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Apr 19, 2020 · Kierling, Klosterneuburg, Austria. where did Kafka grow up? Born on July 3, 1883, in Prague, capital of what is now the Czech Republic, writer Franz Kafka grew up in an upper middle-class Jewish family. After studying law at the University of Prague, he worked in insurance and wrote in the evenings.

Where did Franz Kafka spent most of his life?
PragueKafka spent most of his 40 years in and around Prague, where he was born in 1883 as the eldest child of a tyrannical Jewish shopkeeper.Mar 7, 1982
Where did Kafka live in Prague?
First, Kafka lived in the house on Old Town Square no. 2 (the Renaissance house “U Minuty”) just beside the Astronomical Clock. Later in his life, ill with tuberculosis, Kafka moved with his family to the house at Old Town Square no. 5.May 14, 2021
Where and when was Kafka born?
July 3, 1883, Prague, CzechiaFranz Kafka / Born
What country was Kafka from?
CzechoslovakFranz Kafka / Nationality
Was Kafka German or Czech?
Franz Kafka, (born July 3, 1883, Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now in Czech Republic]—died June 3, 1924, Kierling, near Vienna, Austria), German-language writer of visionary fiction whose works—especially the novel Der Prozess (1925; The Trial) and the story Die Verwandlung (1915; The Metamorphosis)—express the ...
Did Kafka like Prague?
Franz Kafka is one of Prague's most notable literary figures, spending most of his life in the city and creating masterpieces such as The Trial and The Metamorphosis. He characterised his relationship with his birthplace as both loving and claustrophobic with his much-quoted line, “Prague never lets you go…
What language is Metamorphosis?
GermanThe Metamorphosis / Original languageThe Metamorphosis, or 'Die Verwandlung' in Franz Kafka's native language German, was first published in 1915. It is Kafka's most well-known piece of work and is considered to be one of the most influential stories of the 20th century. The novella's first translation into English appeared in the 1930's.Mar 8, 2012
What languages did Kafka speak?
GermanFranz Kafka / LanguagesGerman is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. Wikipedia
Was Franz Kafka a Czech?
Franz Kafka (July 3, 1883 – June 3, 1924) was a Czech novelist and short-story writer, widely considered one of the most important literary figures of the 20th century.Apr 2, 2020
How many siblings did Kafka have?
Ottilie KafkaGabriele KafkaHeinrich KafkaValli KafkaGeorg KafkaFranz Kafka/Siblings
What did Kafka do for a living?
In 1906 Kafka completed his law degree and embarked on a year of unpaid work as a law clerk.Apr 2, 2014
How old was Kafka?
40 years (1883–1924)Franz Kafka / Age at death
Where was Franz Kafka born?
Franz Kafka was born in Prague, then part of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1883. His family was middle-class German-speaking Ashkenazi Jewish. His father, Hermann Kafka, had brought the family to Prague; he himself was the fourth son of a shoshek, or ritual slaughterer, in southern Bohemia. His mother, meanwhile, was the daughter of a well-to-do merchant. The two were an industrious couple: after working as a traveling salesman, Hermann started a successful fashion retail enterprise. Julie, though better educated than her husband, was dominated by his overbearing nature and worked long hours to contribute to his business.
What language did Kafka speak?
Apic / Getty Images. Kafka was an intelligent, obedient, and sensitive child. Although his parents spoke a dialect of German influenced by Yiddish and he spoke good Czech, Kafka’s native tongue, and the tongue he chose to write in, was the more socially-mobile standard German.
Why did Kafka and Jesenska break up?
However, in November of 1920, Kafka cut off the relationship, in part because Jesenska could not leave her husband. Although the two had what would be characterized as a romantic relationship, they met in person probably only three times, and the relationship was mostly epistolary.
What occupation did Franz Kafka spend most of his free time writing?
He spent most of his free time writing stories, an occupation that was like a form of prayer for him. In 1911, he saw a Yiddish theatre troupe perform and became captivated with Yiddish language and culture, making room also for an exploration of his own Jewish heritage. Page of Franz Kafka's diary, c. 1910.
What is Kafka's influence on literature?
His influence spreads from surrealist, magical realist, science fiction, and existentialist works, from writers as varied as Jorge Luis Borges, to J.M. Coetzee, to George Orwell.
What is the Kafkaesque term?
The term “Kafkaesque” has entered popular parlance as a way of describing intense all-powerful bureaucracies and other centralized powers that overpower the individual, and continues to be used even today. Indeed, Kafka’s friend, Brod, claimed that the 20th century would one day be known as the century of Kafka.
How many brothers did Franz die from?
Franz was the oldest child of six, though his two brothers died before he was seven years old. The remaining three sisters all died in concentration camps during the Holocaust, though Franz himself did not live long enough to mourn them.
Where is Kafka buried?
His remains are buried alongside his parent's under a two-meter obelisk in Prague's New Jewish Cemetery in Olsanske. Kafka's resting place, Prague.
Who was Kafka's mother?
Kafka's mother, Julie (1856—1934), was the daughter of a prosperous brewer and was better educated than her husband. She helped to manage her husband's business and worked in it as much as 12 hours a day. The children were largely raised by a series of governesses and servants.
What disease did Franz Kafka have?
In 1917, Kafka began to suffer from tuberculosis, which would require frequent convalescence during which he was supported by his family, most notably his sister Ottla. In the early 1920s he developed an intense relationship with Czech journalist and writer Milena Jesenská.
What was Kafka's job?
At the end of 1907 Kafka started working in a huge Italian insurance company, where he stayed for nearly a year. His correspondence during that period witnesses that he was unhappy with his working time schedule - from 8 p.m (20:00) until 6 a.m (06:00) - as it made it extremely difficult for him to concentrate on his writing. On July 15, 1908, he resigned, and few weeks later found more suitable employment with the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia. He worked there until July 1922 when he retired for reasons of ill health.
How many siblings did Franz have?
Franz at the age of 5. Franz was the eldest of six children. He had two younger brothers who died in infancy and three younger sisters (Gabriele (1889–1941), Valerie (1890–1942), Ottilie (1892–1943), all of whom perished in concentration camps.
Where did Franz go to school?
From 1889 to 1893, Franz attended the Deutsche Knabenschule, the boys elementary school in Prague. He was sent to German schools, not Czech, which demonstrates his father's desire for social advancement. His Jewish upbringing was limited mostly to his bar mitzvah and going to the synagogue four times a year with his father, which didn't give him much to go on.
Who was Kafka's friend?
In 1912, at the home of his lifelong friend Max Brod, Kafka met Felice Bauer, who lived in Berlin. Over the next five years they corresponded a great deal, met occasionally, and twice were engaged to be married. Their relationship finally ended in 1917.
Where did Kafka work?
In 1908 he found in Prague a job in the seminationalized Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia.
What is Franz Kafka famous for?
He is famous for his novels The Trial, in which a man is charged with a crime that is never named, and The Metamorphosis, in which the protagonist wakes to find himself transformed into an insect.
Why did Franz Kafka go to Berlin?
In 1917 he was diagnosed as having tuberculosis, and from then onward he spent frequent periods in sanatoriums. In 1923 Kafka went to Berlin to devote himself to writing. During a vacation on the Baltic coast later that year, he met Dora Dymant (Diamant), a young Jewish socialist.
What was Franz Kafka's father's influence on his life?
His father, a materialistic man of business and a tyrant in his household, had a significant influence on Franz Kafka’s life and work. Kafka felt oppressed by him for most of his life. He appears in many of Kafka’s works, often as an overwhelming despotic power, as in The Trial.
Why did Kafka identify with his maternal ancestors?
Kafka strongly identified with his maternal ancestors because of their spirituality, intellectual distinction, piety, rabbinical learning, melancholy disposition, and delicate physical and mental constitution. He was not, however, particularly close to his mother.
What is the source of Kafka's despair?
The source of Kafka’s despair lies in a sense of ultimate isolation from true communion with all human beings— the friends he cherished, the women he loved, the job he detested, the society he lived in—and with God, or, as he put it, with true indestructible Being.
Where did Franz Kafka get his doctorate?
Franz Kafka moved in German Jewish intellectual circles throughout his life. He received a doctorate in law in 1906 from the University of Prague. Afterward he worked for insurance companies, which was time-consuming and left him only late night hours for writing.
Where was Kafka born?
Kafka's Life (1883-1924) Kafka was born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, the capital of Bohemia, a kingdom that was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His father, Hermann Kafka (1852–1931), was described by Kafka himself as "a true Kafka in strength, health, appetite, loudness of voice, eloquence, ...
Who was Kafka's father?
His father, Hermann Kafka (1852–1931), was described by Kafka himself as "a true Kafka in strength, health, appetite, loudness of voice, eloquence, self-satisfaction, worldly dominance, endurance, presence of mind, [and] knowledge of human nature ...". Hermann was the fourth child of Jacob Kafka, a butcher, and came to Prague from Osek, ...
How many siblings did Kafka have?
He had two younger brothers, Georg and Heinrich, who died at the ages of fifteen months and six months, respectively, before Kafka was six , and three younger sisters, Gabriele ("Elli") (1889–1941), Valerie ("Valli") (1890–1942), and Ottilie ("Ottla") (1892–1943). On business days, both parents were absent from the home.
How did Kafka's mother help?
His mother helped to manage her husband's business and worked in it as much as 12 hours a day. The children were largely reared by a succession of governesses and servants. Kafka's sisters were sent with their families to the Łódź ghetto and died there or in concentration camps.
What did Franz Kafka study?
Admitted to the Charles University of Prague, Kafka first studied chemistry, but switched after two weeks to law. This offered a range of career possibilities, which pleased his father, and required a longer course of study that gave Kafka time to take classes in German studies and art history.
Where did Kafka live?
This is the place that Kafka lived between 1915 and 1917. He claimed that he had difficulties writing in this period of his life. His apartment was on the last floor of the building. You can find it at the beginning of Dlouhá Street at No. 16.
Where was Franz Kafka's apartment?
It’s not easy to find a more prime location in the city. The days of Franz Kafka in Prague were definitely marked by the locations he inhabited. This specific apartment enjoys a strategic position in the heart of the Old Town of Prague. The Oppelt House is straight at the square and close to…everything.
What is the name of the book that describes the situation in which Kafka lived?
There is even a term, Kafkaesque, that describes situations like the ones in his books (bureaucratic nightmares, senseless world, etc.). Franz Kafka was born in Prague on the 3rd of July 1883, and he spent the biggest part of his life in the city.
How long did Kafka work?
Kafka worked at Assicurazioni Generali from October 1907 to July 1908. He had to work between 8 am and 6 pm with a small break in between. He didn’t earn enough money, and he was also feeling exhausted. Trying to combine work and writing was not an easy task. On top of all that, the Assicurazioni Generali had the right to ask the employees for unpaid overtime…
How old was Kafka when he died?
The prolific writer from Prague left his mark in the world literature even though he died almost unknown. In his short lifespan (he died at the age of 40), Kafka wrote both novels and short stories that had a massive impact on the literary world.
When did Franz Kafka live in the Intercontinental Hotel?
The house, however, doesn’t exist anymore: in its place stands since the 1970’s the Intercontinental Hotel. Kafka lived here between 1907 and 1913. One night in 1912 (from September 22 to 23), Kafka wrote in one strike the Judgment.
How tall is the statue of Kafka?
Ironically enough, the statue is facing a building of the public sector. It is also called “Statue of Kafka” and is eleven meters tall. It stands in front of the Quadrio business center, next to the Národní třída metro station.
Franz Kafka had an unhappy childhood
Despite living with both parents and three sisters, Franz Kafka had an isolated youth. The Kafka Museum reports that he "suffered from being left to himself as well as from insufficient parental affection and lack of emotional ties with his parents."
Franz Kafka had a confused relationship with Judaism
In his unsent letter to his father, Franz Kafka remarks on the guilt he felt as a child for not attending synagogue often enough, saying that he felt he was letting his father down. His description of his father's relationship with Judaism indicates that it was more about tradition than faith:
Franz Kafka was a nonconformist
Franz Kafka's interests ranged far beyond Yiddish literature. He read the works of Charles Darwin and famous German scientist Ernst Haeckel. He was particularly fascinated by the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. According to Sander L.
Franz Kafka experienced anti-semitism in Prague
Though Franz Kafka would declare himself an atheist, Harriet L. Parmet's paper " The Jewish Essence of Franz Kafka " states, "who [Kafka] was cannot possibly be understood without realizing his being Jewish ... in turn of the century Prague was as vital a component of his identity as his dark hair and deeply brooding eyes."
Isolation was a recurring theme in Franz Kafka's work
"Man is wretched," Franz Kafka is quoted as saying to his friend Gustav Janouch, "because amid the continually increasing masses he becomes minute by minute more isolated."
Franz Kafka found his day job as a lawyer torturous
After high school Franz Kafka obtained a law degree and began working at the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia, where he routinely dealt with the bureaucracy around industrial injuries.
Franz Kafka's closest friend betrayed him
While Frankz Kafka was studying law degree at the University of Prague, he met Max Brod, who would go on to become his close friend.
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Early Life and Education
Early Working Years
- After graduating, Kafka worked at an insurance company. He found the work dissatisfying; the ten-hour shifts left him with little time to devote to his writing. In 1908, he switched to the Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute for the Kingdom of Bohemia, where, although he claimed to loathe it, he remained for almost a decade. He spent most of his free time writing stories, an occupation t…
Later Working Years and Felice Bauer
- For one, his relationship to women was largely fraught. His friend Max Brod claimed he was tormented by sexual desire, but was terrified of sexual failure; Kafka visited brothels throughout his life and enjoyed pornography. However, Kafka was not immune to a visit from the muse. In 1912, he met Felice Bauer, a mutual friend of Brod’s wife, and entered into a period of literary pro…
Zürau and Milena Jesenska
- In August of 1917, Kafka was finally diagnosed with tuberculosis. He quit his job at the insurance agency and moved to the Bohemian village of Zürau to stay with his sister Ottla, to whom he was closest, and her husband Karl Hermann. These he described as some of the happiest months of his life. He kept diaries and notes, of which he took 109 aphorisms, later published as The Züra…
Later Years and Death
- On a vacation in 1923 to the Baltic, Kafka met Dora Diamant, a 25-year-old Jewish kindergarten teacher. In late 1923 until early 1924, Kafka lived with her in Berlin, fleeing the influence of his family in order to concentrate on his writing. However, his tuberculosis rapidly worsened in March of 1924 and he returned to Prague. Dora and his sister Ottla cared for him as his health worsene…
Legacy
- Kafka is one of the highest regarded writers of the German language, although he achieved little to no fame during his own lifetime. However, he was quite shy and fame was not important to him. Indeed, he instructed his friend Max Brod to burn all of his works after his death, which, luckily for the state of modern literature, Brod refused to do. He published them instead, and Kafka’s work …
Sources
- Brod, Max. Franz Kafka: A Biography. Schocken Books, 1960.
- Gray, Richard T. A Franz Kafka Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press, 2000.
- Gilman, Sandra L. Franz Kafka. Reaktion Books, 2005.
- Stach, Reiner. Kafka: The Decisive Years. Harcourt, 2005.