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Franz Kafka: A Biography
Max Brod, a successful novelist, was a boyhood companion of Kafka's and remained closely tied to him until Kafka's death in 1924. He was undoubtedly the one man whom Kafka trusted more than any other, and it is to Brod, as his literary executor and editor, that we are indebted for rescuing and bringing to light Kafka's work. Out of a lifelong devoted friendship, Brod drew this account of Kafka's youth, family and friends, his struggle to recognize himself as a writer, his sickness, and his last days.
Franz Kafka gives us not only a more vivid and lifelike picture of Kafka than that painted by any of his contemporaries, but also a fascinating portrayal of the complicated interaction between two writers of different temperaments but similar backgrounds who together helped shape the future of twentieth-century literature.
Franz Kafka gives us not only a more vivid and lifelike picture of Kafka than that painted by any of his contemporaries, but also a fascinating portrayal of the complicated interaction between two writers of different temperaments but similar backgrounds who together helped shape the future of twentieth-century literature.
275 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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About the author
Max Brod
143books33followersMax Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka. As Kafka's literary executor, Brod refused to follow the writer's instructions to burn his life's work, and had them published instead.
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July 30, 2019
Soy un asiduo lector de biografías. Me gustan, me atraen. Siempre quise saber y conocer datos únicos y anécdotas únicas de mis escritores preferidos, descubrir el costado humano del autor.
Tengo la inmensa suerte de poseer diez biografías de Edgar Allan Poe, algunas de ellas como la de J.H. Ingram, Edmond Jaloux o Phillip Lindsay de excepcional trabajo de investigación, cinco de Fiódor Dostoievski, entre las cuales están las escritas por su hija Liubov y su segunda esposa, Anna Grigórievna, la de Herman Melville incluida en sus obras completas y esta de Franz Kafka escrita por su mejor amigo y albacea Max Brod en 1937, muchos años después del deceso del genial autor checo.
Creo que me será difícil encontrar otra biografía que analice tan a fondo a un escritor como Kafka de la manera que lo hace Brod, puesto que detalla con gran fineza muchos rasgos de su personalidad como así también anécdotas desde que son adolescentes, allá por 1906 hasta la muerte del escritor en 1924.
Algunos aspectos, desconocidos para mí, como por ejemplo la de sus escapadas a Italia a la ciudad de Brescia, que forma parte de uno de los apéndices del libro, escrito por el propio Kafka para ver por primera vez en sus vidas el vuelo de aeroplanos, Blériot incluido.
Otro apartado interesante en el apéndice son dos cartas de Kafka sobre la educación de los niños, apoyándose un poco en el libro “Los Viajes de Gulliver�, de Jonathan Swift, algo que resulta un tanto extraño proviniendo de alguien que jamás tuvo hijos.
Hay muchos pasajes de su traumática relación de Kafka con Hermann, su padre, sobre su complicada relación con las mujeres que amó (o intentó amar) y me sorprendieron algunos aspectos relacionados a este tema: en primer lugar que Max Brod no se haya atrevido a escribir el nombre de Felice Bauer, el primer amor de Kafka sino solamente a través de la abreviatura F.B. ni tampoco nombrar para nada la otra relación con la segunda mujer que atrajo a Kafka, me refiero a Mílena Jesenská ya que entre ambos hubo una intensa y abultada correspondencia epistolar.
Es más, está editado el libro, libro que tengo y que reseñé también aquí en goodreads. Sí habla sobre Dora Diamant, quien fuera la compañera de Kafka hasta su muerte. Sé que Diamant escribió un libro sobre Kafka. Tal vez, algún día lo lea.
Las cartas escritas a Felice y Mílena, junto con los escritos póstumos, los relatos, las tres novelas y otro enorme libro de Diarios de Kafka (que también tengo y abarca 848 páginas) son esenciales para conocer en profundidad la vida y la obra de este escritor único.
Volviendo a esta biografía, es probable que Max Brod haya encontrado muchos detractores entre sus pares o que algunos lectores tilden de aburrida esta biografía.
Puedo entender que algunos capítulos son mejores que otros pero en lo que a mí respecta, es muy interesante descubrir cosas que nunca había leído sobre Kafka.
Cierro esta breve reseña comentando uno de estos detalles desconocidos. Como lectores conocemos las últimas palabras de los escritores más famosos y creo que la de Oscar Wilde es una de las más célebres que se recuerden.
Seguramente a ustedes les vendrán otras a la cabeza, pero lo que no sabía yo era cuáles habían sido las últimas palabras de Kafka.
Transcribo desde el libro de Brod esas líneas: …luego arrancó con toda violencia el cardioscopio y lo arrojó a la habitación: “Ya no más torturas, para qué alargarlo.�
Cuando Klopstock se apartó de la cama para limpiar la jeringa, dijo Franz: “No se vaya.� El amigo repuso: “No, si no me voy.� Franz respondió con voz profunda: “Pero yo me voy.�
Con estas palabras, a modo de saludo cordial se apagaba a los 42 años, la vida de Franz Kafka, uno de los mejores escritores de toda la historia.
Y ya nada en la literatura volvió a ser igual.
Tengo la inmensa suerte de poseer diez biografías de Edgar Allan Poe, algunas de ellas como la de J.H. Ingram, Edmond Jaloux o Phillip Lindsay de excepcional trabajo de investigación, cinco de Fiódor Dostoievski, entre las cuales están las escritas por su hija Liubov y su segunda esposa, Anna Grigórievna, la de Herman Melville incluida en sus obras completas y esta de Franz Kafka escrita por su mejor amigo y albacea Max Brod en 1937, muchos años después del deceso del genial autor checo.
Creo que me será difícil encontrar otra biografía que analice tan a fondo a un escritor como Kafka de la manera que lo hace Brod, puesto que detalla con gran fineza muchos rasgos de su personalidad como así también anécdotas desde que son adolescentes, allá por 1906 hasta la muerte del escritor en 1924.
Algunos aspectos, desconocidos para mí, como por ejemplo la de sus escapadas a Italia a la ciudad de Brescia, que forma parte de uno de los apéndices del libro, escrito por el propio Kafka para ver por primera vez en sus vidas el vuelo de aeroplanos, Blériot incluido.
Otro apartado interesante en el apéndice son dos cartas de Kafka sobre la educación de los niños, apoyándose un poco en el libro “Los Viajes de Gulliver�, de Jonathan Swift, algo que resulta un tanto extraño proviniendo de alguien que jamás tuvo hijos.
Hay muchos pasajes de su traumática relación de Kafka con Hermann, su padre, sobre su complicada relación con las mujeres que amó (o intentó amar) y me sorprendieron algunos aspectos relacionados a este tema: en primer lugar que Max Brod no se haya atrevido a escribir el nombre de Felice Bauer, el primer amor de Kafka sino solamente a través de la abreviatura F.B. ni tampoco nombrar para nada la otra relación con la segunda mujer que atrajo a Kafka, me refiero a Mílena Jesenská ya que entre ambos hubo una intensa y abultada correspondencia epistolar.
Es más, está editado el libro, libro que tengo y que reseñé también aquí en goodreads. Sí habla sobre Dora Diamant, quien fuera la compañera de Kafka hasta su muerte. Sé que Diamant escribió un libro sobre Kafka. Tal vez, algún día lo lea.
Las cartas escritas a Felice y Mílena, junto con los escritos póstumos, los relatos, las tres novelas y otro enorme libro de Diarios de Kafka (que también tengo y abarca 848 páginas) son esenciales para conocer en profundidad la vida y la obra de este escritor único.
Volviendo a esta biografía, es probable que Max Brod haya encontrado muchos detractores entre sus pares o que algunos lectores tilden de aburrida esta biografía.
Puedo entender que algunos capítulos son mejores que otros pero en lo que a mí respecta, es muy interesante descubrir cosas que nunca había leído sobre Kafka.
Cierro esta breve reseña comentando uno de estos detalles desconocidos. Como lectores conocemos las últimas palabras de los escritores más famosos y creo que la de Oscar Wilde es una de las más célebres que se recuerden.
Seguramente a ustedes les vendrán otras a la cabeza, pero lo que no sabía yo era cuáles habían sido las últimas palabras de Kafka.
Transcribo desde el libro de Brod esas líneas: …luego arrancó con toda violencia el cardioscopio y lo arrojó a la habitación: “Ya no más torturas, para qué alargarlo.�
Cuando Klopstock se apartó de la cama para limpiar la jeringa, dijo Franz: “No se vaya.� El amigo repuso: “No, si no me voy.� Franz respondió con voz profunda: “Pero yo me voy.�
Con estas palabras, a modo de saludo cordial se apagaba a los 42 años, la vida de Franz Kafka, uno de los mejores escritores de toda la historia.
Y ya nada en la literatura volvió a ser igual.
October 16, 2022
Biography of Kafka by his best friend and literary executor, whose adoration shines through. He knew the man better than almost anyone, but on the other hand, couldn't possibly assess him objectively, or with the benefit of much hindsight.
Brod reveals a much happier and more positive aspect of his character than might be assumed from his works, although it also mentions his negative thoughts and feelings (especially re his father, anxiety and mixed feelings about marriage, and feelings that his writing was not good enough).
Also explains the Jewish subtext of some of his works (especially The Castle) and the effect of his relationships on his writing, especially with Felice, Melina and Dora.
Kafka loved Flaubert and Goethe, but generally preferred biography and travel books. He trained as a lawyer and worked in the civil service - very much reflected in his novels. He tried to live a very "natural" life (veggie, no medicine if poss, outdoor swimming etc).
Should Brod have destroyed Kafka's works?
Kafka famously told Brod that he wanted all his unpublished works destroyed. Brod told him he wouldn't do it. Kafka did not appoint anyone else as his literary executor instead, so maybe Brod is absolved of betrayal (as well as to be hailed for preserving wonderful works for posterity). However, I read this years ago, and don't recall now how fully Brod explained it.
See my Kafka-related bookshelf for other works by and about Kafka: HERE.
Brod reveals a much happier and more positive aspect of his character than might be assumed from his works, although it also mentions his negative thoughts and feelings (especially re his father, anxiety and mixed feelings about marriage, and feelings that his writing was not good enough).
Also explains the Jewish subtext of some of his works (especially The Castle) and the effect of his relationships on his writing, especially with Felice, Melina and Dora.
Kafka loved Flaubert and Goethe, but generally preferred biography and travel books. He trained as a lawyer and worked in the civil service - very much reflected in his novels. He tried to live a very "natural" life (veggie, no medicine if poss, outdoor swimming etc).
Should Brod have destroyed Kafka's works?
Kafka famously told Brod that he wanted all his unpublished works destroyed. Brod told him he wouldn't do it. Kafka did not appoint anyone else as his literary executor instead, so maybe Brod is absolved of betrayal (as well as to be hailed for preserving wonderful works for posterity). However, I read this years ago, and don't recall now how fully Brod explained it.
See my Kafka-related bookshelf for other works by and about Kafka: HERE.
Read
October 10, 2024Would you like to know more about Kafka? Please consider subscribing to my Substack (it’s free):
Max Brod’s biography of Franz Kafka is a compelling (if flawed) attempt to grapple with the enigmatic legacy of one of the 20th century’s most significant literary figures. Until Reiner Stach’s recent , it was a primary source on Kafka’s life. Brod, a lifelong bff during his lifetime and a Gollum of his manuscripts after his death, was uniquely positioned to offer insight into the author’s life and creative process. However, as with any biographical work, Brod’s account is deeply biased and it is essential to consider the subjective nature of his account and his tendency to embellish or possibly invent specific details.
For example, Brod’s claim (Ch. 8) about Kafka fathering a child with a woman referred to as “Madame M.M.� around 1915, who then relocated to Latin America with many of his papers... has never been substantiated. This one instance highlights the need for cautious scrutiny when navigating Brod’s biographical claims.
Furthermore, Brod’s book combines primary and secondary source material. It includes a selection of Kafka’s letters, accessible today in dedicated correspondence volumes; it also features letters sent to Brod by Milena Jesenská, offering valuable insight into their relationship. However, Brod’s decision to include excerpts from his own novels tends to blur the lines between fact and fiction and further complicates our understanding of Kafka.
One of the most prominent criticisms against Brod’s biography is his tendency to cast Kafka as a sort of orthodox Jew, a figure of spiritual righteousness. This portrayal is obviously deeply intertwined with Brod’s interpretation of Kafka’s relationship with Judaism: while Brod was actively involved in Zionist circles, Kafka initially rejected these ideas. In many instances, Brod projects his desire for a religiously devout and morally upright Kafka onto the author, going so far as to liken him to (Saint) Tolstoy!
However, this portrayal of Kafka as perpetually cheerful and enduring life’s hardships with unwavering stoicism starkly contrasts with the image presented in Kafka’s own . These diaries, essentially a raw and unfiltered collection of scraps, which Brod himself both published and censored, reveal a far more complex and often troubled individual grappling with anxieties surrounding his writing, sexuality, and place in the world. We now have Ross Benjamin’s unadulterated translation into English; but this disparity between the Kafka of the diaries and the Kafka presented by Brod suggests a potentially aspirational rather than wholly accurate depiction.
Beyond his characterisation of Kafka’s personality, Brod’s interpretation of Kafka’s works is quite fascinating but has also drawn significant criticism for its overtly theological bent. Brod suggests, for instance, a multifaceted reading of as 1) a transposition of Kafka’s relationship with Milena, 2) an allegory for the Jew struggling to assimilate into society, and 3) a story imbued with profound metaphysical symbolism. This tendency to impose interpretations on Kafka’s work forms the crux of much criticism against Brod.
Notably, Walter Benjamin (see ) specifically criticises Brod for his tendency to interpret Kafka’s work through a personal and often overly simplistic lens. He argues that such readings reduce Kafka’s complex narratives to simplistic theological allegories, and that these interpretations fail to engage with the true essence of Kafka’s writing, particularly what he calls the “prehistoric forces”—a world governed by secret and unwritten laws, the presence of oppressive powers, pervasive filth, animals, the sense of timelessness, the “sickness of tradition,”—all these darker elements that shaped Kafka’s creative vision.
Still, despite its many flaws, Brod’s biography undoubtedly offers valuable firsthand accounts and insights into Kafka’s life, which for a long time was unavailable elsewhere.
Bonus track:
Max Brod’s biography of Franz Kafka is a compelling (if flawed) attempt to grapple with the enigmatic legacy of one of the 20th century’s most significant literary figures. Until Reiner Stach’s recent , it was a primary source on Kafka’s life. Brod, a lifelong bff during his lifetime and a Gollum of his manuscripts after his death, was uniquely positioned to offer insight into the author’s life and creative process. However, as with any biographical work, Brod’s account is deeply biased and it is essential to consider the subjective nature of his account and his tendency to embellish or possibly invent specific details.
For example, Brod’s claim (Ch. 8) about Kafka fathering a child with a woman referred to as “Madame M.M.� around 1915, who then relocated to Latin America with many of his papers... has never been substantiated. This one instance highlights the need for cautious scrutiny when navigating Brod’s biographical claims.
Furthermore, Brod’s book combines primary and secondary source material. It includes a selection of Kafka’s letters, accessible today in dedicated correspondence volumes; it also features letters sent to Brod by Milena Jesenská, offering valuable insight into their relationship. However, Brod’s decision to include excerpts from his own novels tends to blur the lines between fact and fiction and further complicates our understanding of Kafka.
One of the most prominent criticisms against Brod’s biography is his tendency to cast Kafka as a sort of orthodox Jew, a figure of spiritual righteousness. This portrayal is obviously deeply intertwined with Brod’s interpretation of Kafka’s relationship with Judaism: while Brod was actively involved in Zionist circles, Kafka initially rejected these ideas. In many instances, Brod projects his desire for a religiously devout and morally upright Kafka onto the author, going so far as to liken him to (Saint) Tolstoy!
However, this portrayal of Kafka as perpetually cheerful and enduring life’s hardships with unwavering stoicism starkly contrasts with the image presented in Kafka’s own . These diaries, essentially a raw and unfiltered collection of scraps, which Brod himself both published and censored, reveal a far more complex and often troubled individual grappling with anxieties surrounding his writing, sexuality, and place in the world. We now have Ross Benjamin’s unadulterated translation into English; but this disparity between the Kafka of the diaries and the Kafka presented by Brod suggests a potentially aspirational rather than wholly accurate depiction.
Beyond his characterisation of Kafka’s personality, Brod’s interpretation of Kafka’s works is quite fascinating but has also drawn significant criticism for its overtly theological bent. Brod suggests, for instance, a multifaceted reading of as 1) a transposition of Kafka’s relationship with Milena, 2) an allegory for the Jew struggling to assimilate into society, and 3) a story imbued with profound metaphysical symbolism. This tendency to impose interpretations on Kafka’s work forms the crux of much criticism against Brod.
Notably, Walter Benjamin (see ) specifically criticises Brod for his tendency to interpret Kafka’s work through a personal and often overly simplistic lens. He argues that such readings reduce Kafka’s complex narratives to simplistic theological allegories, and that these interpretations fail to engage with the true essence of Kafka’s writing, particularly what he calls the “prehistoric forces”—a world governed by secret and unwritten laws, the presence of oppressive powers, pervasive filth, animals, the sense of timelessness, the “sickness of tradition,”—all these darker elements that shaped Kafka’s creative vision.
Still, despite its many flaws, Brod’s biography undoubtedly offers valuable firsthand accounts and insights into Kafka’s life, which for a long time was unavailable elsewhere.
Bonus track:
May 10, 2018
This is one of the essential books I have long kept waiting for years since my first encounter one of ้his works, notably The Metamorphosis first published in 1915 (Everyman's Library, 1993, pp. 75-128) in which I found reading inexplicably thrilling and amazing for its unique plot, setting, protagonist, etc. One of the reasons is that his life is worth knowing and studying, still keeping his readers wondering on his literary output in spite of his age at 40 as we can see from his biography ().
Written by Max Brod one of Kafka's close friends and published in German, this well-researched book has since been popular and deserved to read as an essential supplementary biography compiled from letters, diary entries, oral account, etc. from Max Brod himself and Kafka's intimate friends. This 275-page, black-and-white cover (subtitle and author in light purple) paperback is a must for any Kafka's enthusiast who longs to better understand his life, plight and legacy as roughly revealed from these following chapter titles: 1) Parents and Childhood, 2) The University, 3) To Earn One's Living or Live One's Life, 4) Up to the Publication of "Contemplation", 5) The Engagement, 6) Religious Background, 7) The Last Years, and 8) New Aspects of Kafka. Moreover, the readers would find its 5-topic appendixes and 9 rare illustrations enjoyably rewarding; the last illustration being Kafka's Handwriting and Pen Sketches.
Written by Max Brod one of Kafka's close friends and published in German, this well-researched book has since been popular and deserved to read as an essential supplementary biography compiled from letters, diary entries, oral account, etc. from Max Brod himself and Kafka's intimate friends. This 275-page, black-and-white cover (subtitle and author in light purple) paperback is a must for any Kafka's enthusiast who longs to better understand his life, plight and legacy as roughly revealed from these following chapter titles: 1) Parents and Childhood, 2) The University, 3) To Earn One's Living or Live One's Life, 4) Up to the Publication of "Contemplation", 5) The Engagement, 6) Religious Background, 7) The Last Years, and 8) New Aspects of Kafka. Moreover, the readers would find its 5-topic appendixes and 9 rare illustrations enjoyably rewarding; the last illustration being Kafka's Handwriting and Pen Sketches.
January 8, 2018
LA FUNDACIÓN DEL MITO
Puede que no sea el mejor texto sobre Kafka, y realmente creo que es el peor. Y puede que esté escrito desde una trinchera, más bien desde un búnker de admiración, que lo intoxica todo. Es obvio que sus datos no sólo no son objetivos, sino que Max Brod oculta información, manipula la vida de Kafka, lo pedestaliza, lo remodela a sus anchas para crear el mito que, desde entonces, desde este texto, ya será para siempre y para nosotros.
Y Brod comete, además, un enorme pecado al narrarnos la vida de Kafka: a veces aburre. Es moroso, abruma con sus notas a pie, de una densidad intolerable que va más allá de lo que un editor juicioso podría permitir, se pierde en insignificancias y vela sucesos trascendentes... Pero ambos eran amigos. Era el amigo de Kafka, de eso no queda duda, y por ello, aunque fuera sólo por eso, por la visión que de Kafka tiene quien estuvo con él, junto a él mucho tiempo, el libro ya merece la pena.
Y todo lo anterior queda eclipsado por ser el origen del mito y el arranque de un ingente número de estudios y textos infinitamente mejores y mejorados sobre la figura de Kafka que remiten como punto de partida a este trabajo de Brod, sin el cual hubieran sido imposibles. En eso radica su mérito, enorme.
La aproximación de Brod está estructurada de una manera puramente biográfica, desde el nacimiento y la infancia recorre la vida del escritor hasta su muerte en el sanatorio austriaco en el que recaba en los últimos momentos. Es un recorrido no exento de emoción, pero también lastrado por la admiración casi enfermiza del amigo. Brod, muchas veces, cita de memoria palabras y frases de Kafka que nos hacen preguntarnos si vivió junto a él permanentemente anotando todo lo que decía, o bien su memoria es prodigiosa. Sí, es cierto que Kafka empleó la mayor parte de su tiempo, por desgracia, en redactar cartas a los amigos, las amantes, y a rellenar un diario exhaustivo y agotador en lugar de escribir más literatura. Gracias a ese diario se pueden saber con detalle la mayoría de los movimientos de Kafka, pero ciertas afirmaciones y recuerdos demasiado exactos de Brod me hacen preguntarme si Franz Kafka era observado por su amigo como un insecto al microscopio; si él era el único que ignoraba su genialidad mientras, alrededor, todos anotaban y pugnaban por recordar hasta el menor de sus movimientos, hasta el último hálito (como es el caso de Gustav Janouch y esos recuerdos tan minuciosos -como ciertamente increíbles en un enorme porcentaje-, aunque poseen su encanto).
No deja de ser inquietante percibir eso, cómo todos lo que rodeaban a un Kafka incomprendido y solitario se mantenían en la creencia de que era un genio para la posteridad, y que él ni siquiera pudiera imaginarlo. Es otra de las paradojas de la existencia de Kafka, glosada en cientos de libros una y otra vez, fascinante, mientras para él resultaba de lo más anodina. En ese sentido, Brod aporta muchísimas declaraciones de su amigo, quizás sea el material más enriquecedor del libro, bien entresacadas de los diarios, de cartas personales, de charlas de café... aunque después de leer la biografía uno no sabe si entiende, ahora, mejor o incluso peor, a Kafka.
Brod disecciona a su amigo para desnudarlo ante el lector y volver a vestirlo, al final del libro, ya con los ropajes que nunca lo abandonaran: los de mito literario del siglo XX. Brod lo empezó todo, ignoramos que sabríamos de Kafka actualmente, cómo lo valoraríamos, sin la contribución de Max Brod: aunque esté plagada de errores o sea, cuanto menos, bastante cuestionable en muchos de sus aspectos.
Un texto crucial por lo que representa: la fundación del mito y del modelo literario kafkiano, el primero que pone el empeño y el esfuerzo en acercarnos una de las figuras más importantes de la literatura universal.
Puede que no sea el mejor texto sobre Kafka, y realmente creo que es el peor. Y puede que esté escrito desde una trinchera, más bien desde un búnker de admiración, que lo intoxica todo. Es obvio que sus datos no sólo no son objetivos, sino que Max Brod oculta información, manipula la vida de Kafka, lo pedestaliza, lo remodela a sus anchas para crear el mito que, desde entonces, desde este texto, ya será para siempre y para nosotros.
Y Brod comete, además, un enorme pecado al narrarnos la vida de Kafka: a veces aburre. Es moroso, abruma con sus notas a pie, de una densidad intolerable que va más allá de lo que un editor juicioso podría permitir, se pierde en insignificancias y vela sucesos trascendentes... Pero ambos eran amigos. Era el amigo de Kafka, de eso no queda duda, y por ello, aunque fuera sólo por eso, por la visión que de Kafka tiene quien estuvo con él, junto a él mucho tiempo, el libro ya merece la pena.
Y todo lo anterior queda eclipsado por ser el origen del mito y el arranque de un ingente número de estudios y textos infinitamente mejores y mejorados sobre la figura de Kafka que remiten como punto de partida a este trabajo de Brod, sin el cual hubieran sido imposibles. En eso radica su mérito, enorme.
La aproximación de Brod está estructurada de una manera puramente biográfica, desde el nacimiento y la infancia recorre la vida del escritor hasta su muerte en el sanatorio austriaco en el que recaba en los últimos momentos. Es un recorrido no exento de emoción, pero también lastrado por la admiración casi enfermiza del amigo. Brod, muchas veces, cita de memoria palabras y frases de Kafka que nos hacen preguntarnos si vivió junto a él permanentemente anotando todo lo que decía, o bien su memoria es prodigiosa. Sí, es cierto que Kafka empleó la mayor parte de su tiempo, por desgracia, en redactar cartas a los amigos, las amantes, y a rellenar un diario exhaustivo y agotador en lugar de escribir más literatura. Gracias a ese diario se pueden saber con detalle la mayoría de los movimientos de Kafka, pero ciertas afirmaciones y recuerdos demasiado exactos de Brod me hacen preguntarme si Franz Kafka era observado por su amigo como un insecto al microscopio; si él era el único que ignoraba su genialidad mientras, alrededor, todos anotaban y pugnaban por recordar hasta el menor de sus movimientos, hasta el último hálito (como es el caso de Gustav Janouch y esos recuerdos tan minuciosos -como ciertamente increíbles en un enorme porcentaje-, aunque poseen su encanto).
No deja de ser inquietante percibir eso, cómo todos lo que rodeaban a un Kafka incomprendido y solitario se mantenían en la creencia de que era un genio para la posteridad, y que él ni siquiera pudiera imaginarlo. Es otra de las paradojas de la existencia de Kafka, glosada en cientos de libros una y otra vez, fascinante, mientras para él resultaba de lo más anodina. En ese sentido, Brod aporta muchísimas declaraciones de su amigo, quizás sea el material más enriquecedor del libro, bien entresacadas de los diarios, de cartas personales, de charlas de café... aunque después de leer la biografía uno no sabe si entiende, ahora, mejor o incluso peor, a Kafka.
Brod disecciona a su amigo para desnudarlo ante el lector y volver a vestirlo, al final del libro, ya con los ropajes que nunca lo abandonaran: los de mito literario del siglo XX. Brod lo empezó todo, ignoramos que sabríamos de Kafka actualmente, cómo lo valoraríamos, sin la contribución de Max Brod: aunque esté plagada de errores o sea, cuanto menos, bastante cuestionable en muchos de sus aspectos.
Un texto crucial por lo que representa: la fundación del mito y del modelo literario kafkiano, el primero que pone el empeño y el esfuerzo en acercarnos una de las figuras más importantes de la literatura universal.
Read
October 26, 2023This biography, written by Kafka’s best friend, may not be the most informative or objective, but it’s full of nice anecdotes, wonderful prose, and intimate letters. More importantly, it creates an image of Kafka as not someone perpetually pained by life, but the rather the opposite: someone who knows his own talent and seeks to bring about the good in life, despite being pained by his sense of self.
Brod on Kafka:
(1) "It is life that Kafka rejects. He does not strive with God, only with himself."
(2) "What I emphasize, and what I believe distinguishes my exposition of Kafka from all the others [...] is the fact that I consider that the positive side of him, his love of life, of the earth earthy, and his religion in the sense of a properly fulfilled life, is his decisive message, and not self-abnegation, turning his back on life, despair -- the "tragic position.""
(3)"[Kafka] seeks a faith "like a guillotine, as heavy, and as light." But one thing he has become assured of in any case; quite independently of how we may judge God's attitude towards--the attitude and the task of mankind is clear, it is activity in the service of the good so far as it is discernible by us."
Kafka on love: "The sweetness of mourning and of love. To be smiled at by her in a boat. That was the most beautiful thing of all. Always the longing to die and yet keeping oneself alive, that alone is love."
Brod on Kafka:
(1) "It is life that Kafka rejects. He does not strive with God, only with himself."
(2) "What I emphasize, and what I believe distinguishes my exposition of Kafka from all the others [...] is the fact that I consider that the positive side of him, his love of life, of the earth earthy, and his religion in the sense of a properly fulfilled life, is his decisive message, and not self-abnegation, turning his back on life, despair -- the "tragic position.""
(3)"[Kafka] seeks a faith "like a guillotine, as heavy, and as light." But one thing he has become assured of in any case; quite independently of how we may judge God's attitude towards--the attitude and the task of mankind is clear, it is activity in the service of the good so far as it is discernible by us."
Kafka on love: "The sweetness of mourning and of love. To be smiled at by her in a boat. That was the most beautiful thing of all. Always the longing to die and yet keeping oneself alive, that alone is love."
April 2, 2012
Franz Kafka A Biography by Max Brod (Da Capo)
For anyone who likes or has an interest in the
life and writings of Franz Kafka this biography
of him written by his best friend and literary
executor Max Brod in 1937 and revised in 1947
and translated to english in 1960 is pretty much
the bible.
The fact that it took me something like 20 years
to find a copy in a bookshop is shocking as this
should be readily and easily available as it is
without doubt a well written and fascinating
account of his best friends life that when you
consider just about every other book on Kafka
that I've ever read quotes from this biography
still contains loads of revelations as to what
kafka was really like and just how much of his
writing was meant to be comic!
Max manages to name Kafkas favourite brothel
that they used to visit together! the bars they
hung out in and Max tells with a real hint of
jealousy of Kafkas magnetism to women who were
always throwing themselves at him!
Max also sets Kafkas books into the times they
were written in and how the Trial was written
during world war 1 adds to the dimensions of the
story while max points out how it was actually
Kafkas re-telling of the book of Job from the
bible! Also the first time he read from it in
public it reduced the audience to hysterical
laughter because of how Franz read the first
chapter.
The book quotes liberally from Kafkas letters to
his friends and lovers to tell the story and we
find his favourite writers were people like
Grillparzer and Kleist and of course Nemcova
Whose novel the Grandmother Kafka re-wrote as
The Castle.
Max also deals with the question of if Kafka had
a love child that Kafka knew nothing about and
who it's claimed died aged 6, Max believed the
woman who is only named as Madame MM so as not
to embarrass her husband! he also connects this
woman to claims that there is a hoard of
unpublished letters and writing that the woman
in question took with her family when they fled
to Chile at the start of world war 2.
A book that is a true must have read find a copy
anyway you can!!
For anyone who likes or has an interest in the
life and writings of Franz Kafka this biography
of him written by his best friend and literary
executor Max Brod in 1937 and revised in 1947
and translated to english in 1960 is pretty much
the bible.
The fact that it took me something like 20 years
to find a copy in a bookshop is shocking as this
should be readily and easily available as it is
without doubt a well written and fascinating
account of his best friends life that when you
consider just about every other book on Kafka
that I've ever read quotes from this biography
still contains loads of revelations as to what
kafka was really like and just how much of his
writing was meant to be comic!
Max manages to name Kafkas favourite brothel
that they used to visit together! the bars they
hung out in and Max tells with a real hint of
jealousy of Kafkas magnetism to women who were
always throwing themselves at him!
Max also sets Kafkas books into the times they
were written in and how the Trial was written
during world war 1 adds to the dimensions of the
story while max points out how it was actually
Kafkas re-telling of the book of Job from the
bible! Also the first time he read from it in
public it reduced the audience to hysterical
laughter because of how Franz read the first
chapter.
The book quotes liberally from Kafkas letters to
his friends and lovers to tell the story and we
find his favourite writers were people like
Grillparzer and Kleist and of course Nemcova
Whose novel the Grandmother Kafka re-wrote as
The Castle.
Max also deals with the question of if Kafka had
a love child that Kafka knew nothing about and
who it's claimed died aged 6, Max believed the
woman who is only named as Madame MM so as not
to embarrass her husband! he also connects this
woman to claims that there is a hoard of
unpublished letters and writing that the woman
in question took with her family when they fled
to Chile at the start of world war 2.
A book that is a true must have read find a copy
anyway you can!!
November 29, 2007
Brod's bias, his tangents, style, and not-so-subtle self-promotion are all questionable, but the subject himself is far too dear to warrant any weaker a rating.
July 5, 2014
Such a depressing life for one that tried to live optimistically.
July 30, 2023
I loved this book. Franz Kafka had a gift that most of us lack, he could think clearly.
May 28, 2020
Perhaps best for those curious about Brod's friendship with Kafka. Everything else has been absorbed by later biographers or, like Kafka's letter to his father, published in separate volumes. Brod's treatment of Kafka quickly turns hagiographical, and I don't quite buy Brod's religious emphasis on the texts. It's interesting to get an early take on Kafka---one of the first to chime in before Franz went canonical---that's very much of the time, but it's bogged down in Freud and theology. Also, my edition (first Schocken paperback) lacks the appendix Brod repeatedly references; thus, there's no text of Aeroplanes at Brescia, Brod's essay on The Castle (I wasn't holding my breath), and other pieces.
Nevertheless, big thanks to the man who brought Schocken and other publishers of Kafka so much BREAD.
Nevertheless, big thanks to the man who brought Schocken and other publishers of Kafka so much BREAD.
April 17, 2024
Few books have provoked in me such strong feelings of fascination and delight. This is an invaluable work - absolutely essential reading for all Kafkians.
April 22, 2025
Well. We have to talk about Kafka.
To be precise, I am going to write down my personal understanding of four and a half books that I have read for years.
1. Kafka's Biography. Franz Kafka: A Biography, by Max Brod.
2. Kafka's Dictation. Conversations with Kafka� by Gustav Janouch
3. Kafka to F. Letters to Felice
4. Kafka to M. Letters to Milena
5. Kafka's Visual Reading. I consider the fifth book as half a book.
I had many titles to choose from. When I read these books, I checked some impressive sentences and realized that it might be a mirror with a hidden exit, not only for this Jewish man who only lived for 41 years, but also for any self-conscious loner who is torn in his heart (regardless of era, age, race, and gender). However, at this moment, I gave up because I couldn't remember them accurately.
And, a mirror, it is not a real and fixed plane. Any slight tilt or movement of this mirror leads to an angle, a side; any angle or side is a new possibility and understanding, and it is intertwined with infinite paradoxes.
Honest people have the most and most eternal fears. To be more honest and reveal this fear is also a fearful path, but, without this fearful path, one cannot be sure of one's own existence. Do you know what fear is? One's own weakness, falsehood, and filthiness, the fall when trying to rise, and all the truths that come and go in one's mind (here, truth is not a good word, just like you try your best to put on the most fashionable and gorgeous clothes, but you are actually naked, which is worse than that fat emperor).
Obviously, Kafka's expression in the two passionate love letter books (Letters to Felice; Letters to Milena) is very different from his usual calm and peaceful impression (such as the way he looks in that book, Conversation with Kafka ), and he can't help but present the fragmented state of his soul. But you can fully understand that those letters are indeed not really aimed at love, not really aimed at a woman (especially F). Rather than saying that he is confessing love, it is better to say that he is confessing a soul that is too complicated and too heavy.
People are constrained by the so-called civilization of society and need more private confession and comfort. Especially based on the latter need, men tend to look for a close woman (just as women look for a close man). After that, even if the one they meet is not good enough(of course, we cannot 100% judge that F, Felice, does not understand Kafka at all because we have not seen her reply, but we can only cautiously speculate that she does not understand much, and M. Milena may be better), but they can't stop. Compared with being completely isolated and lonely in spirit, sometimes people have to take a straw as a life-saving thing.
Of course, the result is no suspense.
More than 700 pages of love letters (to F) and more than 200 pages of love letters (to M), 5 years of persistence and 1 year of persistence, can't save the soul from the water and fire.
On page 702 of Kafka to Felice, Kafka finally restrained himself and made a final statement about his behavior: "'Dear poor Felice' are the last words I wrote. Is this the end of all my letters? This pain is like being stabbed by a knife, twisted, and then pulled out." I don't know why, when I read this, I also felt the same kind of twisting pain, but at the same time, I can't deny that I breathed a sigh of relief for him. I have no reason but firmly believe that at that moment, Kafka himself also breathed a sigh of relief. Finally got rid of a false desire-- the most unreliable desire in the world.
And Milena, to whom Kafka once said: "I am dirty, Milena, very, very dirty", this woman who was "not a lady, but a girl" in Kafka's eyes replied, "I don't see any dirt in you, not at all. I see in you only everything that comes from life in your heart." I don't know if this is also the world's understanding of Kafka later--"Everything that comes from life in your heart." Does this mean that fear has a legitimate position, truth has a legitimate position? but at least, it should be a legitimate position for honesty. This sentence, which existed 88 years ago, is probably the comfort of all mixed souls. Of course, there is only one premise, honesty. You try your best to be honest.
I have to admit that reading Kafka, even in spring, cannot lead to joy and relaxation. It will only make you more silent and lonely, because you will believe that there are more secrets that are difficult to tell others, that kind of flame, that kind of ashes, cannot be spoken of. There is no actual obstacle between this world and you, but you are blocked. This desolate road exists in the center of the extremely lively and bustling world. However, this is still an unspeakable secret. You have to hold it until you die.
Since it is so cold, let's do some gossip next.
1. Kafka is a 100% absolutely handsome guy.
2.Felice has a mouthful of gold teeth. She should be smart and capable. She was pursued by Kafka for 5 years, and was finally abandoned by Kafka. Engaged twice, terminated twice. Because Kafka had expressed himself and knew that the hardship and loneliness of the soul could not be solved through marriage and family.
In fact, Kafka could be considered selfish. If it were the current blog era, he might have written a blog and would not have needed to use love letters to pursue the resonance of the soul. But I also think that my speculation is superficial. He still likes intimate relationships. He does not need fans.
Felice and Kafka are completely incompatible in spirit (really?), but she saved all the love letters Kafka wrote to her.
So, today we see this book with an astonishing thickness of 716 pages. In this regard, I think she is worthy of respect.
3. Milena is a married woman. They were passionate about each other, but Milena refused to divorce at the time , fruitless (but actually, she divorced a few years after Kafka's death).
Milena eventually died in a Nazi concentration camp. The conversation about whether it was dirty or not basically proves that this woman was Kafka's, Kafka's woman. As some analysts have said, if Kafka had any love in his life, it was probably this one. It was not the kind of ecstasy as before, but a deep and clear emotional interaction. He was 37 years old when he was with Milena. His 30-35 years old was with F.
4. It is said that Kafka had an illegitimate child and he never knew about it. The child died at the age of 7, earlier than Kafka. This was said by a woman who gave birth to the child (not F, nor M). But in all the informations, this statement cannot be confirmed. So it is doubtful. Maybe it is true, maybe it is a misunderstanding.
5. Gray Jackdaw. This statement comes from Kafka himself. He said that he is a jackdaw hiding among the stones, and he is gray, an unpresentable bird, the Kafka bird.
6. Kafka likes Chinese poetry and Chinese philosophy. He quoted Yuan Zutai's poem twice, telling a story about a woman, who is not this poet's wife but a concubine, asking her scholar husband on a cold night not to read books all the time, "grabbing the lamp and gently scolding what time it is ", and Kafka made a long comment about this scene. I realized later that Yuan Zutai is Yuan Mei, who was a poet in Qing Dynasty.
Kafka likes the "Tao Te Ching", but thinks it is too profound, and can only understand the "Nanhua Jing". But the way he looks in "Kafka's Oral History", Conversation with Kafka, his attitude and statement of persuading Janouch to deal with his parents' divorce, are vividly derived from Laozi and Zhuangzi. He also repeatedly said that there is only patience, everything in the world can be only saved by patience.
The Kafka who wrote the love letter was extremely passionate, while the Kafka in the oral narration was extremely quiet. They were completely in the same time. What a strange and sad state it was.
7. Kafka died at the age of 41. The person who lived with him for the last 8 months was a 19-year-old girl. This girl was his real life-saving straw.
At that time, Kafka hoped very much that he could survive and live with Dora Diamant. Kafka believed that all the tragedy of his life because of writing letters. He dissected himself, split himself, and struggled with himself in the letters. He never wrote to Dora (at 40, he no longer needed to write letters), but lived together, so it seemed that he could be saved (it was just like that).
Very unfortunately, death came at this moment.
To be precise, I am going to write down my personal understanding of four and a half books that I have read for years.
1. Kafka's Biography. Franz Kafka: A Biography, by Max Brod.
2. Kafka's Dictation. Conversations with Kafka� by Gustav Janouch
3. Kafka to F. Letters to Felice
4. Kafka to M. Letters to Milena
5. Kafka's Visual Reading. I consider the fifth book as half a book.
I had many titles to choose from. When I read these books, I checked some impressive sentences and realized that it might be a mirror with a hidden exit, not only for this Jewish man who only lived for 41 years, but also for any self-conscious loner who is torn in his heart (regardless of era, age, race, and gender). However, at this moment, I gave up because I couldn't remember them accurately.
And, a mirror, it is not a real and fixed plane. Any slight tilt or movement of this mirror leads to an angle, a side; any angle or side is a new possibility and understanding, and it is intertwined with infinite paradoxes.
Honest people have the most and most eternal fears. To be more honest and reveal this fear is also a fearful path, but, without this fearful path, one cannot be sure of one's own existence. Do you know what fear is? One's own weakness, falsehood, and filthiness, the fall when trying to rise, and all the truths that come and go in one's mind (here, truth is not a good word, just like you try your best to put on the most fashionable and gorgeous clothes, but you are actually naked, which is worse than that fat emperor).
Obviously, Kafka's expression in the two passionate love letter books (Letters to Felice; Letters to Milena) is very different from his usual calm and peaceful impression (such as the way he looks in that book, Conversation with Kafka ), and he can't help but present the fragmented state of his soul. But you can fully understand that those letters are indeed not really aimed at love, not really aimed at a woman (especially F). Rather than saying that he is confessing love, it is better to say that he is confessing a soul that is too complicated and too heavy.
People are constrained by the so-called civilization of society and need more private confession and comfort. Especially based on the latter need, men tend to look for a close woman (just as women look for a close man). After that, even if the one they meet is not good enough(of course, we cannot 100% judge that F, Felice, does not understand Kafka at all because we have not seen her reply, but we can only cautiously speculate that she does not understand much, and M. Milena may be better), but they can't stop. Compared with being completely isolated and lonely in spirit, sometimes people have to take a straw as a life-saving thing.
Of course, the result is no suspense.
More than 700 pages of love letters (to F) and more than 200 pages of love letters (to M), 5 years of persistence and 1 year of persistence, can't save the soul from the water and fire.
On page 702 of Kafka to Felice, Kafka finally restrained himself and made a final statement about his behavior: "'Dear poor Felice' are the last words I wrote. Is this the end of all my letters? This pain is like being stabbed by a knife, twisted, and then pulled out." I don't know why, when I read this, I also felt the same kind of twisting pain, but at the same time, I can't deny that I breathed a sigh of relief for him. I have no reason but firmly believe that at that moment, Kafka himself also breathed a sigh of relief. Finally got rid of a false desire-- the most unreliable desire in the world.
And Milena, to whom Kafka once said: "I am dirty, Milena, very, very dirty", this woman who was "not a lady, but a girl" in Kafka's eyes replied, "I don't see any dirt in you, not at all. I see in you only everything that comes from life in your heart." I don't know if this is also the world's understanding of Kafka later--"Everything that comes from life in your heart." Does this mean that fear has a legitimate position, truth has a legitimate position? but at least, it should be a legitimate position for honesty. This sentence, which existed 88 years ago, is probably the comfort of all mixed souls. Of course, there is only one premise, honesty. You try your best to be honest.
I have to admit that reading Kafka, even in spring, cannot lead to joy and relaxation. It will only make you more silent and lonely, because you will believe that there are more secrets that are difficult to tell others, that kind of flame, that kind of ashes, cannot be spoken of. There is no actual obstacle between this world and you, but you are blocked. This desolate road exists in the center of the extremely lively and bustling world. However, this is still an unspeakable secret. You have to hold it until you die.
Since it is so cold, let's do some gossip next.
1. Kafka is a 100% absolutely handsome guy.
2.Felice has a mouthful of gold teeth. She should be smart and capable. She was pursued by Kafka for 5 years, and was finally abandoned by Kafka. Engaged twice, terminated twice. Because Kafka had expressed himself and knew that the hardship and loneliness of the soul could not be solved through marriage and family.
In fact, Kafka could be considered selfish. If it were the current blog era, he might have written a blog and would not have needed to use love letters to pursue the resonance of the soul. But I also think that my speculation is superficial. He still likes intimate relationships. He does not need fans.
Felice and Kafka are completely incompatible in spirit (really?), but she saved all the love letters Kafka wrote to her.
So, today we see this book with an astonishing thickness of 716 pages. In this regard, I think she is worthy of respect.
3. Milena is a married woman. They were passionate about each other, but Milena refused to divorce at the time , fruitless (but actually, she divorced a few years after Kafka's death).
Milena eventually died in a Nazi concentration camp. The conversation about whether it was dirty or not basically proves that this woman was Kafka's, Kafka's woman. As some analysts have said, if Kafka had any love in his life, it was probably this one. It was not the kind of ecstasy as before, but a deep and clear emotional interaction. He was 37 years old when he was with Milena. His 30-35 years old was with F.
4. It is said that Kafka had an illegitimate child and he never knew about it. The child died at the age of 7, earlier than Kafka. This was said by a woman who gave birth to the child (not F, nor M). But in all the informations, this statement cannot be confirmed. So it is doubtful. Maybe it is true, maybe it is a misunderstanding.
5. Gray Jackdaw. This statement comes from Kafka himself. He said that he is a jackdaw hiding among the stones, and he is gray, an unpresentable bird, the Kafka bird.
6. Kafka likes Chinese poetry and Chinese philosophy. He quoted Yuan Zutai's poem twice, telling a story about a woman, who is not this poet's wife but a concubine, asking her scholar husband on a cold night not to read books all the time, "grabbing the lamp and gently scolding what time it is ", and Kafka made a long comment about this scene. I realized later that Yuan Zutai is Yuan Mei, who was a poet in Qing Dynasty.
Kafka likes the "Tao Te Ching", but thinks it is too profound, and can only understand the "Nanhua Jing". But the way he looks in "Kafka's Oral History", Conversation with Kafka, his attitude and statement of persuading Janouch to deal with his parents' divorce, are vividly derived from Laozi and Zhuangzi. He also repeatedly said that there is only patience, everything in the world can be only saved by patience.
The Kafka who wrote the love letter was extremely passionate, while the Kafka in the oral narration was extremely quiet. They were completely in the same time. What a strange and sad state it was.
7. Kafka died at the age of 41. The person who lived with him for the last 8 months was a 19-year-old girl. This girl was his real life-saving straw.
At that time, Kafka hoped very much that he could survive and live with Dora Diamant. Kafka believed that all the tragedy of his life because of writing letters. He dissected himself, split himself, and struggled with himself in the letters. He never wrote to Dora (at 40, he no longer needed to write letters), but lived together, so it seemed that he could be saved (it was just like that).
Very unfortunately, death came at this moment.
August 9, 2021
“Everything that came from him, came in a way that became less and less forced as the years went on, a precious expression of his quite special way of looking at things—patient, life-loving, ironically considerate towards the follies of the world, and therefore full of sad humor, but never forgetful of the real kernel, 'The Indestructible', and so always far from being blasé or cynical. Yes, that was it—in his presence the everyday world underwent a transformation, everything was new, new in a way that was often very sad, not to say shattering, but which never precluded the possibility of final consolation because it was never dull, and never flat.�
“But his whole behavior, down to the smallest detail, even if you only watch the way he brushes his hair, is based on the belief that there is, as a premise taken for granted without discussion, a mode of life which is right, thorough, clean, and unshakably natural. It is there. But to find it, to arrive at it—that is the difficulty. Deny this enormous difficulty—that he is far from doing. On the contrary: he sees all the confusion and all that is in a nasty way comic in the world more intensively than any other man. He knows one can’t take a step without getting into complications, without stumbling. And yet there is this deep confidence that the inner excellence will mature.�
“How I adored that smile, in which, after all, there lay also so much confidence and encouragement. Franz was inexhaustible in finding out new lines of sport, or so it seemed to me. In this too his personality expressed itself, this too he did, as he did everything, with complete abandon.�
“If the angels made jokes in heaven it would have to be in Kafka’s language.�
“But his whole behavior, down to the smallest detail, even if you only watch the way he brushes his hair, is based on the belief that there is, as a premise taken for granted without discussion, a mode of life which is right, thorough, clean, and unshakably natural. It is there. But to find it, to arrive at it—that is the difficulty. Deny this enormous difficulty—that he is far from doing. On the contrary: he sees all the confusion and all that is in a nasty way comic in the world more intensively than any other man. He knows one can’t take a step without getting into complications, without stumbling. And yet there is this deep confidence that the inner excellence will mature.�
“How I adored that smile, in which, after all, there lay also so much confidence and encouragement. Franz was inexhaustible in finding out new lines of sport, or so it seemed to me. In this too his personality expressed itself, this too he did, as he did everything, with complete abandon.�
“If the angels made jokes in heaven it would have to be in Kafka’s language.�
December 17, 2018
This biography is a “must read� for anyone who wishes to dig a little deeper into the mysterious psyche of Franz Kafka. It is written by his longtime friend, Max Brod, the person who Franz was closest to (and I am including his family members). Brod gives us glimpses into Kafka’s world, showing us how the intensity of his conflict with his father deeply impacted his soul—and how it presented itself in Kafka’s stories. Brod paints a portrait of a kind of “pure soul, a fully truthful human being incapable of machinations and scheming, deeply sensitive to his friends, family and the women he loved. He also lets us see the deeply moving story of Kafka’s last days through his correspondences.
Brod offers some textual analysis as well, arguing that Kafka is basically spiritual writer, hungering for union with God, for the perfect, Platonic world beyond. His explication of “The Castle,� as a metaphor of the alienation of the Wandering Jew, was thought provoking. Brod made me want to go back and re-read Kafka’s major works, “The Trial� and “The Castle.�
Brod offers some textual analysis as well, arguing that Kafka is basically spiritual writer, hungering for union with God, for the perfect, Platonic world beyond. His explication of “The Castle,� as a metaphor of the alienation of the Wandering Jew, was thought provoking. Brod made me want to go back and re-read Kafka’s major works, “The Trial� and “The Castle.�
December 22, 2011
Please, if any of you are thinking of resurrecting Max Brod and making sure he's my best friend, I'm warning you now: do not let him write a biography about me.
Max Brod: lovely man. Franz Kafka: A Biography: boring book.
There are some gems in there (little sprigs of beauty exemplifying Kafka's character), but they are like 50 pages or more apart! Plus, come on, now, Max--I read the Blue Notebooks. Tell us the dirty stories about the houses of prostitution! But no, Max keeps it clean.
What is expressed is that Max loved a truly terrific friend of his in Kafka. What is also expressed is that Max was at a loss to sum the experience up in a presentable way. It's understandable that he would be beside himself. Just don't spend too much time on this book.
Max Brod: lovely man. Franz Kafka: A Biography: boring book.
There are some gems in there (little sprigs of beauty exemplifying Kafka's character), but they are like 50 pages or more apart! Plus, come on, now, Max--I read the Blue Notebooks. Tell us the dirty stories about the houses of prostitution! But no, Max keeps it clean.
What is expressed is that Max loved a truly terrific friend of his in Kafka. What is also expressed is that Max was at a loss to sum the experience up in a presentable way. It's understandable that he would be beside himself. Just don't spend too much time on this book.
July 23, 2016
Brod uses most of the book to promote most of his own work. I had a difficult time following, but the bits about Kafka you get, the segments of writing and information is worth the read.
April 25, 2020
Kafka comes to life in this book, it's abound in love and friendship between Kafka and the man who brought his work to publication.
A lot of this book is excerpts from Kafka's diaries and letters, with commentary from someone who knew him from his school years to his death. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as you only get glimpses of what Kafka was actually like in his diaries and letters (eg, mentioning to Milena before she meets him that he is always smiling, or the incident where a workmate caught him looking at the phone receiver rather than listening to it). Brod lovingly expounds on Kafka as a quirky character who engaged and excited everyone around him. Particularly Kafka's style of reading to others, where Brod surprisingly revealed that he had everyone in the room laughing uproariously over the first chapter of The Trial. Notwithstanding the serious nature of Kafka's work, Brod seems to write Kafka's unusual presence into the room which is something you won't find elsewhere, the closest I could think of was Alexei from The Brothers Karamazov.
I do think Brod inserts himself into the book at times, for example he almost writes Milena out of the biography, only mentioning her as "an affair" which hopefully won't last, until the addendum in a later edition, where he describes her roughly as a bad influence in apparently neutral language. He also spends a whole chapter trying to write religion into Kafka's work, which is clearly stretched, from him using only a couple of sentences of actual quotes of Kafka, and expounding them for pages into his own interpretation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think Brod's presence as a narrator allows Kafka's presence as a character, and for that to be lost in neutrality would almost make the book redundant over Kafka's existing diaries.
From a literary perspective, this book mentions even more than Kafka's diaries about what he reads, and provides commentary and interpretations of his work which are worth hearing. Kafka said almost nothing about his interpretations in his diaries and letters, and what he has said has been quoted in this biography with commentary from someone who knew him well. So as a literary companion this is the first book I'd recommend, though I personally prefer to leave Kafka's work to the breadth it has without being manhandled by others' ideas. I think one of the strengths of Kafka's stories is that they are so relatable, that everyone seems to be certain that theirs is the correct reading!
I'd definitely put this up there with Kafka's letters to Milena for its Frank insight (pun intended), and it's a joy to read.
A lot of this book is excerpts from Kafka's diaries and letters, with commentary from someone who knew him from his school years to his death. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as you only get glimpses of what Kafka was actually like in his diaries and letters (eg, mentioning to Milena before she meets him that he is always smiling, or the incident where a workmate caught him looking at the phone receiver rather than listening to it). Brod lovingly expounds on Kafka as a quirky character who engaged and excited everyone around him. Particularly Kafka's style of reading to others, where Brod surprisingly revealed that he had everyone in the room laughing uproariously over the first chapter of The Trial. Notwithstanding the serious nature of Kafka's work, Brod seems to write Kafka's unusual presence into the room which is something you won't find elsewhere, the closest I could think of was Alexei from The Brothers Karamazov.
I do think Brod inserts himself into the book at times, for example he almost writes Milena out of the biography, only mentioning her as "an affair" which hopefully won't last, until the addendum in a later edition, where he describes her roughly as a bad influence in apparently neutral language. He also spends a whole chapter trying to write religion into Kafka's work, which is clearly stretched, from him using only a couple of sentences of actual quotes of Kafka, and expounding them for pages into his own interpretation. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I think Brod's presence as a narrator allows Kafka's presence as a character, and for that to be lost in neutrality would almost make the book redundant over Kafka's existing diaries.
From a literary perspective, this book mentions even more than Kafka's diaries about what he reads, and provides commentary and interpretations of his work which are worth hearing. Kafka said almost nothing about his interpretations in his diaries and letters, and what he has said has been quoted in this biography with commentary from someone who knew him well. So as a literary companion this is the first book I'd recommend, though I personally prefer to leave Kafka's work to the breadth it has without being manhandled by others' ideas. I think one of the strengths of Kafka's stories is that they are so relatable, that everyone seems to be certain that theirs is the correct reading!
I'd definitely put this up there with Kafka's letters to Milena for its Frank insight (pun intended), and it's a joy to read.
August 21, 2024
"At that time, however, I lived still with - my unforgettable friend, he was present with me in the truest sense of the word, always by my side, I knew exactly what he would have said in this or that situation, exactly how he would have thought about things that went on round about me. I asked him questions, and could answer myself in his name. That is how I came to feel the necessity of bringing my incomparable friend to life in the form of a living work of art, not in a historical study collecting dates and carefully plecing facts together, but as an epic figure. Above all, I wanted to bring him to life for myself in this new way. So long as I lived in this book, in working at it, he was not dead, he still lived with me and still exerted his influence on my life. (You will find that the whole treatment of the novel serves this purpose.)"
"The grief of his parents and his sisters. The dumb despair of his companion, who fell on his grave as if she were dead. The dull weather that cleared up only at odd intervals. God knows, one cannot believe that in that bare wooden coffin is buried Franz Kafka, who was just beginning to be great."
"The grief of his parents and his sisters. The dumb despair of his companion, who fell on his grave as if she were dead. The dull weather that cleared up only at odd intervals. God knows, one cannot believe that in that bare wooden coffin is buried Franz Kafka, who was just beginning to be great."
February 1, 2025
A very enlightening and delightful read on the life of my favorite author and who better to detail their accounts than someone who knew him so intimately, his closest and dearest friend? At certain points it felt more like a love letter than a biography, as Max Brod clearly admired Kafka deeply, so much so I found myself being very moved by his accounts. I enjoyed how there were snippets of letters, diary entries, recounts of conversations. And not just from him, but from other intimates involved in Kafka’s life. This book was well-assembled. I’m glad to have read it and understood Kafka better, especially from the perspective of his contemparies. Truly an interesting man. I had to give this four stars over five because it really began to lull toward the middle, but it picked up a lot toward the end, Kafka’s unfortunate end. I was so engrossed! Very good read.
December 21, 2022
I just fell in love wih this book.
Max Brod, as one of Kafka's closest friends, doesn't really try to talk much about Kafka's writing accomplishments, he's much more focused on his personality (which so so extremely original and interesting), views on life, God and relationships. He decribes plenty of their personal situations and shows letters to shed more light on his nature.
Beside that, Brod also does some great analysis on his work in this biography, e.g. writes an unpopular, but very well argumented interpretation of Joseph K.'s character.
So in short, if you are in any way interested in Kafka as a writer or just extremely original person, so different to anyone we see around, then Brod's book is perfect to get a more personal view on him.
Max Brod, as one of Kafka's closest friends, doesn't really try to talk much about Kafka's writing accomplishments, he's much more focused on his personality (which so so extremely original and interesting), views on life, God and relationships. He decribes plenty of their personal situations and shows letters to shed more light on his nature.
Beside that, Brod also does some great analysis on his work in this biography, e.g. writes an unpopular, but very well argumented interpretation of Joseph K.'s character.
So in short, if you are in any way interested in Kafka as a writer or just extremely original person, so different to anyone we see around, then Brod's book is perfect to get a more personal view on him.
July 15, 2024
Je suis un peu confus. Je sais que j'ai beaucoup aimé cette lecture à certain moment, mais sur la fin, j'ai eu l'impression de n'avoir quasi rien retenu du livre. Je me souviens m'être dit que c'était une biographie très subjective (peut-être trop ?) et que l'affect de Max Brod teintait fortement son récit. Les inserts de lettres de Kafka sont intéressants mais je crois que leur longueur me coupait dans le fil du récit et finissait par me perdre quand je reprenais sur les mots de Brod, j'aurais sans doute préféré des extraits plus courts. Aussi, cette édition folio a un jeu de taille de typographie assez agaçant : les extraits des lettres de Kafka sont minuscules par rapport au texte de Brod et jongler entre les deux ne m'a pas paru confortable.
May 27, 2020
Highlights:
-Extensive primary resources (letters to and from Kafka & diary entries)
-Personal anecdotes from Brod about trips he took with Kafka in his younger years
-Kafka's descriptors of daily life
-"On the cheap" Europe travel guides (Kafka & Brod's creation)
-Context of European culture in the early 1900s
-Main themes - seeking father's approval, torn between his genius and love, deep rooted insecurities
-Overall, would recommend if you can get past dense writing style
-Extensive primary resources (letters to and from Kafka & diary entries)
-Personal anecdotes from Brod about trips he took with Kafka in his younger years
-Kafka's descriptors of daily life
-"On the cheap" Europe travel guides (Kafka & Brod's creation)
-Context of European culture in the early 1900s
-Main themes - seeking father's approval, torn between his genius and love, deep rooted insecurities
-Overall, would recommend if you can get past dense writing style
December 26, 2020
I read the Swedish translation (which is full of typos) of this, being an avid Kafka fan. I love reading about how friends describe and depict friendship, and this book definately falls in that category. It also offers great insight on some concrete events in Kafkas life which inspired his writing. A drawback of the book is that it is not always chronological or easy to follow through Brod's reasoning.
August 9, 2023
Lettura obbligatoria per chi volesse iniziare ad approfondire la vita privata di Kafka.
Il suo amico Max Brod, tramite gli scritti pubblicati nei diari di Franz e ricordi personali, racconta: aneddoti, conversazioni, pensieri e viaggi che coinvolgevano i due giovani amici.
Da questa biografia esce fuori un ritratto di Kafka distante dall’idea di scrittore depresso e rassegnato, portandoci a scoprire il lato geniale dell'autore senza tralasciare però quello più comune.
Il suo amico Max Brod, tramite gli scritti pubblicati nei diari di Franz e ricordi personali, racconta: aneddoti, conversazioni, pensieri e viaggi che coinvolgevano i due giovani amici.
Da questa biografia esce fuori un ritratto di Kafka distante dall’idea di scrittore depresso e rassegnato, portandoci a scoprire il lato geniale dell'autore senza tralasciare però quello più comune.
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January 20, 2021Me encanta Kafka, por lo que leer una biografía suya escrita por un amigo era una misión que tenía todas las de ganar. Sin embargo el autor se demora tanto en los vericuetos de sus análisis psicoanalíticos, que termina perdiéndose y perdiéndome a mí. Difícilmente lo termine de leer.
January 9, 2022
A bit difficult to get through, but a unique biography of Kafka by his best friend and literary executor. Most interesting to biography nerds and Kafka super fans, though the most reliable portrait presented is of Brod himself.
February 14, 2022
I am stunned by the friendship Kafka had with Max Brod. They both have a really special place in my heart + a shame that so many don’t like Kafka when they just read metamorphosis :( I really love him and the way he was sorry y’all is jz mein Bekenntnis
September 2, 2018
4 1/4 stars
May 2, 2020
Lacking Brod's personal sentiments
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