"The Hunter Gracchus" (German: "Der Jäger Gracchus") is a short story by
Franz Kafka.
The story presents a boat carrying the long-dead Hunter Gracchus as it arrives at a port. The mayor of Riva meets Gracchus, who gives him an account of his death while hunting, and explains that he is destined to wander aimlessly and eternally over the seas. An additional fragment presents an extended dialogue between Gracchus and an unnamed interviewer, presumably the same mayor.
Written in the first half of 1917, the story was published posthumously in ''Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer'' (
Berlin, 1931). The first English translation, by
Willa and Edwin Muir Willa is a feminine given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:
* Willa or Guilla of Provence (died before 924), early medieval Frankish queen
* Willa of Tuscany (died 970), queen consort of Berengar II of Italy
* Willa Brown ...
, was published by
Martin Secker in London in 1933. It also appeared in ''
The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections'' (
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
:
Schocken Books, 1946). The story and the fragment both appear in ''
The Complete Stories''.
In a diary entry for April 6, 1917, Kafka describes a strange boat standing at port, which he is told belongs to the Hunter Gracchus.
[Kafka, Franz. '' Diaries 1910-1923''. New York: Schocken Books, 1988. p. 373]
The story is paraphrased in, and its content interwoven throughout
W. G. Sebald
Winfried Georg Sebald (18 May 1944 – 14 December 2001), known as W. G. Sebald or (as he preferred) Max Sebald, was a German writer and academic. At the time of his death at the age of 57, he was being cited by literary critics as one of the g ...
's novel, ''Vertigo'', as well as in
Hélène Cixous's ''Le Détrônement de la mort''.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter Gracchus
Short stories by Franz Kafka
1917 short stories
Martin Secker books