Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman who supports his parents and his sister Grete, wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect. His first worry is missing his train. As the family realizes he cannot leave his bedroom, the manager comes to the door, the lodgers move in, and Gregor's relatives gradually shift from pity to disgust and finally to relief. Kafka tells it in plain, flat prose that makes the impossible event feel like a household problem.
A short novella for readers curious about modern literature's most famous strange story. You can read it in an afternoon, and it leaves a lot to discuss: work, family duty, alienation, and how quickly love can turn conditional.
Deep, inward-looking, contemplative, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Wisdom Collector. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2000
- Publisher
- Gallimard
- ISBN
- 9782070414376
- Language
- FR
