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From the author of The Metamorphosis and The Trial and one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, his first—and funniest—novel.
Amerika tells the story of the young Karl Rossmann who, after an incident involving a housemaid, is banished by his parents to America. Expected to redeem himself in this magical land of opportunity, young Karl is swept up instead in a whirlwind of dizzying reversals, strange escapades, and picaresque adventures.
Kafka began writing what he had entitled Der Verschollene (The Missing Person) in 1912 and wrote the last completed chapter in 1914. But it wasn’t until 1927, three years after his death, that Max Brod, Kafka’s friend and literary executor, edited the unfinished manuscript and published it as Amerika.
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka, born in 1883 in Prague, was a Czech writer known for his surreal and existential storytelling. His most famous works, like "The Metamorphosis" and "The Trial," explore themes of alienation and the absurdity of modern life. Despite publishing only a few pieces during his lifetime, Kafka's precise prose and profound insights into the human condition have made him a cornerstone of 20th-century literature. After his death in 1924, his friend Max Brod defied Kafka's wishes to destroy his unpublished works, ensuring his lasting influence on literature and philosophy.
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