Product Description

Max Brod, a successful novelist, was a boyhood companion of Kafka's and remained closely tied to him until Kafka's death in 1924. He was undoubtedly the one man whom Kafka trusted more than any other, and it is to Brod, as his literary executor and editor, that we are indebted for rescuing and bringing to light Kafka's work. Out of a lifelong devoted friendship, Brod drew this account of Kafka's youth, family and friends, his struggle to recognize himself as a writer, his sickness, and his last days. Franz Kafka gives us not only a more vivid and lifelike picture of Kafka than that painted by any of his contemporaries, but also a fascinating portrayal of the complicated interaction between two writers of different temperaments but similar backgrounds who together helped shape the future of twentieth-century literature.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #123871 in Books
• Published on: 1995-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Customer Reviews

This is an intelligent and loving biography
You can almost forgive max brod for rifling through his friend's desk and then publishing everything in it against his friend's wishes, for when reading this biography it becomes apparent how much max brod adored kafka as a friend and as a writer. Although only a slim volume, it covers a large section of kafka's life in detail, much of which isn't apparent in his diaries. It also offers intelligent discussion on kafka's writing and how it could be seen as a reflection of how he lived. But best of all, this is a unique biography of kafka because it is written by someone who knew him exceptionally well and often more enjoyable than the detached intellectual analysis that is usually found on the subject of kafka.