Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 - 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of
novels and short stories, regarded by critics as one of the most
influential authors of the 20th century. Kafka strongly influenced
genres such as existentialism. Most of his works, such as "Die
Verwandlung" ("The Metamorphosis"), "Der Prozess" ("The Trial"), and
"Das Schloss" ("The Castle"), are filled with the themes and archetypes
of alienation, physical and psychological brutality, parent-child
conflict, characters on a terrifying quest, labyrinths of bureaucracy,
and mystical transformations. Table of Contents: - The Metamorphosis - A
Country Doctor - A Hunger Artist - A Report for an Academy - An Imperial
Message - Before the Law - In the Penal Colony - Jackals and Arabs - The
Great Wall of China - The Hunter Gracchus - The Trial - Up in the
Gallery