Readings in the Shed
Chapter XVI
Hello Franz!
Albert Camus once said “The whole of Kafka’s art consists in compelling the reader to re-read him.” But what makes anyone read Kafka in the first place? Is it the world that he creates that resembles our dreams and nightmares; or his characters that remind us of the people we know? Perhaps it is all of it together. The best way to find out is to read him.
Franz Kafka wrote many stories in his life. In most of them something unusual would happen. Kafka himself did something unusual – in his will he instructed his friend Max Brod to burn his unpublished work after his death. If Max hadn’t decided to publish them, the world would have missed out on the chance to read these unique stories. To this day his works are read and re-read by millions around the world. Chapter XVI of Readings in the Shed, features a glimpse into Kafka’s celebrated works – ‘The Metamorphosis’, ‘The Castle’ – (Translated into Marathi by Krishna Kimbahune), ‘Before the Law’, Letters by Franz Kafka, and an abandoned Fragment. For those who’ve never read Kafka, this reading will prompt you to read more of his stories and for Kafka fans it is an opportunity to re-read a classic.
