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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
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The Metamorphosis (original 1915; edition 2012)

by Franz Kafka

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12,397217502 (3.87)1 / 288
Franz Kafka's 1915 novella of unexplained horror and nightmarish transformation became a worldwide classic and remains a century later one of the most widely read works of fiction in the world. It is the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This hugely influential work inspired George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Louis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, while continuing to unsettle millions of readers. In her new translation of Kafka's masterpiece, Susan Bernofsky strives to capture both the humor and the humanity in this macabre tale, underscoring the ways in which Gregor Samsa's grotesque metamorphosis is just the physical manifestation of his longstanding spiritual impoverishment.… (more)
Member:Mahmoodv
Title:The Metamorphosis
Authors:Franz Kafka
Info:CreateSpace (2012), Paperback, 72 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
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The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)

1910s (8)
AP Lit (53)
Daria (2)
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 Easton Press Collectors: Kafka's Metamorphosis DLE22 unread / 22whytewolf1, September 2022

» See also 288 mentions

English (168)  Spanish (19)  Dutch (6)  Portuguese (Brazil) (5)  French (5)  Catalan (3)  Portuguese (Portugal) (2)  Swedish (2)  German (1)  Danish (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (213)
Showing 1-5 of 168 (next | show all)
A great classic. ( )
  Linyarai | Mar 6, 2024 |
The plot, on the surface, seems very simple; the protagonist (Gregor) wakes up as a giant bug one day and we observe the changes that occur within himself and the people around him.

However, the subtext of this novella is packed to the brim with sophisticated elements of existentialism, tragedy, and societal pressure. Although this is a short read, in no way is it an easily digestible one. The story weighs you down with the hopelessness that the characters feel from the first page onwards, and it only gets worse. But, that is not to say that the narration is one-dimensional.

Overall, it will be one of those stories that bug you (pun not intended) for a long time due to how tragic and depressing it is.

Would recommend it to anyone if they're looking for an uneasy read. ( )
  buddhawithan.n | Feb 29, 2024 |
Metamorphosis is a masterfully crafted commentary on the frailty of human condition. It's compact and serves a perfectly formulated dose of surrealism to the reader while offering an immersive experience that is full of gut-punches, none of which feel forced or out of place.

The steady transition of the dynamic between the protagonist and his family culminates in a situation where it's convenient for both parties to end their association without being driven by sentiments, and the unfolding of it all rightfully makes the reader ask themselves why all of it happened, instead of how. ( )
  shadabejaz | Feb 22, 2024 |
Gregor Samsa is a man who has lost his bearings in the world, paralyzed by a sense of responsibility to his family, sublimating his own desires, and fearful of the future. This short novel is told from his perspective. One morning he wakes up and finds that he is a man-sized bug. His first concern is for his family, of which he has been the main breadwinner so he could pay off his father’s staggering debts. This sense of responsibility to his family is the main theme in this short novel, which I first read in high school and then many years later in a college literature course. Despite this focus on his family, his family slowly abandons him, treating him as a burden and becoming angry that he is no longer contributing to the family income. When he decides that he is too much of a burden on his family, he dies alone and unloved. Despite the strangeness of the story and the lack of an explanation why Gregor turned into a bug, it can be interpreted in many ways that raise intriguing questions about alienation and social isolation. ( )
  bschweiger | Feb 4, 2024 |
Muchas reflexiones de vida se pueden sacar de este libro, lo que parece ser un libro juvenil es toda una obra para todas las edades, seguramente ya bastante se escribió sobre esas reflexiones que se pueden obtener del relato del libro, toda una filosofía, leerse desde distintos ángulos obtienes distintas reflexiones, lo mismo que leerlo en diferentes etapas (edades) de tu vida, extrae diferentes sentimiento de la persona, para mi en este momento cuando lo leí pude verlo diferentes perspectivas, como un padre, como un hijo, como un hermano y obtener diferentes pensamientos con distintos sentimientos, que me llevan a reflexionar muchas cosas que e vivido. ( )
  keplerhc | Jan 22, 2024 |
Showing 1-5 of 168 (next | show all)
35 livres cultes à lire au moins une fois dans sa vie
Quels sont les romans qu'il faut avoir lu absolument ? Un livre culte qui transcende, fait réfléchir, frissonner, rire ou pleurer… La littérature est indéniablement créatrice d’émotions. Si vous êtes adeptes des classiques, ces titres devraient vous plaire.
De temps en temps, il n'y a vraiment rien de mieux que de se poser devant un bon bouquin, et d'oublier un instant le monde réel. Mais si vous êtes une grosse lectrice ou un gros lecteur, et que vous avez épuisé le stock de votre bibliothèque personnelle, laissez-vous tenter par ces quelques classiques de la littérature.
 

» Add other authors (494 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kafka, Franzprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Altena, Ernst vanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Appelbaum, StanleyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Baioni, GiulianoContributorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Bernofsky, SusanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Corngold, StanleyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Corngold, StanleyTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cronenberg, DavidIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Cumberbatch, BenedictNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Graftdijk, ThomasTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hauptmann, TatjanaIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hofmann, MichaelTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hoover, Marjorie L.Editorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ivănescu, MirceaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jahraus, OliverAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Johnston, Ian C.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Keenan, JamieCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Llovet, JordiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Muir, EdwinTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Muir, WillaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nabokov, VladimirIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nervi, MauroTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Neugroschel, JoachimTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Neumann, GerhardAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rho, AnitaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rozendaal, W.J.Illustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schwarz, EgonAfterwordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Simonischek, PeterNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Toorn, Willem vanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Wyllie, DavidTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
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One morning, as Gregor Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, he discovered that in bed he had been changed into a monstrous verminous bug.
When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin.
When Gregor Samsa woke one morning from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect. (tr. Susan Bernofsky)
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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This is the novella only and should not be combined with works that collect the novella with other short stories by Kafka.
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Wikipedia in English (1)

Franz Kafka's 1915 novella of unexplained horror and nightmarish transformation became a worldwide classic and remains a century later one of the most widely read works of fiction in the world. It is the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This hugely influential work inspired George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Louis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, while continuing to unsettle millions of readers. In her new translation of Kafka's masterpiece, Susan Bernofsky strives to capture both the humor and the humanity in this macabre tale, underscoring the ways in which Gregor Samsa's grotesque metamorphosis is just the physical manifestation of his longstanding spiritual impoverishment.

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Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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