Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian writer whose unsettling insight into the human condition was shaped by his fraught relationship with his father and the cultural tensions of early 20th-century Prague, a city marked by political upheaval and intellectual crosscurrents. "The Metamorphosis" was published in 1915 in the literary journal Die Weißen Blätter, amid a Europe on the brink of World War I (1914-1918 AD), reflecting themes of Alienation and societal pressure. Initially met with bewilderment, Kafka's novella gradually captivated existentialist and surrealist movements, influencing luminaries like Sartre and Borges. Its haunting narrative continues to resonate across disciplines, inspiring films, theater, and even Psychology, as a profound Exploration of identity and modern Absurdity.
Guiding Question
What defines our humanity when we lose our identity?