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As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning, fromrestless dreams he found himself recast in hisbed into a gigantic insect.
He was laying on his hard, as it werearmour-plated, back and when he raised hishead a little he could see his domelike browntummy separated into stiff arched parts on topof which the bed quilt could barely keep in placeand was about to slide off entirely.
His numerous legs, which were pitifully delicatecorresponded to the remainder of his bulk,waved helplessly before his eyes.With its stunning, eccentric, yet surprisinglyfunny first opening, Kafka begins hischef-d'oeuvre, The Metamorphosis.It is the story of a youthful man who, changedovernight into a giant beetle-like insect, evolvesan entity of disrepute to his family, a stranger inhis own home, a quintessentially alienated man.
About the author
Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 - 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic.It typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. It has been interpreted as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known works include "Die Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), Der Process (The Trial), and Das Schloss (The Castle).
