The Metamorphosis - Softcover

Kafka, Franz

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1578987857 ISBN 13: 9781578987856

Publisher: Martino Fine Books, 2009

Synopsis

Reprint 1915 eidtion. Paperback. Translated by Ian Johnston The Original German edition Die Verwandlung published by K. Wolff, Leipzig, 1915.The Metamorphosis (German: Die Verwandlung) is a novella by Franz Kafka, first published in 1915. It is often cited as one of the seminal works of short fiction of the 20th century and is widely studied in colleges and universities across the western world. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into an insect.Critics have interpreted Kafka's works in the context of a variety of literary schools, such as modernism, magical realism, and so on. The apparent hopelessness and absurdity that seem to permeate his works are considered emblematic of existentialism. Others have tried to locate a Marxist influence in his satirization of bureaucracy in pieces such as In the Penal Colony, The Trial, and The Castle, whereas others point to anarchism as an inspiration for Kafka's anti-bureaucratic viewpoint. Still others have interpreted his works through the lens of Judaism, through Freudianism, or as allegories of a metaphysical quest for God. Themes of alienation and persecution are repeatedly emphasized. Biographers have said that it was common for Kafka to read chapters of the books he was working on to his closest friends, and that those readings usually concentrated on the humorous side of his prose. Milan Kundera refers to the essentially surrealist humour of Kafka as a main predecessor of later artists such as Federico Fellini, Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes and Salman Rushdie. For García Márquez, it was as he said the reading of Kafka's The Metamorphosis that showed him "that it was possible to write in a different way."

About this title

Product Description:

The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into an insect.

Review:

" Kafka' s stoic Euro-alienation meets and merges with Kuper' s thoroughly American rock and roll alienation." -- Jules Feiffer
" The ride from book to comic can be bumpy. Mr. Kuper navigates the transition with precision." -- New York Times
" Kafka' s anguished archetypal characters are easily rendered into visual equivalents and given new life in Kuper' s raw, expressionistic graphic style." -- Publishers Weekly
" Darkly appropriate . . . Kuper' s work rivals that of Art Spiegelman." -- Chicago Sun-Times
" Bubbling beneath the surface is a caustic batch of black humor that is as much unsettling as it is absurd. This is the magic of Kafka. And Kuper gives it a postmodern edge here, with an intriguing dance of picture and text." -- Gannett News Service
" Kuper' s scratchboard style . . . is reminiscent of the German expressionist artists . . . and his cartoony approach accentuates Kafka' s dark humor." -- Booklist

"From the Hardcover edition."

Kafka s stoic Euro-alienation meets and merges with Kuper s thoroughly American rock and roll alienation. Jules Feiffer
The ride from book to comic can be bumpy. Mr. Kuper navigates the transition with precision. New York Times
Kafka s anguished archetypal characters are easily rendered into visual equivalents and given new life in Kuper s raw, expressionistic graphic style. Publishers Weekly
Darkly appropriate . . . Kuper s work rivals that of Art Spiegelman. Chicago Sun-Times
Bubbling beneath the surface is a caustic batch of black humor that is as much unsettling as it is absurd. This is the magic of Kafka. And Kuper gives it a postmodern edge here, with an intriguing dance of picture and text. Gannett News Service
Kuper s scratchboard style . . . is reminiscent of the German expressionist artists . . . and his cartoony approach accentuates Kafka s dark humor. Booklist

From the Hardcover edition."

"Kafka's stoic Euro-alienation meets and merges with Kuper's thoroughly American rock and roll alienation."--Jules Feiffer

"The ride from book to comic can be bumpy. Mr. Kuper navigates the transition with precision."--New York Times

"Kafka's anguished archetypal characters are easily rendered into visual equivalents and given new life in Kuper's raw, expressionistic graphic style."--Publishers Weekly

"Darkly appropriate . . . Kuper's work rivals that of Art Spiegelman."--Chicago Sun-Times

"Bubbling beneath the surface is a caustic batch of black humor that is as much unsettling as it is absurd. This is the magic of Kafka. And Kuper gives it a postmodern edge here, with an intriguing dance of picture and text."--Gannett News Service

"Kuper's scratchboard style . . . is reminiscent of the German expressionist artists . . . and his cartoony approach accentuates Kafka's dark humor."--Booklist

From the Hardcover edition.

About this edition

• Publisher: Martino Fine Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1578987857
• ISBN 13: 9781578987856
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 82