Product Description

Josef K. awakes one morning to find himself arrested. The nature of his crime is not revealed to him, neither is the date of his trial. Despite his now criminal status, he is, however, granted the right to continue as normal, on the condition that he report to court on a regular basis. And so begins Josef K.'s new life. But as time passes, and as nothing is resolved, his fate, like the world around him, becomes increasingly uncertain. Stifled by the helplessness of his situation, he makes a desperate bid to regain control - little knowing that this can lead only to tragedy. 'Those who defend the process ...may offer absurd arguments but they also state the case as clearly as it can be stated. All the humour of Kafka lies here, in the logical pursuit of absurd arguments.' - from the Foreword by Zadie Smith

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #816164 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-29
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

About the Author
Franz Kafka (1883-1924) is a leading figure in twentieth-century literature. His remarkable narrative style has had enormous influence on many subsequent writers. Zadie Smith is the acclaimed young author of The Autograph Man and White Teeth, which has been translated into over twenty languages since its publication in 2000.

Customer Reviews

A book that puts other authors on trial - to equal it
Hesperus Press has developed a name for publishing classics, both famous and obscure, in fine quality paperback format, with introductions by well-known modern writers. This new translation of The Trial (tr. Richard Stokes) is an excellent addition to the range and is a pleasure to own and read. Book lovers will appreciate the high quality paper and type-setting, quite apart from the fine translation and the informative introduction by Zadie Smith.

However, irrespective of the excellent presenation, this novel is an essential read in itself. As you read it you will recognise echoes of so many books that came after it later in the 20th century, and were so obviously influenced. For myself, my thoughts kept turning to Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled, which takes Kafka's dreamlike (nightmarish!) narrative and develops it into a considerably wider scoped, but still derivatative, novel of his own.

Joseph K is above all "ordinary man", subject to the capricious whims of a state justice system whose agendas are hidden and fluid, allowing its officers to descent on citizens and arrest them for no apparent reason. It is the slowness of the process which dominates the book - Joseph K is arrested but free to go about his daily life, going to work and mixing with friends, but with the knowledge of his impending trial hanging over him. Slowly, his plight effects more and more of his life, and his attempts to find out what he is accused of turn into a cruel and unresolvable obsession. The book is about guilt, for are we are all ultimately living with the knowledge that somewhere in our lives there will be areas where we have fallen short of the mark and deserve retribution.

This is a compelling novel, surely a landmark of the 20th century, a must-read for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure already. Hesperus have done us all a favour in publishing such an excellent version of The Trial at a realistic price.