Franz Kafka - biography, doll story, fun facts, quotes
At the age of 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who had never married and had no children of his own, was walking in a park in Berlin. At one point, he met a little girl who was crying because she had lost her favorite doll. They both agreed to look for her. Unfortunately, with no success. So they parted but agreed that the next day they would meet again and continue their search.
The next day, at the very beginning of the meeting, Kafka handed the girl a letter "written" by a doll: "Please don't cry. I went out into the world. I will write you about my adventures ... "
This is how the story that lasted until the end of Kafka's life began.
During their meetings, Kafka read to the girl carefully written letters from the doll. They were full of adventures and stories that the girl listened to with bated breath each time.
Eventually, Kafka brought a doll (which he had bought himself) to the meeting, claiming that it had just returned to Berlin.
"It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl.
Kafka then handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "My travels have changed me." The girl hugged the new doll and happily took it home with her.
A year later, Kafka died at the age of 41.
Years later, an adult girl found a letter in the doll. The tiny letter signed by Kafka included the following words:
"Everything you love is likely to be lost, but in the end, love will come back in a different way."
Accept the change. It is inevitable for growth. Together, we can turn pain into a miracle and love, but it's up to us to consciously and intentionally create this connection.
Franz Kafka - Short Biography, Work, Fun Facts, Most Famous Quotes
Franz Kafka is a German-language writer of Jewish origin associated with Prague all his life. The sense of threat and uncertainty make up the panorama of Kafka's literary world.
At the end of the 20th century, a poll was conducted to select the most important writer of the millennium. Franz Kafka won with an overwhelming majority of votes. At this point in human history, he touched everyone more than any other author.
Kafka's influence is so great that the term "Kafka" or "Kafkaesque" exists in several languages.
It refers to absurd, burdensome, and annoying situations, the essence of which is the conflict of the enslaved individual with a force superior to him. Kafka was one of those writers who could create a literary world with an unforgettable atmosphere. Full of unique, ambiguous ciphers and symbols.
He left behind a personal diary (which he kept since 1910), many short stories, a few novels, and a play. His most famous works are Trail, Metamorphosis, and Castle. He also left beautiful testimonies in the form of letters, among others to his sister Ottla, his best friend Max Brod, and his beloved Felice Bauer.
Interesting Fun Facts about Franz Kafka
Interestingly, he was a vegetarian. And this, in his day, was extremely rare.
Among other interesting facts about Franz Kafka, it is worth mentioning that he worked as a labor inspector for 14 years. He traveled extensively in the Czech Republic and was responsible for controlling subsequent plants.
He was very good at his job and was very quickly promoted to the post of superintendent. This made him earn very well considering the Czech conditions at that time. Interestingly, despite his good earnings, Kafka lived with his parents until he was 35.
Most likely, it was thanks to the many experiences gathered during the work of an official that the idea to write his flagship work entitled "Trial" was born.
One of his short stories, "The Penal Colony" is associated with a very drastic story. The public reading of this book took place in 1916 in Munich as part of "Evenings with New Literature". It is said that many people fainted during this test, and by the end of it almost all the seats in the audience were empty. Mainly because the story is full of very vivid descriptions of torture scenes. And this, in turn, according to historians, results from Kafka's personal experiences at that time. Kafka then invented the most terrible ways to take his own life, and in cruel tortures and torments, which were called "punitive fantasies".
Honesty in Kafka's work
One of the most characteristic aspects of his work is intellectual honesty. In fact, Kafka asked Max Brod to burn all his work. Fortunately, Brod did not do it and thanks to him we can still enjoy Kafka's masterpieces today. Brod largely contributed to the popularization of Kafka's works and published posthumously, inter alia, three unfinished novels (America, Trial, and Castle), Kafka's diary, and numerous short stories and miniatures.
Franz Kafka - quotes the most famous
Let's finish this short bio with some Kafka quotes that became famous across the entire world:
"A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” “I am a cage, in search of a bird.” “Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.” “Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.” “Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
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