Name: The Metamorphosis
Rating: 3.786527122641509 (1696 reviews)
ISBN: 9781501026041

David Wyllie

Franz Kafka

The Metamorphosis (German, Die Verwandlung), a novella by Franz Kafka is cited as one of the seminal works of fiction of the 20th century and is studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. This edition contains both the original German together with a parallel translation in English for easy study and cross-reference. Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, wakes to find himself transformed (metamorphosed) into a large, monstrous insect-like creature. The cause of Gregor's transformation is never revealed, and Kafka himself never gave an explanation. The novella deals with Gregor's attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repulsed by the horrible, verminous creature Gregor has become.

German and English Parallel Text

The Metamorphosis

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"

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

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

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.

Sinny

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

“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

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.

Metamorphosis

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.<br />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. <br />Sometimes, change isn't always the best thing, but regardless, it is necessary for growth. <br />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. <br />heavy .

The Metamorphosis begins almost comically. A man wakes up to find he has turned into an insect. But the claustrophobic, dirty room and the increasingly distressed narrator soon turn this into a tale of slow horror. Most horrifying of all is his family's reaction to his metamorphosis and their final solution to the problem.

maiia

كافكا حوّل فكرة مستحيلة إلى مرآة مؤلمة للعزلة والعلاقات الإنسانية

Sterling Professor of the Humanities Harold Bloom

Presents a collection of critical essays about Kafka's The metamorphosis.

The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka, New Edition

this book left me wondering the extent of unconditional love humans are capable of i was angry at the family that they didn't embrace him as they should have but at the same time i understand them they are human they were scared, confused ,not even sure if the person transformed has any ability to recognize them as his family. the family lived on to be better but the person who suffered continued to suffer until the day he died his death became a relief to his family . its actually astonishing to see that the people you love and give your all to can at one point start to see you as a burden when you start taking more than you can give or if you become someone that you weren't before . acceptance doesn't come that easy to humans unknown is scary to them . Gregor's family was human not villains just humans they bore with him as much as they could thinking that was the right thing to do until they couldn't anymore didnt try to understand him or have him treated somehow because they were shameful of him . gregor himself was guilty of putting his family throught something like this though he had no hand in how things turned out he still felt guilty he tried his best so as to not cause anymore problems. live as quietly as he could . he hoped things would somehow get better . he tried to control something that was beyond his control he tried and tried until he saw his previous identity being removed by much effort he wanted to save it  one thing he wanted to cling onto to not lose his past completely that one picture on the wall and then  he had to pay greatly for it too after which he started to turn bitter about his neglect rightfully the family he provided for worked endlessly to pay debt off saw him as a burden abandoned him . this novel explores guilt , unconditional love, hope, isolation , fragility of human relationships . great read book finished be for sure 

vanshika kaljotra 

Una obra cumbre del existencialismo y el absurdo. Kafka expone con crueldad la deshumanización de una vida reducida al utilitarismo laboral. La transformación en insecto es una metáfora impecable de la invalidez súbita, es el instante en que un hombre deja de ser el proveedor para convertirse en un estorbo social y familiar. Una lectura incómoda que no ofrece respuestas, sino que obliga a una inevitable reflexión sobre el desamparo.

die verwandlung

The metamorphosis

"⁠Como seria agora, se todo o sossego, todo o bem-estar, toda a satisfação chegasse assustadoramente ao fim?"

bellirio

"As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. He was laying on his hard, as it were armor-plated, back and when he lifted his head a little he could see his domelike brown belly divided into stiff arched segments on top of which the bed quilt could hardly keep in position and was about to slide off completely. His numerous legs, which were pitifully thin compared to the rest of his bulk, waved helplessly before his eyes." With its startling, bizarre, yet surprisingly funny first opening, Kafka begins his masterpiece, The Metamorphosis. It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, becomes an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home, a quintessentially alienated man. A harrowing-though absurdly comic-meditation on human feelings of inadequacy, guilt, and isolation, The Metamorphosis has taken its place as one of the most widely read and influential works of twentieth-century fiction. As W.H. Auden wrote, "Kafka is important to us because his predicament is the predicament of modern man."

uma leitura deveras simples, não saí decepcionado, mas admito que esperava um pouco mais pelo quão conhecido o livro é. No fim é um livro bem gostosinho e fácil de ler, apesar de não ter nada muito inventivo, transparece que qualquer review bem feita sobre já trata de praticamente tudo que o livro diz, sem muita inventividade, é oque a história que você já sabe previamente sugere.

Jose Lucas

Heron 

La Metamorfosis

pocas cosas en la vida me han generado tales angustias como las que pasé al leer este libro

luca

Հակասություններ ամբողջ ստեղծագործության ընթացքում. ամեն ինչ և՛ բնական է, և՛ անտրամաբանական. կարծես արտասովոր դեպք է, բայց հենց այդպես էլ պետք է լիներ:

Lawton

Me desperté un día convertido en adulto funcional. Peor que ser un bicho.

Oliver

A man struggles to maintain his humanity when he transforms into a monstrous insect in this masterful novella by the celebrated author of The Trial. A young traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa is the sole breadwinner in his family—a role he can no longer fulfill when he awakes one morning to discover he has transformed into a “horrible vermin.” While Gregor is unable to communicate and forced to relearn how to move in his new body, his family is preoccupied with the question of their financial stability. Epitomizing the term “Kafkaesque,” the tale of Gregor and his absurd fate have become emblematic of modern existential dread. A truly iconic work, The Metamorphosis remains one of the most famous and analyzed works of twentieth-century literature.

ouch, pain, pighati, lumbay, hinagpis, kirot, hapdi, pagtangis, iyak, lungkot, siphayo, dalamhati, daing, luha, sawi…

The Metamorphosis German and English Parallel Text

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