Quick Facts
Kafka: Master of the absurd, "The Metamorphosis" and existential dread.
Conversation Starters
Life Journey
Franz Kafka was born to Hermann and Julie Kafka in Prague, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father was a successful businessman, and his mother was a homemaker.
Kafka begins his education at the German-language Gymnasium in Prague, a prestigious secondary school that prepared students for university. He excelled in literature and languages.
Kafka enrolls at Charles University in Prague, initially studying chemistry before switching to law. He also joins the literary club Lese- und Redehalle der Deutschen Studenten.
Kafka graduates with a doctorate in law from Charles University. He completes his thesis on the development of the concept of liability in German commercial law.
Kafka starts working at the Workers' Accident Insurance Institute in Prague, a job that provides financial stability but leaves him time for writing.
Kafka meets Felice Bauer, a Berlin-based saleswoman, and begins a long-distance relationship. He also starts writing 'The Judgment,' a novella that marks a significant turning point in his literary career.
Kafka's novella 'The Metamorphosis' is published, receiving critical acclaim and establishing him as a unique and influential writer. The story explores themes of alienation and transformation.
Kafka is diagnosed with tuberculosis, a disease that will plague him for the rest of his life. He takes a leave of absence from work and spends time in sanatoriums, often writing during his convalescence.
Kafka becomes engaged to Dora Diamant, a young woman from a Hasidic family, but the relationship is short-lived and they break off the engagement. This period is marked by personal turmoil and intense writing.
Kafka moves to Berlin with Dora Diamant, hoping to escape the demands of his family and job in Prague. In Berlin, he focuses on his writing and begins a new relationship with Dora.
Franz Kafka dies of tuberculosis in a sanatorium in Kierling, near Vienna, Austria. Despite his relatively small published output, his work has a profound impact on 20th-century literature.