Franz Kafka

Profession: Writer

Biography: Franz Kafka was a Bohemian-born Austrian writer, whose work has posthumously become influential in Western literature. Kafka's work is consistently concerned with themes of alienation, existential anxiety, and the absurdity of human life. He created memorably surreal and disorienting landscapes where characters grapple with inexplicable bureaucracies and complex, often seemingly sinister, systems.

Though trained as a lawyer, Kafka's passion lay in writing. He held various jobs to support himself, including working in an insurance company, but he dedicated his free time to writing stories, letters, and journal entries. His notable works include The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle.

The Metamorphosis, published in 1915 and perhaps Kafka's most famous work, tells the story of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect. This unsettling tale explores themes of identity, isolation, and the burden of existence.

The Trial (published posthumously in 1925) is a nightmarish account of a man arrested and prosecuted for an unspecified crime by an inaccessible and seemingly irrational legal system.

The Castle (also posthumously published in 1926) depicts a man's futile quest to reach a castle where he believes he is meant to work, struggling through an overly bureaucratic system that always seems just beyond comprehension.

Kafka's writing style is characterized by its clarity and precision, starkly contrasting with the convoluted scenarios and irrational systems he describes. His ability to depict the struggles of the individual against incomprehensible and unyielding systems has given rise to the term "Kafkaesque," as in Terry Gillam's 1975 film, Brazil.

Throughout his life, Kafka suffered from various ailments including tuberculosis, which led to his premature death at the age of 40 in 1924. He left many of his works incomplete and requested that his close friend Max Brod destroy these manuscripts. Brod, however, disregarded this request and went on to publish and promote them.

Born: July 3, 1883
Birthplace: Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (now Czech Republic)

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Cancer

Died: June 3, 1924 (aged 40)
Cause of Death: Laryngeal tuberculosis