Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories

Rating:
Summary: The Best Kafka Shorts Collection Available
Review: With a great introduction by John Updike, this is the best Kafka short story compilation I have found to date. I have read a lot of Kafka and believe that his shorts include some of his best work. This version presents some of the cleanest translations I have encountered and I think that with them we receive a much more approachable translation. For and introduction to Kafka this book is a great point of departure and for the Kafka fan, both new and seasoned this is a great book to own.

Including the famous Kafka shorts like the "Metamorphosis", "the Penal Colony" and "the Judgment" this book also contains some very short works that I would say are more indicative of his style including "Conversations With a Drunk" and "Conversations With a Worshipper". Some of these stories are so short that they barely span half of a written page and while they are arguably too short I suggest reading them first. Though some might read like a sucker punch by beginning and ending before you realize what occurred, these works will elucidate Kafka's style quicker than the longer shorts. If "The Trial" of "Amerika" is required reading (for students) or even if you have to read "
The Metamorphosis" take some time and read some of these very short stories first, not only will you have a far better command of Kafka's style but you will sound more intelligent in your classroom discussions and your literary analysis when you refer to other works by the author. For the pleasure reader set you can follow this same advice as spending mere moments to read these works will only enrich the experience of reading Kafka's Larger works.

Saving Literary analysis for another forum, I will go straight to the point of recommending this set of stories as the finest example of a Kafka shorts collection. Anyone who knows me well will know that I find the short story to be among the most enjoyable literary forms and that I have read more than my share of Kafka. This collection not only provides the most stories but presents them in a well thought out manner by including the very short stories in a section of their own. Since, undoubtedly, you will be reading this book often it is good to know that this a sturdy paperback that will sustain a great deal of abuse. I recommend that even if you don't buy this version read the stories, however if you are in the market for a Kafka short collection this is the one to buy. At a little over ten dollars you can't go wrong... Enjoy!

-- Ted Murena