Kafka published two collections of short stories in his lifetime, A
Country Doctor: Little Tales (1919) and A Hunger Artist: Four Stories
(1924). Both collections are included in their entirety in this edition,
which also contains other uncollected stories and a selection of
posthumously published works that have become part of the Kafka canon.
Enigmatic, satirical, often bleakly humorous, these stories approach
human experience at a tangent: a singing mouse, an ape, an inquisitive
dog, and a paranoid burrowing creature are among the protagonists, as
well as the professional hunger artist. The tales are among Kafka's
best-known, haunting and compelling satires on the human condition, on
art and artists, and on life itself, which complement his major
fictions. Translated by the award-winning Joyce Crick, the book includes
an invaluable introduction, notes, and other editorial material by
renowned Kafka scholar Ritchie Robertson. There is also a Biographical
Preface, an up-to-date
bibliography, and a chronology of Kafka's life. This volume completes an
Oxford World's Classics set of five Kafka works, in distinctive
complementary cover designs.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has
made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the
globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to
scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other
valuable features, including expert introductions by leading
authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date
bibliographies for further study, and much more.
