| Franz Kafka is a world-famous German Novellist of the 20th Century. He is regarded as an expressionist, but often also as an existentialist writer.. |
| Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1833 as son of a rich jewish businessman who had been poor. His mother was from a prestige Prager family. In his years of German Gymnasium (1893-1901) he declared himself as an atheist and socialist. Er war also member of an oppositional, anticlerical student organization "Freie Schule". 1901-06 he studied law at the Prag German University. There he studied Alfred Weber's analyses of the early capitalist society and its dangers. At the same time Kafka's strict ethical orientation was substantially influenced by Franz Brentano's theory of ethical judgement's finding. Since 1902 Kafka had friendly relationship to Max Brod. He had not only access to Prag's highest social circles, but also frequent communications to lower classes and Chechs and often attended their events. He rejected as writer the avantgard writers and preferred simple writers such Stifter, Hebel, Grimm, especially Kleist and Goethe. In 1906 he received Dr. jur. degree. In 1907 he was employed by an insurence company. During 1908-17 he was a higher officer at the Prag "Arbeiter-Unfallversicherungsanstalt";. In 1917 he became lungsick and worked there only part-time. Since 1911 he worked intersively on jewish literatur and jewish history. Due to his strict moral standars Kafka was engaged and disgaged with the same girl three times between 1914 and 1917. In 1915 he won the Fontane-Prize for his novel fragment "Der Heizer," which appeared in 1913. Since 1917 he often lived in sanatoriums. In the last years of his life he worked on Kierkegaard's religiosity, Jewish and studied Hebrew. Only in his last years he found his true love in Dora Dymant. On June 3, 1924 Kafka died in Sanatorium Kierlin close to Vienna. |
Hisimportant novels and narratives include:
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