Rotating head of Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka was born on 3 July 1883 in a Jewish family in Prague. His father, Hermann Kafka (1851-1931), was a wholesaler of haberdashery. His mother, Julie Kafka (1856-1934), was the daughter of a well-off brewer. Franz was the first child and had five siblings, George and Henry, who died in infancy, Gabriele, Ottilie, and Valerie, who died during World War II in concentration camps. Kafka was well versed in German, Czech, and French, and later, towards the end of his life, began studying Hebrew. Despite this, all his works, except some of the letters, were written in German.

From 1901 to 1906, he studied at Charles University, receiving a doctorate in law. During the first year, Kafka met a fellow student Max Brod, who became his close friend. After graduation, the author began working at the Accident Insurance Institute. He did not like this work and spent all his free time working on literature, but despite this, the employer greatly appreciated the work of the writer.

The writer was never married though he had several close relationships with women – Felice Bauer, Julia Wohryzek, Milena Jesenska, and Dora Diamant.  He spent the last year of his life with Dora Diamant, who awakened his interest in the Talmud. After the author’s death, his last works were confiscated by the Gestapo in 1933.

There are motives of existential anxiety, guilt and absurdity, and themes of alienation in all the writer`s works. He was influenced by his relationship with his father, who had a demanding and authoritarian character. All this formed an inferiority complex, a painful perception of the world, and self-judgment in Kafka.

In 1917, Kafka was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which was compounded by laryngeal tuberculosis. Due to the constant pain in his larynx in the final days of his life, he could not eat. On June 3, 1924, Kafka died from exhaustion near Vienna. The author’s body was brought to Prague and he was buried on 11 June 1924, in the New Jewish Cemetery. Most of his works were published after his death, against his will. Kafka’s best friend, Max Brod broke his promise to burn his manuscripts.