Hunger Artist. The translation made it a very easy read for me, but some of the stories I just couldn't understand.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Torture
ssgcedits's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Child death, Death, Suicide, and Torture