Franz Kafka — Short Works

Fragmentary; multiple versions

"Description of a Struggle" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It contains the dialogues "Conversation with the Supplicant" and "Conversation with the Drunk".

"The Aeroplanes at Brescia" is a short story by Franz Kafka published, in slightly shortened form, in the newspaper Bohemia on 29 September 1909. It describes an airshow near the Italian city of Brescia, which Kafka saw with two of his friends during their journey to Italy. Among other participants, they saw Louis Blériot, the aviator famous for the first flight across the English Channel. The story is lively and witty, as Kafka was fascinated by the airshow. It is also the first description of aeroplanes in German literature.

"The Judgment", also translated "The Verdict", is a short story written by Franz Kafka in 1912, concerning the relationship between a man and his father.

The Metamorphosis, also translated as The Transformation, is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, The Metamorphosis tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and struggles to adjust to this condition, as does his family. The novella has been widely discussed among literary critics, who have offered varied interpretations. In popular culture and adaptations of the novella, the insect is commonly depicted as a cockroach.

"Before the Law" is a short story by Czech writer Franz Kafka. It was printed twice during Kafka's life, but is best known as an embedded narrative in the posthumously published novel The Trial. In the novel, "Before the Law" is delivered as a parable by a priest who stands in judgement over the protagonist’s case. The tale is offered as an allegorical explanation of Joseph K.’s guilt. Given that the precise nature of K.’s crime has never been explained to him by the court, the parable is offered in place of naming the crime of which he has been accused or as a substitute for an outline of the charges stacked against him.

"A Report to an Academy" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written and published in 1917. In the story, an ape named Red Peter, who has learned to behave like a human, presents to an academy the story of how he effected his transformation. The story was first published by Martin Buber in the German monthly Der Jude, along with another of Kafka's stories, "Jackals and Arabs". The story appeared again in a 1919 collection titled Ein Landarzt.

A country doctor is a physician who works with a rural health focus, out in the country. In many regions the town-and-country distinction no longer corresponds to large differences in practice patterns.

"Jackals and Arabs" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written and published in 1917. The story was first published by Martin Buber in the German monthly Der Jude. It appeared again in the collection Ein Landarzt in 1919.

"Up in the Gallery" is a short piece of fiction written by Franz Kafka. It was created between November 1916 and February 1917 and published in the collection Ein Landarzt in 1919. The story offers two versions of a scene in which a young man watches a circus ringmaster and a woman on horseback.

"The Next Village" is a short story by Franz Kafka written between 1917 and 1923. The story presents a grandfather's comment that life is too short even to get to the neighbouring village.

"The Cares of a Family Man" is a short story by Franz Kafka, originally written in German, between 1914 and 1917 about an entity called Odradek.

"A Visit to a Mine" is a short story by Franz Kafka. The story is told by a narrator who is planning the drilling of a mine. It opens with orders from above to the workers around the mine. The narrator details the elaborate rank and file system among the workers. There are ten engineers and nine of them have specified functions. For example, one measures the area of the tunnel, while another follows him, preparing to drill. There is a suggestion that within the bureaucratic structure there is a lack of efficiency. At least one engineer serves to answer the question that "another does not want to ask." The story ends with the narrator and the other engineers, taking notes, inspecting, and measuring.

"A Dream" is a short story by Franz Kafka. The narrator describes a dream in which Joseph K. is walking through a cemetery. There are tombstones around him, and the setting is typically misty and dim. Soon he sees someone carving a name on a stone, and as he approaches he notices that it is his own name.

"Eleven Sons" is a short story by Franz Kafka.

"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, revised in November 1918, and first published in October 1919.

"The Bucket Rider" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written in 1917. It first appeared in the Prager Presse in 1921 and was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation, by Willa and Edwin Muir, was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It also appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"First Sorrow" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was probably written between the fall of 1921 and the spring of 1922. It appeared in Kurt Wolff Verlag's art periodical Genius, III no. 2 and in the Christmas 1923 supplement to the Prager Presse. The story was included in the collection A Hunger Artist published by Verlag Die Schmiede soon after Kafka's death.

"A Hunger Artist" is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in Die neue Rundschau in 1922. The story was also included in the collection A Hunger Artist, the last book Kafka prepared for publication, which was printed by Verlag Die Schmiede shortly after his death. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is typically Kafkaesque: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. "A Hunger Artist" explores themes such as death, art, isolation, asceticism, spiritual poverty, futility, personal failure and the corruption of human relationships. The title of the story has also been translated as "A Fasting-artist" and "A Starvation Artist".

"A Little Woman" is a short story by Franz Kafka written between December 1923 and the end of January 1924. It was first published in the Easter supplement of Prager Tagblatt on 20 April 1924. During his final illness Kafka corrected the proofs of the story for the inclusion into collection A Hunger Artist published by Verlag Die Schmiede after his death.

"Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk", also translated as "Josephine, the Singer, or The Mouse People", is the last short story written by Franz Kafka. It deals with the relationship between an artist and her audience. The story was included in the collection A Hunger Artist published by Verlag Die Schmiede soon after Kafka's death.

"The Great Wall of China" is a short story by Franz Kafka. While written in 1917, it was not published until 1930, seven years after his death. Its first publication occurred in Der Morgen, a German literary magazine. A year later, Max Brod included it in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer, the first posthumous collection of short stories by Franz Kafka.

"Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor" is an incomplete story by Franz Kafka. Likely written circa 1915, it first appeared in 1936 in the collection Beschreibung eines Kampfes.

"The Married Couple" is a 1922 short story by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"The Silence of the Sirens" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was not published until 1931, seven years after his death. Max Brod selected stories and published them in the collection Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"The Departure" is a short story by Franz Kafka. Precisely when it was written is unknown, but it was probably sometime between February 1920 and February 1921. It was published only posthumously, appearing in Beschreibung eines Kampfes: Novellen, Skizzen, Aphorismen aus dem Nachlaß in 1936. Max Brod edited the volume, and is credited with giving this piece its name.

Posthumous

A burrow is a hole made by an animal.

"The Vulture" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written sometime between 1917 and 1923.

The Warden of the Tomb is an expressionist play by Franz Kafka. Written in the winter of 1916–1917, it was published for the first time in Description of a Struggle.

Posthumous

"The Hunter Gracchus" is a short story by Franz Kafka. The story presents a boat carrying the long-dead Hunter Gracchus as it arrives at a port. The mayor of Riva meets Gracchus, who gives him an account of his death while hunting, and explains that he is destined to wander aimlessly and eternally over the seas. An additional fragment presents an extended dialogue between Gracchus and an unnamed interviewer, presumably the same mayor.

“The Top” is a short story by Franz Kafka, likely written between 1917 and 1923. It concerns a philosopher's futile attempt to understand the world.

"My Neighbor" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was written in 1917 and published in 1931 in Berlin by Max Brod and Hans-Joachim Schoeps. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"The Helmsman" is a short story by Franz Kafka, written sometime between 1917 and 1923. The story deals with a man who is deposed from his role as a helmsman and complains that his shipmates refuse to help him regain his rightful position.

"The Refusal", also known as "Unser Städtchen liegt …", is a short story by Franz Kafka. Written in the autumn of 1920, it was not published in Kafka's lifetime.

"The Bridge" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"The Test" is a short story by Franz Kafka that comprises a conversation between two men. The titular test, which has been described as an exercise in "question questioning", is a mental exercise by one of the conversants, who sees whether the other behaves the way he expects.

"The Conscription of Troops" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It details the process of organizing troops for combat. First, every citizen reports to their homes, then the chief inspects each residence to ensure that every member of the house is at home and that the people who are fit for service are registered. Then a young woman from another town goes to a house, dressed up in order to be noticed by the chief. She is apparently looking for a suitor. However, he pays no attention to her and later she is struck by one of his soldiers. The narrator states no one from other towns, and especially no woman, is to be conscripted.

"The Truth about Sancho Panza" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was published in 1931, seven years after the death of Kafka. Max Brod selected stories and published them in the collection Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China: Stories and Reflections.

"A Common Confusion" is a short story by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"A Crossbreed" is a short story by Franz Kafka.

Posthumous

"Investigations of a Dog" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in 1922. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. In 1946 it was published by Schocken Books in The Great Wall of China: Stories and Reflections. Told from the perspective of a dog, the story concerns the nature and limits of knowledge, by way of the dog's inquiries into the practices of his culture.

"Advocates" is a prose piece by Franz Kafka, probably written between February 1920 and February 1921, but not published until 1936, after Kafka's death. It is a monologue describing the difficulty and the necessity of finding advocates, or people to speak for the narrator.

"Fellowship" is a short story by Franz Kafka. Five people appear to enjoy being a group, but when a sixth person hopes to join, he is refused admittance. He perseveres, and after some time the others come to respect his interest in the group, but they still reject him. In his Letters to Felice Kafka referred to the story as autobiographical in nature.

"Homecoming" is a short story by Franz Kafka. A young man returns home and finds that his father does not express any feelings towards him. He recognizes the familiar terrain, such as his family's farm, but feels like a stranger. He stands at the door waiting, and feels a dread as it becomes apparent that he will always be on the outskirts both of his family and of his community.

"At Night" is a very short story by Franz Kafka written in his notebooks.

"Poseidon" is a fragment of a story by Franz Kafka, published in the German collection, Beschreibung eines Kampfes, by Max Brod, in 1936. The story was included in the collection translated into English in 1958 by Tania and James Stern, and in a collection translated into English in 2024 by Mark Harman.

"On Parables" is a short story fragment by Franz Kafka. It was not published until 1931, seven years after his death. Max Brod selected stories and published them in the collection Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

"The Problem of Our Laws" is a short parable by Franz Kafka. It was published posthumously in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer. The first English translation by Willa and Edwin Muir was published by Martin Secker in London in 1933. It appeared in The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections.

Unfinished