''Kafka's Dick'' is a 1986

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

.Dalglish, Darre
Kafka's Dick, Piccadilly Theatre (Review)
at London Theatre Archive, 26 January 1999; unavailable 30 July 2020. It is a play about the nature of fame, and how reputation is gained.

Plot

Set in the 1980s in a

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

suburban dwelling, Kafka aficionado Sydney and his wife Linda are visited by

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

and his friend

Max Brod Max Brod ( he, מקס ברוד; 27 May 1884 – 20 December 1968) was a German-speaking Bohemian, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is best remembered as the friend and biog ...

who are both long dead. (Kafka had left instructions for all his works to be burned, which Brod chose to ignore.) As the play progresses, it becomes clear that Kafka's wish was for anonymity, and that he had serious issues with his father, who turns up. The father knows a very personal secret about his son, which Kafka is terrified will be disclosed.

References

Kafka's Dick Plays based on real people Plays set in England Works about Franz Kafka Cultural depictions of Franz Kafka 1986 plays {{1980s-play-stub