Letters to Friends, Family, and Editors

The most comprehensive edition in print of Kafka's letters, with ample notes and an index

Presenting Kafka as son, brother, student, friend, lover, writer, and critic, this volume reveals his fascination for life in all its complex, absurd, and tragic manifestations. Though aware of the precariousness of letterwriting, Franz Kafka entrusted to letters many of his thoughts, impressions, experiences, and expectations. These letters—which follow Kafka's life from his student years through his experience as an insurance clerk to his final days, and explore his friendships with Max Brod, Felix Weltsch, and Oskar Baum—confirm his place as one of the great letter-writers of the 20th century.