Kafkaesque Art And The Writings Of Franz Kafka


By Karina Frost


Kafka was a major figure in his day. His writings include several well known publications. Two of these being The Trial and The Metamorphosis. While these are two of his most well known works, he left behind a large body of work at the time of his death. In fact, much of his other works have since been published posthumously. A number of artists have now incorporated images from his writings into work known as kafkaesque art.

Much of this art known as kafkaesque has taken on a horrific, nightmarish effect. Most likely due to the writer's work having delved into the problems of society at the time. As many of the same problems like capitalism and corporate greed still face the world today, it is often said that Kafka was truly insightful and prophetic.

Whether the writer proclaimed to be religious or otherwise, he had a strong belief that if God did exist, he was dead. He did not buy into the stories of the Trinity, the crucifixion or the ascension. Still, he fell short of identifying as Agnostic even though it appeared he did somewhat believe in the existence of a higher power.

Franz Kafka was born to a Germanic Jewish family in Prague. At that time, still the capital of Bohemia. He identified as both Hungarian and Austrian with German being his native tongue. While fluent in German, he also spoke a second language of Czech though it is reported that his Czech dialect and vocabulary could have used a bit of polishing by other writers fluent in the language.

While at Charles University, the writer focused on multiple areas of study. These interests being chemistry, law, science and English. Later, he became involved with a literary group at the school which ignited his interest in writing. He also believed that with the varied knowledge he would gain, there would have more career opportunities than if we were to have only focused on one area of study.

Kafka became quite ill in 1917, he later received a diagnosis of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is an illness that requires a great deal of ongoing convalescent care whether in a home or rehabilitation center. After years of treatment, he later moved to Berlin. It was in Berlin where the writer fell in love with a young Jewish girl. Being he was a Germanic Jew, her mother had reservations but liked Kafka so with the blessing of the young girl's mother, the two were married.

With some artists, anxiety and depression are inspiring conditions. While this is the case, it is both good and bad for the success of artistic works. The writings of Kafka often provide dark horrific images and surreal scenes. Images which can often evoke either a positive or negative reaction.

Franz, like many artists, suffered from anxiety and depression. A diagnosis of tuberculosis came a bit later. While he had a strong disregard for western medicine, he agreed to try several different natural products and treatments. While most worked to his benefit, the unpasteurized milk the writer drank all his life is believed to have been responsible for his tuberculosis. The discovery of dairy causing complications in cold, flu and other breathing conditions in more recent years may indicate the milk may or may not have been the cause.




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