My Thoughts on Kafka

I know Adam said we didn't have to blog about this, but in light of the fact that I didn't get to express my views in class on Monday, I figured I'd take some time to talk about Kafka here.

Now let me preface this by saying that prior to this book, I had never read, heard, or watched anything by or about Franz Kafka. The only thing I can confidently say I was familiar with was his name (which I probably only remembered because it sounded cool - Mairowitz really hit the nail on the head when he discussed the intrigue of that "K" sound on page 156 - "Kutting their way like Kutlasses through our Kollective Konsciousness"). That being said, I must say I really liked this book as a window into the life of Franz Kafka. His morbidity, his social commentary, his daddy issues, and his self-hatred and self-abuse all were fascinating aspects of his life which made me want to look even further into his works. In that way I feel this book would be a perfect precursor for someone new to Kafka and his fiction.

As a graphic novel, I also must say that I really admire Crumb's work. He maintained the perfect balance of horror and humor from start to finish. Literally. The first page with its image of a butcher cleaving into Kafka's skull and the last page with Prague depicted as touristy and commercialized both prove to be perfect examples of the skill and ability of Crumb to get that "Kafkaesque" feel. Bravo. Also, he did a great job of adding to the text and complementing it, rather than just illustrate it, something I've found myself looking for more virulently since Working and Anne Frank. I must say, Crumb, I am a fan.

Now about the stories, I unfortunately can't say I didn't feel a little ripped off. I know this is supposed to be about Kafka and his life and all, but at times I feel like this was done at the expense of Kafka's fiction. It almost felt like I was reading the SparkNotes versions of Metamorphosis of The Trial, or like I was watching a documentary of Kafka's life on A&E where no-name actors attempted to give real life portrayals of his stories. I almost wish the stories were just alluded to rather than summarized but I realize that may have been trickier to pull off. I don't know, it might just be that I don't like to know anything about the books I read before I read them and now I feel like the surprise has been ruined.

Overall though, I did enjoy the book a lot, and I recommend it for any Kafka or Crumb newbies.

-David