''Introducing Kafka'', also known as ''R. Crumb's Kafka'', is an illustrated biography of

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 ty ...

David Zane Mairowitz David Zane Mairowitz (born 1943 in New York City, United States), is a writer. He has written radio dramas, graphic novels, and nonfiction books & essays. Mairowitz studied English literature and philosophy at Hunter College, New York; and drama ...

and

Robert Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...

. The book includes comic adaptations of some of Kafka's most famous works including ''

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

'', ''

A Hunger Artist "A Hunger Artist" (German: "Ein Hungerkünstler") is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in '' Die neue Rundschau'' in 1922. The story was also included in the collection ''A Hunger Artist'' (''Ein Hungerkünstler''), the last book Kaf ...

'', ''

In the Penal Colony "In the Penal Colony" ("") (also translated as "In the Penal Settlement") is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919. As in some of Kafka's other writings, the ...

'', and ''

The Judgment ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'', as well as brief sketches of his three novels ''

The Trial ''The Trial'' (german: Der Process, link=no, previously , and ) is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and p ...

'', '' The Castle'', and '' Amerika''. The book also details Kafka's biography in a format that is part illustrated essay, part sequential comic panels.

Publication history

The book was released as part of the " Introducing..." series by Totem Books; the popularity of Crumb's renditions of Kafka's works led to additional printings under the title ''R. Crumb's Kafka'', and its most recent edition by

Fantagraphics Books Fantagraphics (previously Fantagraphics Books) is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, manga, magazines, graphic novels, and the erotic Eros Comix imprint. History Founding Fantagraphics was found ...

(2007) is simply titled ''Kafka''.

Content

The book focuses on the biographical details of Kafka's life, interspersed with illustrated vignettes from his writing. The author relates Kafka's personality and various incidents in his life to the composition of his stories. For example, Kafka's complicated relationship with his family is linked to stories where the main character is an animal – notably ''The Metamorphosis'', whose protagonist, Gregor Samsa, awakens to find himself transformed into a giant bug, and becomes a burden on his family.

Editions

* Mairowitz, David Zane (writer) and Robert Crumb (illustrator). ''Introducing Kafka''. New York: Totem Books, 1993. * Mairowitz, David Zane (writer) and Robert Crumb (illustrator). ''R. Crumb's Kafka''. iBooks Graphic Novels, 2005. * Mairowitz, David Zane (writer) and Robert Crumb (illustrator). ''Kafka''. Fantagraphics Books, 2007.

References

Works about Franz Kafka Cultural depictions of Franz Kafka Non-fiction graphic novels Biographies about writers Biographical comics Educational comics 1993 in comics Comics based on real people Comics by Robert Crumb Prague in fiction Comics set in the 19th century Comics set in the 1900s Comics set in the 1910s Comics set in the 1920s Comics set in the Czech Republic {{lit-bio-book-stub