The Castle: A New Translation Based on the Restored Text
Dec 2012 · Sold by Schocken
star
8 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
From the author of The Metamorphosis and The Trial—one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century—the haunting tale of K.’s relentless, unavailing struggle with an inscrutable authority in order to gain access to the Castle. Translated and with a preface by Mark Harman.
Arriving in a village to take up the position of land surveyor for the mysterious lord of a castle, the character known as K. finds himself in a bitter and baffling struggle to contact his new employer and go about his duties.
The Castle's original manuscript was left unfinished by Kafka in 1922 and not published until 1926, two years after his death. Scrupulously following the fluidity and breathlessness of the sparsely punctuated original manuscript, Mark Harman’s new translation reveals levels of comedy, energy, and visual power previously unknown to English language readers.
Arriving in a village to take up the position of land surveyor for the mysterious lord of a castle, the character known as K. finds himself in a bitter and baffling struggle to contact his new employer and go about his duties.
The Castle's original manuscript was left unfinished by Kafka in 1922 and not published until 1926, two years after his death. Scrupulously following the fluidity and breathlessness of the sparsely punctuated original manuscript, Mark Harman’s new translation reveals levels of comedy, energy, and visual power previously unknown to English language readers.
From the author of The Metamorphosis and The Trial—one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century—the haunting tale of K.’s relentless, unavailing struggle with an inscrutable authority in order to gain access to the Castle. Translated and with a preface by Mark Harman.
Arriving in a villa...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
8 reviews
Monkfish2 Monkfish2
- Flag inappropriate
April 2, 2026
K. arrives in a village ruled by paperwork that generates only more paperwork, where recognition requires prior recognition and access requires access.The castle disappoints on sight and vanishes in practice; its officials never appear, its authority circulates by rumor and letter.K. hustles, seduces, begs, and waits, assisted by two cheerful nonentities, accomplishing less with each effort.The book stops because it must. The destination is the delay, and arrival would only invent a new distance. קפקא מנסה לכתוב על אדם המגיע לטירה, ובמקום זאת בונה מערכת שאיש אינו מגיע אליה. ק., מודד שאינו מודד דבר, מגיע לכפר הנשלט בידי ניירת שמייצרת רק עוד ניירת, שבו הכרה דורשת הכרה קודמת וגישה דורשת גישה. הטירה מאכזבת למראה ונעלמת בפועל; פקידיה אינם מופיעים לעולם, וסמכותה נעה בין שמועה למכתב. ק. מתאמץ, מפתה, מתחנן וממתין, מסתייע בשני כלומניקים עליזים, ומתרחק מיעדו עם כל ניסיון. הספר נעצר גם כי קפקא לא סיים אותו וגם כי הוא מוכרח. היעד הוא הדחייה, ואילו היתה הגעה, היא רק הייתה ממציאה מחסום חדש. ❤️ 🇮🇱
Robert Carrion
- Flag inappropriate
June 10, 2015
Very Kafka, I liked it...no ending which for some reason makes for an interesting ending (or non ending)
1 person found this review helpful
Peter Eleftherakis
- Flag inappropriate
July 10, 2026
Nair Antonia Eleftherakis
About the author
FRANZ KAFKA was born in 1883 in Prague, where he lived most of his life. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories, including “The Metamorphosis,” “The Judgment,” and “The Stoker.” He died in 1924, before completing any of his full-length novels. At the end of his life, Kafka asked his lifelong friend and literary executor Max Brod to burn all his unpublished work. Brod overrode those wishes.
MARK HARMAN holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and has taught German and Irish literature at Oberlin and Dartmouth. In addition to writing scholarly essays on Kafka and other modern authors, he has edited and co-translated Robert Walser Rediscovered: Stories, Fairy-Tale Plays, and Critical Responses and has translated Soul of the Age: Selected Letters of Hermann Hesse, 1891-1962. He teaches literature at the University of Pennsylvania.
MARK HARMAN holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and has taught German and Irish literature at Oberlin and Dartmouth. In addition to writing scholarly essays on Kafka and other modern authors, he has edited and co-translated Robert Walser Rediscovered: Stories, Fairy-Tale Plays, and Critical Responses and has translated Soul of the Age: Selected Letters of Hermann Hesse, 1891-1962. He teaches literature at the University of Pennsylvania.
FRANZ KAFKA was born in 1883 in Prague, where he lived most of his life. During his lifetime, he published only a few short stories, including “The Metamorphosis,” “The Judgment,” and “The Stoker.” He died in 1924, before completing any of his full-length novels. At the end of his life, Kafka ask...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
