Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories
by Franz Kafka
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Book Reviews of Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories
Book Review: description of a struggle; or, conformity to formlessness
Summary: 5 Stars
i've only read one of these buggers, which in my version is the first, DESCRIPTION OF A STRUGGLE. in it, a man walking down the street with an 'acquaintance' of his is drawn into a surreal dreamworld, where his acquaintance turns into a donkey, the storyteller commands the landscape to change, and a fat man is carried into a river and swept away. no doubt all of this has to do very directly with the unconscious mind, but i don't know tuppence about that. what i do know is it's absolutely brilliantly written, and putting the book down is like waking up from a beautiful nightmare. i strongly suggest that anyone with a few screws loose who isn't afraid to lose a few more pick up this book; it may even inspire you to write your own stuff, as it did for me.Book Review: Kafka's genious shines through, despite translation troubles
Summary: 5 Stars
Kafka's genius lies in the intricate use of language. His sublte style conceals a world of secret doors to interpretation. The casual reader will easily glide by the well-masked portals and probably not come out the other end with much to show for it. On the other hand, the careful, open-minded reader could spend a lifetime exploring the labyrinth of interpretive possibilities within Kafka's works The only trouble with this particular book is the inherant difficulty related to translating literature. The translator did as fine a job as can be expected, considering the richness and pliability of the original text.
Overall, this book belongs in the library of any Kafka afficionado.
Book Review: not bad, maybe kind of superfluous
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this Kafka volume for about six months now and I've enjoyed it thoroughly. The Metamophosis alone warrants high marks, but this collection thankfully includes countless stories from the breadth of Kafka's career, in essence providing context for his most famous work.
I can't corroborate reports of binding issues, mind has lasted perfectly. There's not much one can say about Kafka that has not already been said, really. The avid fan will, however, appreciate the depth of this volume, which, if anything, helps to better elucidate the contents of the Metamorphosis itself, an indispensible story that seems, at times, a bit obfuscated.
Book Review: a nice, big book
Summary: 5 Stars
kafka is a nice change from the rest of literature. he makes me think anybody with a subconcious and a mental monologue can write fascinating stories. ie: he gives hope for me, which is somehow increased by how excellently neurotic and totally directionless most of his narrative is (The Burrow is my favorite thing ever!). I much appreciate how well the shorter stories let you see his habit of writing until he came to the end of an idea, and then starting somewhere else, and maybe joining them if he felt like it. this book is obviously a definitive sort of collection, and physically it has a very satisfying heft.Book Review: Not for everybody
Summary: 5 Stars
Let it be known to all interested, that most of the stories in this collection are fragmentary, sometimes incomplete, and more often than not, extremely absurdist in nature. Actually, a lot are just simple parables, but more peculiar than average. I recommend this for all fans of Kafka. If you've never read him and buy this, it could be a gamble. As it turned out I liked him from line one, but that is hardly normal for everyone. Read a few of his shorter works first (you can find a lot of his short stuff online) and then determine for yourself; most of his works have a similar feel and theme.