 "Not a Plot Summary" | 2009-10-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A24R98FLQZZYNQ |
I'm assuming that the other reviews have already given you a summary of the plot.
Why Should you read this book?
You will find some very deep and practical philosophy within the context of a novel containing long flowing sentences and paragraphs that can span page upon page leaving you gasping for breath as you take in the layered situations that Kafka, a true artist of existential inspiration, a creative mastermind of vague wordings with mutiple meanings, and a crafter of text that grows from page one into a twisted story, presents to you while you turn the pages of this engaging novel that will result in your reflection upon life and reality along with a greater interest for Kafka's other works which will lead you to more questions and little answers; this process will take you in circles until you may have found yourself and your own explanations that can serve your mind as you read Kafka, for Kafka's situations can be replaced by any situation or life experience, and in the end you will come to the end or middle of Kafka's last sentence and realize that the concluson or ending was not necessary, for the text is living wilst containing wise words waiting to be devoured. |
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 ""The Trial": A Translation Of Questionable Accuracy" | 2009-10-17 |
| - Reviewed By jilisman |
Mitchell's translation leaves a lot to be desired. It is evident that Mitchell tries to modernize the translation so as to make it more relevant to a current reading audience. Yet in doing this, he pays a great cost. The translation by the Muirs who are the most prolific translators of Kafka's work seems much more literal in its usage of the English language as a vehicle for reading Kafka's work. It is important to note that the Muirs knew Max Brod, who was the man who rescued most of Kafka's work after his untimely demise and brought it to the Muirs for translation.
To be specific, in some examples of the failure of Mitchell's translation to convey Kafka's literal meaning, the reader finds that the three main characters in the bank where Joseph K. worked are called the "President," the "Vice President" and the "COO." Yet when the Muirs translate the same positions, they call these people the "Manager," the "Assistant Manager" and the "Head Clerk" (Joseph K. is the Head Clerk at the bank). Clearly, it seems that the Muirs' translation of the positions is much more literal and accurate than Mitchell's.
Another example of what seems to be Mitchell's mistranslation of Kafka's work is his use of the word "shyster" to describe the lowest level of defense attorneys in the Court system. The Muirs use the term "petty" to describe the same set of attorneys. It is highly unlikely that Kafka, being a Jew, would have used the word "shyster," particularly considering the anti-semetic implications of the term. Rather the word "petty" seems to be a far more accurate translation of Kafka's true intention when writing the novel.
Finally, Mitchell's translation portrays Joseph K. as an obstreperous, hard- headed person that is bound and determined to thwart the Court's efforts at every turn. It seems much more likely that Kafka, as portrayed in the Muir's translation, was truly a very frustrated defendant in a Court system that was so existentially absurd as to not even allow the defendant access to the charge papers regarding the reason that the defendant was arrested in the first place. Nor does the Court system allow the defense attorney access to these document, nor even allow the defense attorney to be present in the room when the defendant is being questioned by the Court.
While it is clear that Mitchell understands the German language very well, his efforts to modernize the translation of Kafka's work is not true to form for Kafka and should be taken with a grain of salt as its accuracy in terms of the literacy of the translation is clearly in question.
The book is recommended to all readers who enjoy existential portrayals of the world and society. That part of Mitchell's translation clearly comes through. Anyone who wishes to understand the helplessness of even modern day defendants in our world wide Court systems will be enlightened by Kafka's novel. Clearly, Kafka, who was an attorney himself, is one of the greatest existential writers of all time and very well depicts the feeling of people who feel themselves different and misunderstood by general society.
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| "The fall" | 2009-08-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1999N66DZH32W |
| A curious fall into a dark world. I hesitate to pronounce it strange only because similarities to real history foreshorten such reports. Highly recommended. As an interesting companion, also see Camus' "Myth of Sisyphus", which has a brief chapter addressing his impressions of this and other of Kafka's works, or his "Fall" for a similar account of modern man's maddening existential descent. |
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 "Four and a half stars" | 2009-07-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2QA7AEHMMD7OC |
| I feel a little guilty giving this book four and a half stars (as opposed to five) because it is an exceptional work in many ways and I definitely recommend it. For one thing, the myriad ways this book has been interpreted suggests that it is extremely thought provoking for just about everyone who reads it. I certainly found it very interesting and mildly disturbing (in a good way). I give it a half star ding only because I needed a little more elaboration on the forces at work against the main character. I understand that such elaboration might have taken away from the book's themes and perhaps even made them less compelling; however, at the end of the book, I still felt a little yearning for something more, like Kafka could've pushed this novel a little further (or perhaps been a little less subtle) without taking away from its overall effect. Paul Gehrman, Author, Kaleidoscope |
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| "The Trial by Franz Kafka" | 2009-07-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3H8TDP5OWYWB3 |
| The Trial The Trial by Franz Kafka is one of the greatest marks in the world literature. This book has two main levels of interpretation. One has to do with how social power is based on the possibility of criticism and accusation. The critical or accusatory content is less relevant than the exercise of power in the social life; the possibility of harsh punishment making the power game even more effective. The second level has to do with how someone can be completely dominated by the worries that stem from the accusatory process, Kafka enhances further the engendered personal drama by making the content of the accusation unknown. This power game has existed throughout the whole civilization, however, Franz Kafka with a touch of surrealism makes the awareness of its existence more possible to all human beings. |
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| "A Classic" | 2009-03-11 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2SAGGMB3U02F0 |
It has been awhile since I read Kafka (the last time was in school) and I have been going back to reread books that I have not read in awhile. Though I remembered he book generally, over time I had forgotten some of the details which made the book fresh again.
I do not recall what the last version was that I read, but I enjoyed this translation. From the moment we meet Josef K we are part of his nightmare and the absurd life around him.
In the end the book was just as dark, confusing and thought provoking as I remember thinking it was when I first read it, which is why it became one of my favorite books. |
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