The Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Dover Thrift Editions: Short Stories)

I am as fascinated by Kafka's life as I am by his work, perhaps because the sad melancholy of the former so closely mirrors that which is uniquely and brilliantly portrayed in the latter. There are many gems in this collection. 'In the Penal Colony', with its dry, detailed description of the intricate workings of a torture/execution machine, is so perfectly economical but devastating in its tone and power. But my favourite has to be 'The Metamorphosis', the archetypal story of alienation, timeless in its imagery, pioneering in its meaningful absurdity, and once again so entirely self-contained in the enormity of its shortness... I'm finding it hard to put into words how profound I think it is. Recently I read a book in which Gregor's room is brought to life - literally, by being constructed inside a modern London house - as a means of escaping a lack of authentic identity. 'Bowl of Fruit (1907)', with its miserably "gifted" protagonist, was a very different book to 'The Metamorphosis', but it was one more example of how this masterpiece continues, and will always continue, to inspire modern writers in new and imaginative ways.

A book with 5 amazing stories that truly make you think. After each story, you will feel compelled to just sit down and reflect on what you've just read because there really is a lot to digest. So many themes and allegories to appreciate.

'The Metamorphosis' is the tragic story of a young man, Gregor who is brought to despair after he undergoes a transformation overnight.The onus is on Gregor to care for his entire family, after his father’s business failure brings them to the brink of financial ruin. Just as he starts assuming this responsibility admirably, a tragedy of monumental proportions befalls his own self, rendering him worthless to himself and to everybody else around him. Through the young man’s tribulations, Kafka holds a mirror to the many despicable aspects of society and family. Kafka effectively brings to the fore the dehumanizing nature of employment, where anything but clockwork efficiency rules the roost, where kindness, compassion, mercy and such other ennobling qualities have no place. Gregor’s hopelessness is accentuated by the stark reality that there is nobody in the world that he can count on - not his own father, not even his dear sister, after the latter’s initial demonstrations of affection and tending care wears off. His mother is an exception though, but she is simultaneously in a state of enormous grief, fear and bewilderment at the cataclysm blighting her son, making her helpless.I thought I should share my own philosophical doubt : Would Gregor’s overnight transformation from human to bug have been handled better by his family members, had they come to view “the bug” as none other than Gregor himself, but in a new avatar? How could they? Aren’t we just what our human bodies are? Could there be a “being” beyond the physical body we assume? As inconceivable as it may seem, the Hindus call this “being” the soul and believe it to be eternal and indestructible, only assuming different forms, like a dog or a bug.PS: There are other stories in this collection, all highly readable, but intriguing. Needless to say, very Kafkaesque.

The Metamorphosis is a very famous book by Franz Kafka. This particular edition has a wonderful translation from the original German. The book arrived exactly when it said it would.

Kafka is weird, but he writes some striking stories. Metamorphosis is well-known, The Country Doctor is less so, but definitely worth reading. I read those two for a coursera class and interpreting them was amusing.

Not a great book but required for school do definitely served its purpose!

Kafka's The Metamorphosis is one of the most widely read stories out there, with as many literary interpretations as one would expect from a one hundred year old story that has been analyzed for every one of them. Glancing over some of these interpretations upon finishing it, I question whether I'm actually reading correctly; which, being fair to myself, is of course a joke. But the point remains, readers have pored over this man's work, finding meaning in every line, and with every reading a new interpretation.There were five stories in the collection.THE JUDGEMENT (2 stars)This was without a doubt my least favorite of the bunch. I couldn't get a grasp on which character I was supposed to be sympathetic with, what was actually happening and what was a delusion of the narrator, and the narrative itself was sort of confusing. It surrounded an altercation between a father and his son, that much was clear.THE METAMORPHOSIS (4 stars)An interesting examination of isolation and our desire to shed the burdens of our daily lives. After all, if you could crawl along ceilings all day rather than go to your crap job, wouldn't you?IN THE PENAL COLONY (5 stars)My favorite story of the bunch. A bizarre look at humanity's masochistic past. An explorer is given a thorough explanation of a torture machine used in executions.A COUNTRY DOCTOR (3 stars)A surreal, absurd series of inexplicable events that reads like some strange nightmare from which the doctor cannot escape.A REPORT TO AN ACADEMY (3 stars)This one was interesting. A report by Red Peter who—after being capture from the jungle—observed and emulated human behavior until attaining the intelligence of an average European.

I haven't read Kafka for many years and decided it was time to do so. This is an excellent translation and the edition itself is without the many typos and gaffes of many thrift editions. I compared this translation with a hardback of Kafka I found in my book collection and consider this Dover Thrift Edition far superior.