Giulio Schiavoni Books

This splendid new translation presents an extraordinary work of modern literature, featuring facing-page commentary by Kafka's acclaimed biographer. Written in 1917 and 1918, the Zürau aphorisms consist of over 100 philosophical reflections composed in a Bohemian village. Among Kafka's most enigmatic writings, they delve into profound questions about truth, morality, and the spiritual and sensory realms. This bilingual volume is the first annotated edition, offering valuable insights into Kafka's mind. Edited and introduced by renowned biographer Reiner Stach, and translated by Shelley Frisch, each aphorism is displayed on its own page in both English and the original German, accompanied by enlightening notes. The aphorisms blend literary and analytical thought, showcasing radical ideas and original imagery, all conveyed in exceptionally condensed language. They evoke Kafka's unsettling charm, often leading readers into unfamiliar territory that can transform into moments of clarity: "I have never been in this place before: breathing works differently, and a star shines next to the sun, more dazzlingly still." Ultimately, this volume reveals that these multifaceted gems are deeply connected to Kafka's novels and stories, situated at the very heart of his literary cosmos. Long overlooked by readers and scholars, these aphorisms finally receive the attention they deserve.

When the young salesman Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a monstrous insect, his shock and incomprehension are coupled with the panic of being late for work and having to reveal his appearance to family and colleagues. Although over the following weeks he gradually becomes used to this new existence confined within the bounds of the apartment, and his parents and sister adapt to living with a grotesque bug, Gregor notices that their attitudes towards him are changing and he feels increasingly alienated. One of the masterpieces of twentieth-century world literature, ‘The Metamorphosis’ is accompanied in this volume by a selection of other classic tales and sketches by Kafka – such as ‘The Judgement’, ‘In the Penal Colony’ and ‘A Country Doctor’ – all presented in a lively and meticulous new translation by Christopher Moncrieff.

Karl Rossman has been banished by his parents to America, following a family scandal. There, with unquenchable optimism, he throws himself into the strange experiences that lie before him as he slowly makes his way into the interior of the great continent. Kafka's first novel (begun in 1911 and never finished) is infused with a quite un-Kafkaesque blitheness and sunniness, brought to life in this lyrical translation that returns to the original manuscript of the book.