Written in 1914, The Trial is one of the most important novels of the twentieth century: the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of … totalitarianism, Kafka’s nightmare has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers. This new edition is based upon the work of an international team of experts who have restored the text, the sequence of chapters, and their division to create a version that is as close as possible to the way the author left it. In his brilliant translation, Breon Mitchell masterfully reproduces the distinctive poetics of Kafka’s prose, revealing a novel that is as full of energy and power as it was when it was first written. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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My Rating:
Type: Standalone
Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Absurdity fiction
Primary Characters: Josef K.
The Trial by Franz Kafka is classified under philosophical/absurdity/paranoid fiction genre. I picked this book as this was chosen as “Book of the Month” by Biblioraptor book club. I was very skeptical on several things when I picked …
The Trial is another ominous tale by the man who explained the frightening power of the modern state over individuals better than anyone. This story is a great reminder that for the majority of people in the world, their destiny is not in their own hands, instead they are at the mercy of powerful governments over which the individual has little …
As Joseph K. we all are somehow living a trial where all people we know or don’t are judges and when the opportunity is there they are our hangmen.
The absurd universe of the trial and the inconsistency of the characters and events are a mirror to our world where we all are accused and have become marionettes animated by the despair created by …
This book felt like a dream – when something unpleasant and ridiculous is happening and you know you’re asleep but you still can’t wake up. Yet it seemed pretty close to reality, too. A man is arrested and tried for an unexplained crime. He has no defence against the bureaucracy and power of the State. Not an easy read, but well worth it.