The Trial: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text (The Schocken Kafka Library)
A brilliant translation of one of the most important novels of the twentieth century, revealing a tale that is as full of energy and power as it was when it was first written. From the author of The Metamorphosis.
Written in 1914, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, Kafka's nightmare has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers. This new edition is based upon the work of an international team of experts who have restored the text, the sequence of chapters, and their division to create a version that is as close as possible to the way the author left it.
Written in 1914, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, Kafka's nightmare has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers. This new edition is based upon the work of an international team of experts who have restored the text, the sequence of chapters, and their division to create a version that is as close as possible to the way the author left it.
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Community Reviews
This book is hard to rate or even review. First of all, we’re dealing with an unfinished work — full of fragments and uncertainties about what Kafka actually intended to do with it.
How can we even be sure that the ending is the ending? Now, I know, this story doesn't need an end, because it is a timeless topic and it's not its purpose to have an end. It only makes you hope that one day, maybe, the system will become fair.
As for the "story" itself :
For me, it felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland, except that here, K. (our “Alice”) quickly gives in to the absurd and lets himself drown in this surreal, dystopian, and nonsensical world.
It also reads almost like a manuscript for a play — and I’m quite sure that was intentional, meant to portray K.’s world as a vast tragicomedy, with every character exaggerated to the point of absurdity. There are a lot of references to the theater (the tenors, going to the theater with his uncle, being in the backstage of the procedural world, etc) that helps confirm my theory.
Going back to my Alice in Wonderland comparison, each person feels like one of those fantastical, unfathomable creatures from another realm, guiding (or misleading) K. through their strange domain.
Nobody felt real, no one because who is the system ? Does it need a face, a body...?
I would not go on and on about what the book is really about, other people did already, and surely better than I would, but being accused and the judged for just existing is something that a lot of people can relate to, and history shows us that we never learn our lessons.
As for the prose :
There are great, philosophical quotes here and there, you should keep in mind. If anything needs to live "rent free" in your head, please choose those phrases.
But one thing is certain: the prose is both heavy and childlike. I’m not sure whether that was intentional or not, but if anyone else had written this way, I’m pretty sure readers would have thrown the book at their face.
How can we even be sure that the ending is the ending? Now, I know, this story doesn't need an end, because it is a timeless topic and it's not its purpose to have an end. It only makes you hope that one day, maybe, the system will become fair.
As for the "story" itself :
For me, it felt a bit like Alice in Wonderland, except that here, K. (our “Alice”) quickly gives in to the absurd and lets himself drown in this surreal, dystopian, and nonsensical world.
It also reads almost like a manuscript for a play — and I’m quite sure that was intentional, meant to portray K.’s world as a vast tragicomedy, with every character exaggerated to the point of absurdity. There are a lot of references to the theater (the tenors, going to the theater with his uncle, being in the backstage of the procedural world, etc) that helps confirm my theory.
Going back to my Alice in Wonderland comparison, each person feels like one of those fantastical, unfathomable creatures from another realm, guiding (or misleading) K. through their strange domain.
Nobody felt real, no one because who is the system ? Does it need a face, a body...?
I would not go on and on about what the book is really about, other people did already, and surely better than I would, but being accused and the judged for just existing is something that a lot of people can relate to, and history shows us that we never learn our lessons.
As for the prose :
There are great, philosophical quotes here and there, you should keep in mind. If anything needs to live "rent free" in your head, please choose those phrases.
But one thing is certain: the prose is both heavy and childlike. I’m not sure whether that was intentional or not, but if anyone else had written this way, I’m pretty sure readers would have thrown the book at their face.
Love the ideas presented. Think that it’s astonishing how this book becomes and echo throughout European history after it is written. Just don’t always love the way the ideas are presented throughout the novel. Reads like a chore at times.
Re-read this for a book club. I liked it because I like pretty much everything Kafka so it was easy to go back and take this novel for a second spin.
I loved the darkness, the futility, the absurdity, the strangeness that is Kafka. If you love Kafka, you will definitely love this book.
I loved the darkness, the futility, the absurdity, the strangeness that is Kafka. If you love Kafka, you will definitely love this book.
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