This is my third or fourth Paul Strathern summary of someone, and it was my favorite. That might be because I knew absolutely nothing of Franz Kafka before this little book. Or it might be the writing or story-telling was better, who knows.

That said - here's what to expect: a thorough biography of the man along with his historical context, and a brief summary and interpretation of his major works. For me, that was just what I was looking for. I do believe I'm going to try and read/listen to Kafka's Metamorphosis and the Trial, and given my shallow taste in literature, I honestly expect I won't like them. Hah. I felt that way about Camus, Lewis Carroll and Flannery O'Connor - there's little doubt that the great writers write in layers I don't understand. Kafka leaves his stories up to interpretation, which normally I'm impatient with, and probably means I'm more of prose-type-o-fellow.

The thing I'll probably most remember though is Kafka's story. He died at 40 with TB, practically unheard of and left a pile of manuscripts with his only friend Max Bord, and told him to not read them and then to burn the lot of it. Thankfully he did not. Bord, himself a successful writer - lived to the ripe age of 84 and published (I believe it was) 83 works. Today Kafka is revered as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. Bord seems to be barely remembered as little more than Kafka's biographer. My question is this: if you could chose to live one of their lives, which would you choose? :) ( )

I have in mind reading some Kafka. This is a nice short introduction to the man's life and works. Tortured soul with a fascinating life history. ( )