The Complete Works of Franz Kafka

Author: Max Brod
Translator: Ye Tingfang Li Qi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: In the eyes of his lifelong friend Brod: On one hand, his witty words and hearty laughter were almost endless; he loved to laugh and knew how to make his friends laugh. But the scenes depicted in his books, especially in his diaries, were so dark, so different from his ordinary life with them, that it was necessary to use the impressions from his daily life to correct and supplement the author's self-description: When I finished this book in 1937, I had already taken into account the strong reaction it caused by Kafka in the concluding chapter (Chapter 7). This reaction was reflected in many languages, in the comments of such people as Aldous Huxley, André Gide, Hermann Hesse, Martin Buber, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Mann, Franz Werfel, and others. Since then, Kafka's influence has become even stronger, bringing profound impressions to Virginia Woolf, Rebecca West, George Orwell, and many other writers and critics. Kafka's art is unique in many ways, although not every person who considers himself influenced by Kafka or writes about him understands the religious depth and transformative power of his art. It often gives the impression that some people are merely imitating or analyzing the surface of Kafka's method without pursuing its essence. Perhaps this is entirely beyond the reach of some who have spoken so much about him and his art. If humanity could better understand what Kafka's personality and works have revealed to humanity, the situation would be entirely different; thus, the attempt to make Kafka's intentions more effective has not ended with the completion of this book.
Excerpt: The Visit of a Berlin Girl
Yet I finally succeeded in persuading him to work with me for a time. Then he had adapted to a regular writing schedule, overcome his inner obstacles, and struggled out of a period of exhaustion—just as he was writing Richard and Samuel, his own diaries began to flow more richly. The work sometimes pleased him, but only occasionally; and his own ending led him to the thought that Schiller's demand to "transform feelings into personality" was taking place in him. Thus his creative work began to fluctuate greatly, until he wrote The Judgment in one night on September 22–23, 1912, thereby finally breaking through. Kafka shockingly described this night in his diary—I believe that this self-description will always be an important document for understanding what it means to be a true artist. "Only in this way can one write, only under such circumstances, so completely openhearted." At the same time, he gave sharp criticism to the profession that was driving him to despair, but he did not condemn it. The occasion for this sudden breakthrough was the visit of a Berlin girl, F., whose relationship with Franz lasted for five years. "When I went to Brod's house on August 13, she was sitting at the table," the diary begins to narrate this fateful meeting, and then writes the sentence: "Only when I sat down did I look at her more closely, and as soon as I settled in, I made an unshakable judgment."—My diary also records this meeting on August 13, and immediately after the notes from this meeting at my parents' house, it writes: "Café Smetana. Kafka brought the finished book, and I was overjoyed. B.. Then I read The Observation again. With a magic touch. Wednesday, August 14, I sent The Observation to Lowith."
1912 was a decisive year in Kafka's life. Two important events occurred on the same day, August 13. I preserve a short note that Kafka sent the next morning through a courier. This letter shows (apart from other factors) that it is incorrect to see myself merely as the one who pressed for publication and Franz as the one resisting. The letter said: "Good morning, dear Max! Yesterday, while organizing the little articles, I was under the influence of the girl, so I may have made some foolish mistakes, some hidden, humorous inversion of order. Please read it again and add another thank you to the deep gratitude I owe you." Followed by two small corrections. When I returned from Poděbrady on September 29 (where I was working on Intuition and Concept with my friend Felix Weltsch), Franz was waiting for us at the station and immediately talked about the newly completed novella The Judgment, which he was willing to publish in my journal Arcadia. It was indeed published in that single issue (1913)—with a dedication to his fiancée. Immediately after The Judgment, Franz continued to write a long novel, a project he had clearly been working on for a long time but had only now fully embraced. This novel was called The Disappeared—or The American. I quote my diary from that time here.
September 29: "Kafka is in an extreme state of excitement, writing all night. It is a novel set in America."
October 1: "Kafka is in an unbelievable state of excitement."
October 2: "Kafka, driven by inspiration. A chapter completed. I am very happy about it."
October 3: "Kafka, making good progress."
October 6, he read The Judgment and The Stoker (the first chapter of the American novel) to me.
Immediately after that (October 8), there was correspondence between my mother and me (about the planned suicide).
October 14, the great Vienna novelist Otto St?hr (a writer whom Kafka and I particularly admired) came to see me, and the three of us went for a walk in a Prague street.
But the diary entry for October 28 already recorded the bad omen: Kafka wrote a long letter of twenty-two pages to F., his future worries tormenting his heart. From then on, the tragedy of this relationship unfolded (Franz's own diary is missing for the period from October 1912 to February 1913, which is why I have become so engrossed in my diary during this time).
I found this entry in my diary for November 3: "To Baum's, Kafka read there his wonderful Chapter H. He is completely in love with F and very happy. His novel—a magical work."
In this unusually rich end of the year, on November 24, Kafka had already read to us at Baum's "The Glorious Story of the Beetle" (i.e., The Metamorphosis).
Thus, Kafka's three major works were produced between late September and December 1912—that is, in two months, or for the novel, it had a decisive beginning.
In the novella The Judgment, where emotions rage like a storm, the son, though kind and obedient, is perceived by his father as rebellious and devilish, sentenced to "drowning," and, crying out, "Dear parents, I have always loved you!" falls into the river. At first glance, this novella seems clear in terms of psychoanalysis, but on the second and third glance, it is shrouded in mist. About this novella, Franz himself made three remarks. Once was in conversation with me, and I remember that he once suddenly told me: "Do you know what the last sentence means? I was thinking of strong ejaculation."