The CastleFranz Kafka's final novel tells the haunting tale of a man known only as K. and of his relentless, unavailing struggle with an inscrutable authority in order to gain entrance to the Castle. Although Kafka seemed to consider "The Castle" a failure, critics, in wrestling with its enigmatic meaning, have recognized it as one of the great novels of our century. Unfinished at Kafka's death in 1924, the manuscript of "The Castle" was edited for publication by Kafka's friend and literary executor, Max Brod. Both Brod's edition and the English-language translation of it that was prepared by Willa and Edwin Muir in 1930 have long been considered flawed. This new edition of Kafka's terrifying and comic masterpiece is the product of an international team of experts who went back to Kafka's original manuscript and notes to create an edition that is as close as possible to the way the author left it. The "Times Literary Supplement" hailed their work, saying that it will "decisively alter our understanding of Kafka and render previous editions obsolete." Mark Harman's brilliant translation closely follows the fluidity and breathlessness of the sparsely punctuated original manuscript, revealing levels of comedy, energy, and visual power that have not been previously accessible to English-language readers. W. H. Auden likened Kafka to Dante, Shakespeare, and Goethe as the single most important writer of his age. Here, in this new edition, is a Kafka for the twenty-first century. |
Contents
HOMAGE by Thomas Mann ix | 3 |
Continuation of the Manuscript | 415 |
The Passages Deleted by the Author | 429 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
able actually affair already Amalia answer asked asked K assistants bar counter Barnabas Barnabas's Brunswick Bürgel Castellan Castle cerned certainly chambermaid clothes course cried dare door dress Erlanger everything eyes face fact father favor files Franz Kafka Frieda gaze gentleman Gerstäcker girl Gisa give glance hand Hans's happened hear Herr Herrenhof hope Jeremiah keep Klamm knew Land-Surveyor landlady landlord laughed least letter listen longer look matter Max Brod Mayor means messenger Momus mother never night nodded notice official Olga once Pepi perhaps possible probably protocol question replied round Schwarzer secretary seemed seen servant silence simply sitting sleep sleigh smile Sortini speak standing stay summons talk taproom teacher tell there's thing thought tion tired told took trying turned understand village waiting whole words