This book offers an excellent introduction to the life and works of Franz Kafka. Unlike many works on Kafka, this one does not bear the marks of the author's ideology -- it is a straightforward biography that draws on what is known, without delving into undue speculation about what made him the way he was. The book is replete with illustrations of all kinds -- showing him, his friends, his lovers (if that is not too strong a term), the buildings in Prague, the places he lived and worked, his sketches, and postcards inscribed in his writing. Popular views of Kafka have, of course, been heavily influenced by ideology and by the myth that he was a tortured individual consumed by terrors. This work offers a useful antidote to such simplistic (and in most ways, inaccurate) views, by showing the man himself and the times in which he lived. ( )

This is a short book and not really a full biography (It is part of a series: "Overlook Illustrated Lives is a series of photographic biographies..." ) I thought it was well written, with many interesting photographs, drawings, etc. of Kafka, family and friends. Kafka is one of my most beloved authors so I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The author did not have a literary/theoretical ax to grind, so that was good, and I learned that Kafka read Kierkegaard, which seems entirely as it should be, but I never knew that. Highly recommended to anyone who would like an overview of Kafka's life in connection with reading his novels and stories.

(Part of the poignancy of Kafka has to do with his death and the fates of many of those he cared for: He died in 1924 of TB, which infected and silenced him even before it killed him. His parents died in the 1930s. In the background you can practically feel the gathering darkness: All three of Kafka's sisters died in the camps, his uncle committed suicide to avoid deportation, his great love Milena also died in a camp. But his best friend, Max Brod, escaped to Palestine with the manuscripts that Kafka had instructed him to burn--thank god he disobeyed! All of these facts, to me, radiate throughout Kafka's writing's, making him one of the great prophet of the 20th Century.) ( )

My dad loaned this book to me. While most of the information in it was familiar to me, I think it would be a suitable introduction to Kafka's life and inspiration for those who haven't studied much about him. Adler remains relatively staid in his inferences and conclusions regarding K. as a person, focusing instead on relating a straightforward factual account of his public life and writing career, with particular emphasis on the historical context in which K. was living. For primary sources, he draws heavily on K.'s letters and diaries. Only a few of the major works are discussed in any kind of detail, chiefly The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. The uniqueness of the book comes in the form of plentiful accompanying illustrations, including photographs, paintings, and K.'s own drawings. These well-reproduced illustrations do a wonderful job of bringing to life and contextualizing K.'s surroundings, both geographic and human. One of the photos even shows K. on a beach, wearing a bathing suit (!). Once Adler reaches K.'s tuberculosis diagnosis, though, he kind of rushes the book toward an abrupt ending, which was somewhat disappointing. I wouldn't say this is essential reading for Kafka zealots, who might be put off by Adler's decisions on what to include and what to leave out, but for a reader without much knowledge of K.'s life, it would certainly be an adequate starting point.

3.5/5 ( )