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The Short Stories of Franz Kafka: Book Club Reading Assignments (Patreon)

Published:
2024-07-19 21:04:55
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2026-06
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It’s time to begin our appreciation of the short stories of Franz Kafka.

I have handpicked three nightmarish masterpieces of the short story form by this incredible writer for our deep reading.

We will be reading the following short stories in this order:

  • 'The Metamorphosis'

  • 'A Hunger Artist'

  • 'In the Penal Colony'

Readers of David Foster Wallace will find layering these stories alongside Infinite Jest to be a very complementary side avenue. But reading Kafka will also be deeply informative for anything else you are reading right now.

Our discussions for Kafka will be on alternating weekends. This weekend we have our Infinite Jest lecture, which means next weekend we will be talking about Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis', then we will be back to Foster Wallace and so on.

I run through my recommended approach to the stories in the above video, but please feel free to approach them in the way that best suits you. You might want to read the stories ahead of each lecture, but you can also listen to the discussion before reading as they will be set up for both approaches.

If you find yourself hungry for more Kafka, and would like a few more recommendations, then check out 'The Judgement,' 'A Country Doctor,' and 'The Stoker.' I will lightly touch upon them in our third discussion, but do consider them optional.

Video Timestamps:

0:00 layering short stories into our reading

1:00 how to read multiple works at the same time

2:00 Franz Kafka & David Foster Wallace

3:00 the writer of the 20th century

4:00 what does Kafkaesque mean?

5:00 comedy, tragedy & reading aloud

6:00 the chosen Kafka short stories

8:00 recommended edition of stories

9:00 how to approach the short stories

12:00 deep reading & synchronicity

14:00 read Kafka like a dark mirror

15:00 your experience with Franz Kafka?

Recommendations:

  • Recommended Edition: I'm personally working from this edition, which is called 'Metamorphosis and Other Stories.' It is published by Penguin Classics paperback and translated by Michael Hofman. But do feel free to use any edition you can get your hands on. Good collections should include all three chosen short stories. I also rate the Everyman's Library edition translated by Willa and Edwin Muir.

  • Audiobooks: Listening to the stories is an excellent thing to do as Kafka himself would read them aloud to his. Benedict Cumberbatch has a superb narration of Metamorphosis with BBC Radio 4 here. For an audiobook that contains several of Kafka's stories, this one narrated by George Guidall is very good.

  • Film & TV:  A six-part television drama about the life of Kafka came out recently, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the writer's passing, which you can view here. You might find it rewarding to make your way through the series as you read in order to get a sense of Kafka the man. If you're in the mood for a film, check out Steven Soderbergh's 1991 thriller inspired by Kafka and his writings starring Jeremy Irons.

  • Letters & Biography: If you find yourself fascinated with the great writer's stories and wish to go deeper, then this biography is very good. It's by Max Brod, close friend and literary executor who refused Kafka's instructions to burn his unpublished works upon his death. You've also got Kafka's letters to Milena Jesenska and his diaries.

Short Story Assignment:

Our first short story from Franz Kafka will be 'The Metamorphosis.' If you're working from the same edition as myself, the story is on page 73. Take it slow, mull it over, bring yourself to the story, and allow it to work upon you.

Questions for You:

1) What is your current relationship with Franz Kafka? Is this your first reading or a rereading of his short stories?

2) Do you enjoy the short story form? And are there any commonalities among your favourite short stories?

3) What are you hoping to get out of your deep reading of Kafka? And what themes from your wider reading would you like to pull into Kafka?

Happy reading, everybody!

Files

Previews only

The Short Stories of Franz Kafka - Book Club Reading Assignments

0:00 layering short stories into our reading 1:00 how to read multiple works at the same time 2:00 Franz Kafka & David Foster Wallace 3:00 the writer of the 20th century 4:00 what does Kafkaesque mean? 5:00 comedy, tragedy & reading aloud 6:00 the chosen Kafka short stories 8:00 recommended edition of stories 9:00 how to approach the short stories 12:00 deep reading & synchronicity 14:00 read Kafka like a dark mirror 15:00 your experience with Franz Kafka?

Comments

Anna

This will be my first time reading Kafka. I just bought a copy of his short stories and started reading “The Metamorphosis”, which I’m liking so far. Funnily enough, I’m at the part in “Infinite Jest” that describes Orin’s disgusting cockroach problem in his condo, so…weird parallel there. I also plan to eventually read Kafka’s “The Trial”, since I heard it was heavily influenced by Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment”, which I finished last month and thoroughly enjoyed!

Hannah

I haven't read any Kafka so really look forward to this. I'm somehow now juggling IJ and Genji so might need to put Genji on the back burner for now. DFW is speaking to a lot of my frustrations with modern life and consumerism and I feel like Kafka will be a fun pairing!

Mirjam
>>144345282

I had that same with the cockroaches with Orin while listening to Metamorphosis. I really don’t mind most insects; I will try and catch them and put them out instead of killing if at all possible but cockroaches give me the creeps. Luckily I only ever saw the on vacation.

Serena

I just bought the recommended Penguin classics edition of Metamorphosis and Other Stories, so now I'm locked and loaded and ready to go. I first read Metamorphosis in my twenties at college, so it'll be instructive to discover what I think about Kafka's nightmare story in my mature years. Gregor Samsa, my favorite monstrous cockroach, was both pitiful and wildly entertaining in the past. I hope he doesn't spook me too much in my older age since I'm much more sensitive to what I read now than I used to be. In the past I connected Gregory Samsa with persecuted Jews and his family with the Nazis.

Phil

I listened to In the Penal Colony yesterday and last night I had a nightmare about it—the first time in many years—. This was a harrowing reading experience. Like watching a horror film. It certainly makes an impression.

Phil

The Hunger Artist is a real enigma to me. I’m trying to understand what the hell is this about and what is going on and what does it represent. It is so incredibly sad too. Looking forward to discussions about it.

Julie Nevin
>>144732231

I decided not to read that story after your post. A wise soul said once, "Remember your mind only has a one way door - be careful what you let in!" A history of, post brain injury night terrors, confirmed this to be true. So, too, working with the elderly one summer - my goodness their nightmares :-(

Spider in your cider

I think I am enjoying the rereads of stories I’ve read before most because it’s like revisiting a younger self. I read the hunger artist in high school. I am certain that my impression was that society is stupid and artists are misunderstood. Upon re-reading, the story, I find that it really does fit nicely along side of IJ. It seems to be posing some of the same questions: what is the difference between art and entertainment? Is there a difference between an artistic performance and spectacle? If we become passive consumers of entertainment or spectacle what is the plight of the artist and also of the audience? Can a piece of art be judged in the court of public opinion? Are the motives of the artist important to the value of his art? And many more questions, that make me want to take out a blue book and start writing . . .

Audrey DB
>>144601351

I read it yesterday in German. It broke me. About 8 hours after finishing I had a meltdown. When I was a child, I read a book by José Mauro de Vasconcelos titled My dearest orange tree. I fought my way bravely through the story, the last sentence, implying the orange tree, broke me. This sentence follows me to this day, 37 years later. In the Metamorphosis, the apples broke me and will follow me for the next 37 years :( Reading the Metamorphosis made me dissociate my thoughts from the story itself. Somehow following Georg is so painful that I was not able to deal with the abstract topics together with the story., only hours after I had finished it. Beware if you are more sensitive to details than to the “big picture”. That said I don’t regret my reading and wouldn’t advise to skip this one. I wish you good luck 🤞

Phil

The most bizarre short story I ever read in my life. It’s called A Country Doctor. It has been made into a short film, faithful to the text. I was hoping someone else has read it. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/ZDjmW-gIsKs?si=-9Y-Rn01413QRn6Q. I was left completely bewildered. I am looking forward to its effect on my subconscious.

Hannah
>>144364056

It's really difficult sometimes when life is busy! Totally fine to come back to these works at a later date :)

Donna F.

I’ve read “the trial”, “hunger artist” and “the castle” many years ago. I will have to see how I react to “metamorphosis” as I have a bug/creepy-crawly horror/dread phobia.

Ralph

Love Kafka!

Jaye Cee

So pleased Kafka is in the programme. And I just finished The Brothers Karamazov yesterday, so it's cool that Dostoyevsky was an influence on Kafka. Springing to mind already is how Dimitri talks about himself as an insect. My only experience is that I think I saw In the Penal Colony when I was a student, put on by students. I remember it was amazing and I remember the look of the stage and the emotions, but don't remember the details at all, so I'm excited to read / watch that.