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A novel of Felice Bauer, Franz Kafka’s first fiancée, and the story behind Letters to FeliceFranz Kafka scholars know Felice Bauer, his onetime fiancée, through his
Letters to Felice, as little more than a woman with a raucous laugh and a taste for bourgeois comforts.
Life After Kafka is her story. The novel begins in 1935 as Felice flees with her children from Hitler’s Berlin, following her family and members of Kafka’s entourage—including Grete Bloch, Max Brod, and Salman Schocken—as they try to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. Years later, a man claiming to be Kafka’s son approaches Felice’s son in Manhattan and the drama surrounding Kafka’s letters to Felice begins.
While taking the measure of literary fame’s long shadow,
Life After Kafka depicts the magic and poison of memories, and what we cling to when all else is lost. Most of all, it illuminates the bravery required to move forward through the shattered remains of one world to rebuild life in a new one.
About the author
Magdaléna Platzová is the author of several books, including three novels published in English: Aaron’s Leap, a Lidové Noviny Book of the Year Award finalist, The Attempt, longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and a Czech Book Award finalist, and Life After Kafka, a Magnesia Litera award finalist. Her fiction has also appeared in A Public Space and Words Without Borders. Platzová grew up in the Czech Republic; studied in Washington, DC, and England; received her MA in Philosophy at Charles University in Prague; and has taught at New York University’s Gallatin School. She is now based in Lyon, France.
Summary
A novel of Felice Bauer, Franz Kafka’s first fiancée, and the story behind Letters to Felice
Franz Kafka scholars know Felice Bauer, his onetime fiancée, through his Letters to Felice, as little more than a woman with a raucous laugh and a taste for bourgeois comforts. Life After Kafka is her story. The novel begins in 1935 as Felice flees with her children from Hitler’s Berlin, following her family and members of Kafka’s entourage—including Grete Bloch, Max Brod, and Salman Schocken—as they try to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. Years later, a man claiming to be Kafka’s son approaches Felice’s son in Manhattan and the drama surrounding Kafka’s letters to Felice begins.
While taking the measure of literary fame’s long shadow, Life After Kafka depicts the magic and poison of memories, and what we cling to when all else is lost. Most of all, it illuminates the bravery required to move forward through the shattered remains of one world to rebuild life in a new one.
Foreword
Author and translator appearances in Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Lincoln, NE; New York, NY [note: author fluent in English]National print, public radio, and online media campaignsSignificant bound galley mailing to media, booksellers, and librarians. Additional digital review copy distribution to media, booksellers, and librarians through EdelweissPublication coincides with the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death (June 2024), Women in Translation Month (August 2024), and National Translation Month (September 2024)Author and translator statements available in press materialSimultaneous eBook publication and promotionPostcards availableEarly outreach and giveaways through LibraryThingPromotion through BLP’s social media channels and website: www.blpress.orgPromotion through translator’s website: www.alexjzucker.comEditor: Erika GoldmanCover designer: Kelly WintonMarketing and publicity efforts supported by Molly Mikolowski of A Literary LightCo-op available
