Franz Kafka

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

The Trial

Der Prozeß

Annabelle Gauthier

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.

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

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

But the hands of one of the partners were already at K's throat, while the other thrust the knife deep into his heart and turned it there twice. With failing eyes K. could still see the two of them immediately before him, cheek leaning against cheek, watching the final act. "Like a dog!" he said; it was as if the shame of it must outlive him.

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

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

El proceso

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

Silvia Sants

Alterna momentos de auténtica genialidad con otros que son un verdadero truño.

i have never been more glad to have read a book in my life

jana 

Cult successfully scams manwhore finance bro + the version I read had excerpts from kafka’s diaries at the end 

I think this book in some way shows how he feels about marriage because in book he is going on trial for something, but its never said what is that something. It kind of feels like he's describing that trial as a marriage like he's not sure what his getting into and he is confused about it all the time. But I don't know that's just how it made me feel.

Gigi

Bouke van der Bijl

Bit disappointed with this book, mostly because it's super raw and unfinished. Some chapters and pages could've been dropped cold without any influence on the story (like the one where he seduces his roommate). There's also one chapter that's just not finished at all.

Despite these flaws, the message is still there: humanity builds gigantic inhuman bureaucracies that crush human souls into submission. This is a timeless danger, and I believe a reason Kafka's book still has remained so appealing (in a depressing sort of way) is that the book's universe reads as something that could happen in the next 10 years.

Proces

Szczerze nie spodziewałam się, że kończąc tą książkę będę jak małe dziecko. Sposób w jaki Kafka używa słów by storzyć magiczną i tajemniczą atmosferę jest powalający. Uważam, że jest to dzieło warte przeczytania.

Martina

The lack of information the story gives the reader is really confusing, maddening and irritating. It left me in a terrible mood, I was sad, angry, and most of all I wanted to slap some of the characters. The book is neither a smash nor pass, but somewhere in between, in my opinion.

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

The trial

eliz

dnf at 80%, read the rest from summarized notes

this worsened my physical and mental condition at the moment (literally was giving me headaches from time to time I pick it up)

never seen this type of approach before. everything is merged into a single paragraph: thoughts, actual narration, dialogues/conversations? I don't understand? if it was actually written like this in its original language then it's terrible. also, since it's an unfinished novel the main subject is mostly still filled with unresolved issues so, meh

excerpt:
p. 42 "What has happened to me is only a single instance and as such of no great importance, ... but it is representative of a misguided policy which is being directed against many other people as well. It is for these that I take up my stand here, not for myself."

ellis

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.

Boxuan Mao

"No," "Do not have to admit that everything he says is true, just accept it as a necessity."

Le procès

Sarah Escorsa

A gripping work of psychological horror, in its depiction of bureaucracy run amok Franz Kafka's The Trial skirts the line between fantasy and reality. This Penguin Classics edition is translated from the German with an introduction by Idris Parry. 'Somebody must have laid false information against Josef K., for he was arrested one morning without having done anything wrong.' From this first sentence onwards, Josef K. is on trial for his right to exist. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis - an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life - including work at a bank and his relations with his landlady and a young woman who lives next door - becomes increasingly unpredictable. As K. tries to gain control, he succeeds only in accelerating his own excruciating downward spiral. Maintaining an atmosphere of unease throughout, this chilling, thought-provoking novel, more than any other, is infinitely perceptive about the nature of terror and the absurd meaninglessness and futility of human life. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a Czech-born German-speaking insurance clerk who despised his job, preferring to spend his time writing. Nevertheless, Kafka published little during his lifetime, and ordered his closest friend to burn the mass of unpublished manuscripts - now familiar to us as some of the most influential novels and short stories of the twentieth century - after his death. Kafka's novels, all available in Penguin Modern Classics, include The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika. If you enjoyed The Trial, you might like Kafka's The Castle, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'This compelling, prophetic novel anticipates the insanity of modern bureaucracy and the coming of totalitarianism' Daily Telegraph 'It is the fate and perhaps the greatness of [The Trial] that it offers everything and confirms nothing' Albert Camus

Jas Wang

Wow. wow. wow. 
I can see why people dislike the book, but although it may not be a finished piece, he is a genius.

Shelby Doherty

** spoiler alert **
           Liked:
- mundaneness of the events but still interesting enough for the reader
- Liked the Catedral scene
- The scene where K. finally finds the courts and presents his speech.

Disliked:
- How we never got an explanation of his charges.
- The unfinished part of the chapter where he is talking to the painter.
- The final chapter seemed quite abrupt and didn't resolve any of the questions that I had had.
- Confused by the multiple female characters throughout the story and their importance to K. / the plot.

Overall, enjoyed the book quite a bit. Found the language easy to read but at times it was hard to follow (as it seems to be by design to reflect the trouble K. had). Engaging while still being quite slow paced and without much action.

The Trial A New Translation Based on the Restored Text

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