Name: The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories
Rating: 3.797501435956347 (1741 reviews)

Willa Muir

Franz Kafka

The best-known novellas and stories of one of the seminal writers of the twentieth century. Included are "The Judgment", "A Country Doctor", and "A Hunger Artist". New Foreword by Anne Rice.

The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories

Die Verwandlung

Elina Berzina

Franzi

raia – inactive

He was already on the verge of forgetting, and only his mother’s voice, which he had gone so long now without hearing, had shaken him awake.

Luca Stromann

[…] denn ihn hätte man doch in einer passenden Kiste mit ein paar Luftlöchern leicht transportieren können;

Anfangs rief sie ihn auch zu sich herbei, mit Worten, die sie wahrscheinlich für freundlich hielt, wie »Komm mal herüber, alter Mistkäfer!« oder »Seht mal den alten Mistkäfer!«

tuna

The previous morning while the doors were locked everyone had wanted to get in there to him, but now, now that he had opened up one of the doors and the other had clearly been unlocked some time during the day, no-one came, and the keys were in the other sides.

They had been good times and they had never come again, at least not with the same splendour

With a certain definitiveness he sensed, terrified, that everything was about to collapse all around him, and so he waited. 

Oriana andrade

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.

Alison Deaner

It occurred to him how simple everything would be if somebody came to help him.

As nobody could understand him, nobody, not even his sister

Isolation and lack of connection only results in the deterioration of one’s own humanity and sense of self? 

fareez

As he listened to these words of his mother, Gregor understood that the want of any direct human address, in combination with his monotonous life at the heart of the family over the past couple of months, must have confused his understanding, because otherwise he would not have been able to account for the fact that he seriously wanted to have his room emptied out. Was it really his wish to have his cosy room, comfortable furnished with old heirlooms, transformed into a sort of cave, merely so that he would be able to crawl around in it freely, without hindrance in an direction — even at the expense of rapid and utterly forgetting his human past?

My grandfather was in the habit of saying: 'Life is astonishingly brief. By now it is all so condensed in my memory that I can hardly understand, for instance, how a young man can undertake to ride to the neighbouring village without wondering whether - even if everything goes right-the span of a normal happy life will be enough for such a ride.’

Sometimes he looks at me, as if to say: ‘I’ll go with you, father.’ And then I think to myself: ‘You’d be the last man I’d entrust myself to.’ And then his look seems to say: ‘Well, then at least I’ll be the last.’

Mimi

 "How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense"

archie

I am too depressed at the moment, and perhaps I shouldn't be writing at all. But my story's hero has also had a very bad time today, and yet it is only the last lap of his misfortune, which is now becoming permanent.

me when monthly crisis identity and another bunch of sleep medicine relapse hit

n.  littéraire

"I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself."

Context: He heard Grete playing the violin again.

Mdy<3

"Was he an animal, if music could move him so?"

I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.

"Calm —indeed the calmest— reflection might be better than the most confused decisions"

“This fine version, with David Cronenberg’s inspired introduction and the new translator’s beguiling afterword, is, I suspect, the most disturbing though the most comforting of all so far; others will follow, but don’t hesitate: this is the transforming text for you.”—Richard Howard Franz Kafka’s 1915 novella of unexplained horror and nightmarish transformation became a worldwide classic and remains a century later one of the most widely read works of fiction in the world. It is the story of traveling salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous insect. This hugely influential work inspired George Orwell, Albert Camus, Jorge Louis Borges, and Ray Bradbury, while continuing to unsettle millions of readers. In her new translation of Kafka’s masterpiece, Susan Bernofsky strives to capture both the humor and the humanity in this macabre tale, underscoring the ways in which Gregor Samsa’s grotesque metamorphosis is just the physical manifestation of his longstanding spiritual impoverishment.

The Metamorphosis: A New Translation by Susan Bernofsky

in all seriousness, this books speaks to me in a way no other thing can. i have written an essay about this. my first tattoo is inspired by The Metamorphosis. this man is literally me but i hope to have a better ending than him.

kaidao

gregor samsa is so me

in all seriousness, this books speaks to me in a way no other thing can. i have written an essay about this. my first tattoo is inspired by The Metamorphosis. this man is literally me but i hope to have a better ending than him.

Writings by and about Kafka and textual notes accompany his translations of his early twentieth-century work about Gregor Samsa, an ordinary man who wakes up one morning only to discover that he has been transformed into a monstrous insect and must deal with his physical alteration, as well as the alienation from his family. Reprint.

The Metamorphosis

Karpe Diez

From the comfort of our breakfast table, we glance at our offspring and reassert internally the belief that there is nothing we wouldn`t do for them. And, in front of whatever god we happen to bow to, we swear on our soul that we would give our liFe for our loved ones, if need may be. But what if it where for them to undergo a mysterious and grotesque transformation, say, into another species? It would only affect them physiologically but... would we use the inability to talk to them as a pretext not to attempt to investigate into other possible communication ways? Would we just give up on them on the readily adopted assurance that our loved one is no longer in that shell? What a powerful writing, made me think on and off about how utterly lonely we, actually, are. No matter to what extent we surround ourselves by family and so-called friends, in the end, there is nothing that can overcome the loneliness, deep down. Definitely time to read `Solitude` by Maupassant.

A Metamorfose

Li esse num momento de transição na minha vida. Mas quais são os momentos fixos? Os das lembranças?

João Bicalho

Metamorphosis

Acho simplesmente incrível a forma que Franz Kafka escreve o texto, deixando várias coisas de certa forma dúbias abrindo muita discussão e interpretação sobre o livro. Um livro de certa forma "díficil" em minha opinião, porém não como livros de filosofia e sim como algo díficil de você tentar aceitar o que está acontecendo e tentar criar uma compreensão correta do texto. Contudo, assim como Kafka, acredito que ele termina de forma "insatisfatória"

Luca Justo

Yash Khatri

It may have some deeper meaning about absurdity of life but no lies, it's a painfully boring read. Can't see why people like it. Those 100 pages felt like 500.

rissa

It's very dark and the reality just blows your mind 

Skychauhan

La metamorfosis (Die Verwandlung, en su titulo original en aleman) es un relato de Franz Kafka, que narra la historia de Gregorio Samsa, un comerciante de telas que vive con su familia a la que el mantiene con su sueldo, que un buen dia amanece convertido en una criatura no identificada claramente en ningun momento, pero que tiende a ser reconocida como una especie de cucaracha gigante. Breve e intensa, es calificada a veces como "relato existencialista."

La Metamorfosis / The Metamorphosis

🍊

Ao trazer para o universo do cordel a novela fantástica de Franz Kafka, A metamorfose, o poeta João Gomes de Sá fez uma releitura muito particular, com espaço para o devaneio e o sonho. Quero seguir os meus passos, Sem rédeas e sem porteiras, Pois só se vive uma vez E de diversas maneiras, Mas, apesar da emoção, Em briga com a razão Eu quero cruzar fronteiras. A história do caixeiro-viajante que, um dia, acorda memorfoseado num monstruoso inseto, tem gerado inúmeras interpretações e permanece como uma das mais inquietantes criações literárias do nosso tempo.

em cordel

A metamorfose

Yasmim Neves Viana Lima

“A irmã tocou tão lindamente. Seu rosto estava inclinado para um lado e ela seguiu as notas com olhos profundos e penetrantes. Gregor avançou um pouco, mantendo os olhos baixos para que pudessem encontrar os dela. Ele era uma fera se a música podia comovê-lo tanto?” Livro triste e genial

Depois de descobrir, ao despertar, que se transformou num enorme insecto, Gregor Samsa torna-se um objeto repugnante, e é obrigado a esconder-se no interior dos seus aposentos. Pouco a pouco, sob pressão das exigências da vida prática, a família lhe dará cada vez menos atenção, até que um dia, no termino de um episódio particularmente trágico, a irmã declara que têm de deixar de reconhecer Gregor como um dos seus.

Metamorfose

It is possible to understand how our family, society, and even we ourselves view us based on the logic of work—as if our value were intrinsic to what we can produce.

Sosozinha

Metamorphosis ทำให้เราตั้งคำถามว่า ถ้าวันหนึ่งรูปลักษณ์ของเราเปลี่ยนไปจนกลายเป็นสิ่งที่น่ารังเกียจ แต่จิตใจข้างในยังคงเป็นเรา ความรัก ความหวังดี และความรู้สึกที่มีต่อคนรอบข้างยังเหมือนเดิม แต่คนรอบข้างเรานั้นจะยังมองเราเป็นคนเดิมอยู่ไหม

เมื่อรูปลักษณ์และคุณค่าที่เรามอบให้กับคนอื่นหายไป สิ่งที่เหลืออยู่คือคำถามว่า คนที่บอกว่ารักเรานั้น รัก “เรา” จริงๆ หรือรักเพียงสิ่งที่เราสามารถเป็นให้พวกเขาได้ 

นี้จึงเป็นวรรณกรรมเซอร์เรียลที่หดหู่และเจ็บปวดอีกเรื่องนึงที่แนะนำให้ลองอ่าน

ภัคพล ทองทิพย์

Metamorphosis ทำให้เราตั้งคำถามว่า ถ้าวันหนึ่งรูปลักษณ์ของเราเปลี่ยนไปจนกลายเป็นสิ่งที่น่ารังเกียจ แต่จิตใจข้างในยังคงเป็นเรา ความรัก ความหวังดี และความรู้สึกที่มีต่อคนรอบข้างยังเหมือนเดิม แต่คนรอบข้างเรานั้นจะยังมองเราเป็นคนเดิมอยู่ไหม

เมื่อรูปลักษณ์และคุณค่าที่เรามอบให้กับคนอื่นหายไป สิ่งที่เหลืออยู่คือคำถามว่า คนที่บอกว่ารักเรานั้น รัก “เรา” จริงๆ หรือรักเพียงสิ่งที่เราสามารถเป็นให้พวกเขาได้ 

นี้จึงเป็นวรรณกรรมเซอร์เรียลที่หดหู่และเจ็บปวดอีกเรื่องนึงที่แนะนำให้ลองอ่าน

Fue un libro que me cambió la perspectiva, de verdad ya no es igual después de leerlo, me veo de muchas maneras , en muchos momentos como Gregorio y trato de ser consciente 

Yismeray Pool

Sinny

Such of a burden of a story, que libro tan aburrido y tedioso.

The premise: Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and he's a bug. Kafka doesnt explain how or why he just drops you into it and makes you live inside Gregors new body while everything around him slowly falls apart. The writing is so calm and matter of fact  the horror really just sneaks up on you.

Seeing how family and friends can change when you're no longer useful and productive is what really got me, the entire transformation. 

Its short but quite contemplative. I kept thinking about how many people feel like the insect in their own lives trapped and misunderstood and slowly becoming invisible to the people who are supposed to care.

Not a particularly fun read but definitely an important one. If you've ever felt like you woke up one day and didn'trecognize your place in the world anymore this one might hit a little too close to home.

TRIZAH CHERONO

The premise: Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning and he's a bug. Kafka doesnt explain how or why he just drops you into it and makes you live inside Gregors new body while everything around him slowly falls apart. The writing is so calm and matter of fact  the horror really just sneaks up on you.

Seeing how family and friends can change when you're no longer useful and productive is what really got me, the entire transformation. 

Its short but quite contemplative. I kept thinking about how many people feel like the insect in their own lives trapped and misunderstood and slowly becoming invisible to the people who are supposed to care.

Not a particularly fun read but definitely an important one. If you've ever felt like you woke up one day and didn'trecognize your place in the world anymore this one might hit a little too close to home.

🤎

"Boy, wait 'till I tell the boys on the subreddit about this pickle I'm in."

Very descriptive and extremely well written. This book does make you think about so many cases where one's value comes solely from their work and is viewed as worthless without it. Just a sprinkle of endless love is what someone needs to live and thrive. The english teachers would certainly love this book considering the hidden meanings behind this novel hahah.

Aarush Arora

Very descriptive and extremely well written. This book does make you think about so many cases where one's value comes solely from their work and is viewed as worthless without it. Just a sprinkle of endless love is what someone needs to live and thrive. The english teachers would certainly love this book considering the hidden meanings behind this novel hahah.

Highly recommended for young readers.

Kafka classic; 2nd best by him, subjectively.

Keisha Vincent

Teratak Publication

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a real classic. You should grab it and read it to experience it yourself. Here's a simple plot to The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a "monstrous vermin". He initially considers the transformation to be temporary and slowly ponders the consequences of this metamorphosis. Unable to get up and leave the bed, Gregor reflects on his job as a traveling salesman and cloth merchant, which he characterizes as an exhausting and never-ending traffic. He sees his employer as a despot and would quickly quit his job were he not his family's sole breadwinner and working off his bankrupt father's debts. While trying to move, Gregor finds that his office manager, the chief clerk, has shown up to check on him, indignant about Gregor's unexcused absence. Gregor attempts to communicate with both the manager and his family, but all they can hear from behind the door is incomprehensible vocalizations. Gregor laboriously drags himself across the floor and opens the door. The manager, upon seeing the transformed Gregor, flees the apartment. Gregor's family is horrified, and his father drives him back into his room under the threat of violence. With Gregor's unexpected incapacitation, the family is deprived of their financial stability. Although Gregor's sister Grete now shies away from the sight of him, she takes to supplying him with food, which they find he can only eat rotten. Gregor begins to accept his new identity and begins crawling on the floor, walls and ceiling. Discovering Gregor's new pastime, Grete decides to remove some of the furniture to give Gregor more space. She and her mother begin taking furniture away, but Gregor finds their actions deeply distressing. He desperately tries to save a particularly-loved portrait on the wall of a woman clad in fur. His mother loses consciousness at the sight of Gregor clinging to the image to protect it. As Grete rushes to assist her mother, Gregor follows her and is hurt by a medicine bottle falling on his face. His father returns home from work and angrily tosses apples at Gregor. One of them is lodged into a sensitive spot in his back and severely wounds him. Gregor suffers from his injuries for several weeks and takes very little food. He is increasingly neglected by his family and his room becomes used for storage. To secure their livelihood, the family takes three tenants into their apartment. The cleaning lady alleviates Gregor's isolation by leaving his door open for him on the evenings that the tenants eat out. One day, his door is left open despite the presence of the tenants. Gregor, attracted by Grete's violin-playing in the living room, crawls out of his room and is spotted by the unsuspecting tenants, who complain about the apartment's unhygienic conditions and cancel their tenancy. Grete, who has by now become tired of taking care of Gregor and is realizing the burden his existence puts on each one in the family, tells her parents they must get rid of "it", or they will all be ruined. Gregor, understanding that he is no longer wanted, dies of starvation before the next sunrise. The relieved and optimistic family take a tram ride out to the countryside, and decide to move to a smaller apartment to further save money. During this short trip, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa realize that, in spite of going through hardships which have brought an amount of paleness to her face, Grete appears to have grown up into a pretty and well-figured lady, which leads her parents to think about finding her a husband. ... ... The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

New Edition - The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Chanel

Waking up as a "monstrous verminous bug" would be quite a shock to anyone, and for Gregor, in facing this change, he must confront many things, particularly the toll it will take on his family in financial and relational aspects. His family's dedication and love for their son and brother allow us to join them on their journey through struggles, ultimately leading to their acceptance and overcoming of the situation in light of Gregor's change. Sometimes, change isn't always the best thing, but regardless, it is necessary for growth. It is a moving tale that will leave you contemplating the implications that changes have had on you and your life, both internally and externally.

Mery

A bit wordy and academic which doesn’t make for the smoothest read as well as an abrupt ending, because it’s old text it’s very similar to watching an old film, it can be a tad difficult to connect with a time period that feels alien. However the metaphor is power and emotionally pro active through out - a challenge for an amateur reader like myself

Jake Franklin

"I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself. " mmmhhhhhhhmmm *

james

"I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself. " mmmhhhhhhhmmm *nod  *nod

Liza

One of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century, The Metamorphosis finds traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, inexplicably transformed into a large, monstrous insect-like creature.

The Metamorphosis (Legend Classics)

ajay ilangovan

idk, highly relatable stuff that delves in deeply once you finish it even though it might have felt something absurdly simple at the start. heavy .

The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories

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