The Aphorisms of Franz Kafka

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In 1917 and 1918, Franz Kafka wrote a set of more than 100 aphorisms, known as the Zrau aphorisms, after the Bohemian village in which he composed them. Among the most mysterious of Kafkas writings, they explore philosophical questions about truth, good and evil, and the spiritual and sensory world. This is the first annotated, bilingual volume of these extraordinary writings, which provide great insight into Kafkas mind. Edited, introduced, and with commentaries by preeminent Kafka biographer and authority Reiner Stach, and freshly translated by Shelley Frisch, this beautiful volume presents each aphorism on its own page in English and the original German, with accessible and enlightening notes on facing pages.

The most complex of Kafkas writings, the aphorisms merge literary and analytical thinking and are radical in their ideas, original in their images and metaphors, and exceptionally condensed in their language. Offering up Kafkas characteristically unsettling charms, the aphorisms at times put readers in unfamiliar, even inhospitable territory, which can then turn luminous: I have never been in this place before: breathing works differently, and a star shines next to the sun, more dazzlingly still.

Above all, this volume reveals that these multifaceted gems arent far removed from Kafkas novels and stories but are instead situated squarely within his cosmosarguably at its very core. Long neglected by Kafka readers and scholars, his aphorisms have finally been given their full due here.

Reviews

"Kafkas mistrust of self-scrutiny, and his equal need for it, are nowhere more dazzlingly displayed than in this jewel of twentieth-century literature."---Ben Hutchinson, Times Literary Supplement
"[Stachs] commanding knowledge of Kafkas life and work richly informs his interpretations of these hitherto generally neglected masterpieces of concentrated thought and quasi-mystical insight. Stach provides invaluable guidance along this shadowy path. The aphorisms are as enigmatic as they are beautiful. . . . Indeed, it could be argued that, for all their brevity and compression, in the aphorisms we find the essential Kafka."---John Banville, Irish Times
"Taut translations. . . . Indispensable commentary."---Max Norman, Wall Street Journal
"In this newly annotated edition, Reiner Stachwho knows more about Kafkas life than anyone else aliveprovides data-rich, facing-page commentary for each gnomic observation. He is assisted, as usual, by his nonpareil translator, Shelley Frisch. . . . His commentary eschews definitive interpretations but leaves the reader better able to ponder [Kafka's] tantalizing pronouncements."---Michael Dirda, Washington Post
"An astute and subtle commentary. . . . The intellectual risks of commenting on the comments of Kafka are enormous, but Stach takes them in his stride, and Shelley Frischs English version keeps pace admirably."---Michael Wood, London Review of Books
"If you have a serious interest in Kafkas life and writings, The Aphorisms of Franz Kafka is a necessary port of call. It gives you all the information necessary to approach and understand what is certainly Kafkas most personal testimony."---Paul Kane, Jildy Sauce
"Stachs introduction and commentaries and a fresh new translation . . . make you feel at home. In addition to excerpts from Kafkas crossed-out or amended first drafts, there are quotations from the diaries and letters that are often equal if not superior to the aphorisms themselves."---Stuart Mitchner, Town Topics
"If you fancy giving yourself food for thought, then The Aphorisms are ideal."---Alexander Adams, Brazen Head

Author Bio

Reiner Stach is the author of the definitive three-volume biography of Franz Kafka: Kafka: The Early Years; Kafka: The Decisive Years; and Kafka: The Years of Insight (all Princeton). He is also the author of Is That Kafka 99 Finds. Shelley Frisch is an award-winning translator whose work includes Stachs Kafka biography, Karin Wielands Dietrich & Riefenstahl, and Billy Wilder on Assignment (Princeton), among many other books.