1925Mitteleuropa
The Trial
Franz Kafka · 1883–1924 · Czechia (Bohemia)
Originally Der Process (German)
Why it matters
Josef K. is arrested one morning without having done anything wrong, and the proceedings devour him. Published against Kafka's dying wish, it became the century's manual: 'Kafkaesque' is the word because this book exists.
At a glance
existentialistpsychological novel
Difficulty 6/10slow pace256 pagesDreamlike, digressive logic and an unfinished, fragmentary structure resist a linear reading.
Deep dive
Why a book Kafka left unfinished, and asked to have burned, became the most complete portrait of guilt with no crime attached to it.
