Name: The Trial
Rating: 3.805218446601942 (412 reviews)

Willa Muir

Franz Kafka

Narrates the experiences and reactions of a respectable bank functionary after his abrupt arrest on an undisclosed charge

The Trial

Der Prozeß

Annabelle Gauthier

 Nevertheless, within these limits there is room to live, and for this reason I shall probably exploit them to a despicable degree.

 I can't endure worry, and perhaps have been created expressly in order to die of it. 

APRIL 27. [. .] Incapable of living with people, of speaking. Complete immersion in myself, thinking of myself. Apathetic, witless, fearful. I have nothing to say to anyone -never.

Lawton

Թեև տրամաբանությունն անսասան է, բայց ապրել ուզեցող մարդուն չի հակառակվի

The classic, darkly comic novel with “striking parallels to Orwell’s 1984” by the author of The Metamorphosis (The Guardian). Written during the first months of World War I, but still unpublished at the time of author Franz Kafka’s death, The Trial follows the tribulations of a bank clerk named Josef K. When Josef is arrested by two unidentified agents for an unidentified crime, he maintains his innocence while being dragged under the slow wheels of bureaucracy . . . “Kafka’s writing accurately captures the feel of a worker trapped in bureaucratic servitude. In the mind of a bureaucrat, appearances are more important than explanations. Accusations that threaten to ruin lives are looked at frivolously by everyone except the accused. The horror of K’s story in The Trial is he can never quite come to understand what he has done wrong and why it is everyone assumes he will eventually be found guilty.” —Medium “The Trial is deeply thought-provoking in its uncomfortable presentation of a world where people are observed by secret police and suddenly arrested, reflecting the social turmoil in Europe around the time Kafka wrote it in 1914. . . . As such, fans of fiction which presents a disturbingly realistic alternative world ruled by oppression would enjoy The Trial.” —The Guardian

The trial

ikkychan

To think that someone could write a nightmarishly complex and at the same time utterly bizarre tale such as this in the 20's is quite revolutionary. I mean, if I were to actually live around that era and somehow got my hand on a copy of Kafka's work over my afternoon tea, I would left befuddled and scratched my not-so-itchy side head. "Could someone actually write something like this?" "Could a story be actually written like this??" I'd go around and around in never ending puzzlement. 'The Trial' is one-of-a-kind writing which totally swept me off of my feet from the first chapter. I didn't get any heads-up when I bought my second-hand copy from a book shop; I only heard his name mentioned in Murakami's work, 'Kafka on the Shore'. The book got me hooked on the name and drove me into an impulsive buying. It was the beginning of an awfully thrilling adventure. "What kind of a weird, surreal world have I got myself into here...??" I heard my voice uttering this question over and over in my head as I run through the chapters. Kafka's waywardness of narrative style has its rare, illogical quality which dazzled me for days. The story involved around a young man named Joseph K. who all of a sudden find himself in a situation where he was arrested and must defend himself against the accusation he was charged into. As to what the accusation was, or who in fact accused him, or what legal conduct can he do to defend himself---there's absolutely no certain information to that. The absurdity doesn't leave at that; apparently in Kafka's world, the court have the ability to pop up unannounced anywhere in the city---in the attic of an apartment, residential tenements, even in a lumber-room of Joseph K.'s office building---and he's not even working for the court! The helplessness of the situation, these fightings against totalitarian and almighty power that is the court, has left our once hopeful, optimistic and righteous hero deprived of all his energy and virtue, only to meet a dead end for the finale.

The Trial (German: Der Process) is a novel by Franz Kafka about a character named Josef K., who awakens one morning and, for reasons never revealed, is arrested and prosecuted for an unspecified crime. According to Kafka's friend Max Brod, the author never finished the novel and wrote in his will that it was to be destroyed. After his death, Brod went against Kafka's wishes and edited The Trial into what he felt was a coherent novel and had it published in 1925.

Marija

i simply adored surrealism in the book, and all the labyrints i imagined reading this... =)

The last work of Franz Kafka, I understand what he was trying to pursue: explaining about the poor functioning of the judiciary showing the parabola of power. However, this book just didn't hit the way it should; its rather decent and rather boring. I expected much more from this book and I feel rather let down.

To each their own, but this isnt something I enjoyed, I'm sorry.

Aarush Arora

The last work of Franz Kafka, I understand what he was trying to pursue: explaining about the poor functioning of the judiciary showing the parabola of power. However, this book just didn't hit the way it should; its rather decent and rather boring. I expected much more from this book and I feel rather let down.
To each their own, but this isnt something I enjoyed, I'm sorry.

Written in 1914, The Trial is one of the most important novels of the twentieth century: the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, Kafka's nightmare has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers. This new edition is based upon the work of an international team of experts who have restored the text, the sequence of chapters, and their division to create a version that is as close as possible to the way the author left it. In his brilliant translation, Breon Mitchell masterfully reproduces the distinctive poetics of Kafka's prose, revealing a novel that is as full of energy and power as it was when it was first written.

A New Translation Based on the Restored Text

Decent work by Kafka, a great depiction of an unavoidable system and fate. 

Joseph

Decent work by Kafka, a great depiction of an unavoidable system and fate. 



Un día al despertarse Josef K. descubre dos hombres vestidos estrafalariamente, que vienen a arritarle, en nombre de un misterioso tribunal.....

El proceso

Me gustó pero se me hizo medio denso de leer, destaco el capítulo de la catedral que me parece magnífico, el final es, lógicamente kafkiano y te toma ligeramente desprevenido. Se nota bastante el intento de self insert fantasioso por parte de Kafka, lo cual le resta puntos al libro pero le suma a él como persona por tipazo

luca

J'ai beaucoup aimé même si ce n'est pas mon préféré de Kafka. Néanmoins l'histoire et la morale restent intéressantes et touchantes quand on connaît le contexte historique derrière cet écrit  

♡ 

Define Kafkaesque. ;) What hit me hardest while reading it was how guilt becomes part of K's identity, he starts out resisting but overtime gives in to the system, until he dies 'like a dog.' Maybe, Kafka's tryna tell you that guilt and powerlessness are baked into our existence(?). 

Grundlos wird Josef K. an seinem 30. Geburtstag verhaftet und verhört. Die Umstände sind grotesk, niemand kennt das Gesetz, und das Gericht bleibt anonym. Die 'Schuld', erfährt Josef K., hafte ihm an, ohne dass er dagegen etwas tun könne. Verbissen, aber erfolglos versucht er, sich gegen die zunehmende Absurdität und Verstrickung zu wehren, schlägt jede Warnung vor weiterer Gegenwehr in den Wind und wird schließlich ein Jahr später vor den Toren der Stadt exekutiert.

Roman

Der Prozess

Dieses Buch habe ich angefangen, um endlich herauszufinden, was an Kafka dran ist. Ich hatte auch keine hohen Erwartungen, weil ich schon von Anfang an sehr skeptisch war. 

In dem Buch verfolgen wir einen Mann, der aus heiterem Himmel verurteilt wird, der aber nicht weis warum und wie er den Prozess überhaupt gewinnen kann. Wir als Leser wissen durch das gesamte Buch hindurch auch nicht mehr als der Protagonist selbst, weshalb das der Geschichte einen Spannungseffekt gab. Das war auch leider die einzige Sache, die ich an dem Buch loben kann. Ja, es ist sehr skurril und surreal, was es auch ausmacht, und auch Kafkas Art ausmacht. Als Leser will man genau wie der Protagonist die ganze Zeit Antworten erhalten, doch man bekommt sie nicht und am Ende des Buches fragt man sich, was der Sinn dieser Geschichte eigentlich war. Und genau das soll wohl Kafka auch ausmachen, das bedrückende, hilflose, ohnmächtige Gefühl, gegenüber einer höheren Macht oder einem System, welches so korrupt und nicht zu finden ist, dass man letztendlich aufgibt. Das Thema selbst, also das hilflose Gefühl, dem nicht-Wissen und im Gegensatz zu dieser starken Überlegenheit und Macht des anderen finde ich eigentlich interessant, aber weil es keine Auflösung gab, was ja auch der Sinn ist, dass es keine gibt, fand ich es dann einfach „unnötig“. Es war für mich nicht zufriedenstellend, und das Verständnis, warum Leute Kafka so mögen, ist zu mir noch nicht durchgedrungen. 

Aber wenigstens kann ich dann mit reden höhö. Achso, und, wichtiger Punkt, Kafka schreibt sehr sexualisierend und objektifizierend über Frauen, auch sehr herabwürdigend, was mich aufgeregt hat. Heist, noch mehr Punkt Abzüge. 

Mariam Raji

Dieses Buch habe ich angefangen, um endlich herauszufinden, was an Kafka dran ist. Ich hatte auch keine hohen Erwartungen, weil ich schon von Anfang an sehr skeptisch war. 

In dem Buch verfolgen wir einen Mann, der aus heiterem Himmel verurteilt wird, der aber nicht weis warum und wie er den Prozess überhaupt gewinnen kann. Wir als Leser wissen durch das gesamte Buch hindurch auch nicht mehr als der Protagonist selbst, weshalb das der Geschichte einen Spannungseffekt gab. Das war auch leider die einzige Sache, die ich an dem Buch loben kann. Ja, es ist sehr skurril und surreal, was es auch ausmacht, und auch Kafkas Art ausmacht. Als Leser will man genau wie der Protagonist die ganze Zeit Antworten erhalten, doch man bekommt sie nicht und am Ende des Buches fragt man sich, was der Sinn dieser Geschichte eigentlich war. Und genau das soll wohl Kafka auch ausmachen, das bedrückende, hilflose, ohnmächtige Gefühl, gegenüber einer höheren Macht oder einem System, welches so korrupt und nicht zu finden ist, dass man letztendlich aufgibt. Das Thema selbst, also das hilflose Gefühl, dem nicht-Wissen und im Gegensatz zu dieser starken Überlegenheit und Macht des anderen finde ich eigentlich interessant, aber weil es keine Auflösung gab, was ja auch der Sinn ist, dass es keine gibt, fand ich es dann einfach „unnötig“. Es war für mich nicht zufriedenstellend, und das Verständnis, warum Leute Kafka so mögen, ist zu mir noch nicht durchgedrungen. 

Aber wenigstens kann ich dann mit reden höhö. Achso, und, wichtiger Punkt, Kafka schreibt sehr sexualisierend und objektifizierend über Frauen, auch sehr herabwürdigend, was mich aufgeregt hat. Heist, noch mehr Punkt Abzüge. 

Իր տեսակով հետաքրքիր ստեղծագործություն էր, որն որոշակի իմաստային թել էր ենթատեքստով ներկայացնում ողջ աշխատության մեջ։ Հաճախ տարըմբռնելի, սպասողական, անորոշության և ճնշման մեջ դնող, պատասխաններ ստանալու ակնկալիքով համակված այս վիպակը գլխավոր հերոսի՝ որպես համակարգի զոհի «կուլ գնալու» պատմությունն էր, որտեղ ստրուկտուալիզմն էր իշխում ինդիվիդումի վրա։

Wished he kept working on it, the ending really came out of nowhere 

Lukas

Un tutorial sobre cómo ser culpable sin saber por qué

Oliver

Booooring. I think I’m a masochistic for finishing this book. 

Nelson Álvarez 

i dont think this book is my cup of tea.... 

Tedious and winding, but deftly navigates its admittedly boring subject matter with witty and clever bureaucratic satire. Actually hilarious, laughed out loud a few times. Kinda like a warped Office Space for our great great grandparents’ generation. I wish Kafka had the balls to finish it. Could’ve been one of the greatest novels ever written. 

Miles Silverstein

Rocío de la Hera

Tips: 
•Si no lo lees desde el humor te va a parecer insufrible.
•Sentir que es lo más opresivo y sofocante que leíste y querer hacer otra cosa cada vez que lo abrís: es parte del proceso. Se lee lento, no queda otra. 
•Si la pasas mal, es parte, a fin de cuentas el chabón te está diciendo que somos todos víctimas de un sistema de mierda que creemos entender y no entendemos pero nos gusta decir que sí para basurear a los otros en un intento desesperado de que nadie nos pisotee a nosotros. 

Kafka se cagaba de risa escribiendo sus historias y nosotros ahora lloramos porque tuvo razón: todo es una mierda. Tipazo.

Kirsten Kim

Ghofran Mustafa 

Molly M

I’m in the minority on this but I just couldn’t get into it. I love Kafka but this was just soooo boring, I can’t tolerate the main character. He doesn’t do anything I or anyone would do. Whatever it is I was supposed to get or something just went right over my head. 

Athena

I can’t do it guys. If I need to finish another masterpiece of him I think we all can agree to put me on psych ward.

Matcha Donut

Written in 1914 but not published until 1925, a year after Kafka’s death, The Trial is the terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, The Trial has resonated with chilling truth for generations of readers.

sophie <3

Lila R E

I think a lot of this flew over my head a bit (it didn't help that it took me 4 months to get through reading on & off) but what I did get was a wonderful mix of absurdist, occasionally funny, confusing and thought-provoking. Fortunately not actually about The Law but some really interesting themes of guilt/innocence, reputation, logic and reason were running throughout. I'm also obsessed with Kafka's style of writing - I don't know whether it has to do with the book being in translation but it reminds me of other European authors like Camus, equally reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller (or more likely Vonnegut and Heller were inspired by the Europeans...). The language is just so matter-of-fact but has this underlying ironic tone that makes it so entertaining - so I do want to discover more of his work! The trial will also definitely be worth a reread at some point although I think I want something a bit less wordy for now.

jennifer 

i guess although you don’t know why things are the way they are, you can still enjoy a good meal and company. not knowing a higher purpose doesn’t stop you from enjoying the moment

The Trial

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