The Diaries of Franz Kafka (Schocken Classics Series)

Book Description

It is likely that these journals will be regarded as one of [Kafka's] major literary works; his life and personality were perfectly suited to the diary form, and in these pages he reveals what he customarily hid from the world." -- New Yorker

"What seems to hold [the diaries] together is a kind of ruthless honesty and self-awareness." -- New York Times

Though Franz Kafka is one of the greatest and most widely read and discussed authors of the twentieth century, and continues to be a tremendous influence on artists of our time, he remains an elusive figure, his life and work open to endless interpretation.

These diaries reveal the essential Kafka behind the enigmatic artist. Covering the period from 1910 to 1923, the year before Kafka's death at the age of forty, they provide a penetrating look into Kafka's world -- notes on life in Prague, accounts of his dreams, his feelings for the father he worshipped and for the woman he could not bring himself to marry, his sense of guilt and of being an outcast, and his struggles and triumphs in expressing himself as a writer.

Now, for the first time in this country, the complete diaries of Franz Kafka are available in one volume. They are not only indispensable to an understanding of Kafka the man and the artist, but are a compulsively readable, haunting account of a life of almost unbearable intensity.

Customer Reviews:

Comic masterpiece.......2007-10-07

Yes, yes, I know it's odd to describe Kafka's writing as comic, but he really was one of the funniest writers of the Twentieth Century. His outlook on life reminds me so much of Charlie Chaplin's famous mantra that life is a tragedy in close up, in long shot it's a comedy. Kafka is loved by millions because he is the most universal writer of them all. High on the peaks of Twentieth Century literature features the brilliant stylistic prose of Nabokov, the pyrotechnics of Joyce, the pitch black comedy of Beckett, the sublime little observations of Proust. But right at the summit sits the unlikely figure of the wretched, kvetching tortured sick soul and body of Kafka, the world's greatest underdog. With these diaries chronicling his dreams, his awareness of the fragility of his physical body, his anguished relations with his family and friends, the daily nightmare of his office job and the time it stole from his creative pursuits, Kafka speaks for us all. For instance, a single paragraph sentence from 1913 reads:

I'll shut myself off from everyone to the point of insensibility. Make an enemy of everyone, speak to no one.

Now anyone who has ever been a teenager will feel a burning empathy with that sentiment!

Then some bits are brilliantly, nightmarishly extraordinary, like this musing, also from 1913:

To be pulled in through the ground-floor window of a house by a rope tied around one's neck and to be yanked up, bloody and ragged, through all the ceilings, furniture, walls, and attics, without consideration, as if by a person who is paying no attention, until the empty noose, dropping the last fragments of me when it breaks through the roof tiles, is seen on the roof

I read this part on a train, and snorted with laughter. Kafka is such a lovable tortured genius, carrying the weight of his misery around like an anvil on his back. Such a warped brilliant imagination.

Keep a copy of these diaries on your bedside table for those moments when you are fed up with the wretched pressures of the world, can't stand other people, and want to selfishly wallow like a pig in the mud of your own self pity. Priceless.

A Writer's Writer.......2006-10-15

Franz Kafka's diaries were never meant to be published. Yet his diaries are spread across the internet, the actual published diaries translated into many languages and countless printings. These dairies are very personal, and the gentle Prague Jew would certainly be appalled.

Why do we continue to find these writings so fascinating?

Well, simply, they're terribly honest. Kafka never meant for these diary entries to be published, let alone read by another person. For those interested in the mechanics and soul of writing, Kafka's diaries are a source of true wonder. A confessional of a gentle soul, a man trapped in an insurance job, staying up through the night writing his heart-out, his thoughts, pains and acute observations of a time on the brink of great and terrible change, the death and cruelty of two world wars.

When reading Kafka, there is an overwhelming darkness, loneliness, a strong shadow that continually hovered around him, a "something" he tried to rid himself of through intense self reflection, which the reader of these diaries will discover.

Kafka's life story is, for the most part, a tragedy. A painful experience as one, sometimes, can feel his self consciousness, that subtle pain at the back of the neck, when, you know, you're being stared at...and his continued bad health.

I've attempted to read Kafka's diaries many times, and only now, for some reason, can withstand the pain of his perceptions, his precarious relationship with his father, and the few women he loved and the true love he never married.

Kafka is a man that loved writing for writing's sake, an artist who experimented daily, till dawn most nights, to pick up his little brief case and begin his work as an insurance lawyer in a semi-official insurance institute.

A strange yet moving entry:

21 February 1911
I live my life here as if I were entirely certain of a second life, as if for example I had entirely gotten over the failed time spent in Paris, since I will strive to return soon. Connected to this, the sight of the sharply divided light and shadow on the street paving.
For a moment I felt myself covered in armour.
How distant, for example, are the muscles of my arms

Kafka's writing was for the act itself without pretension or grandious dreams, (though his success during his 40 year lifetime was no disappointment) an act of instinct, pure and natural. Kafka is the true writer's writer.

The Indispensable Kafka.......2006-09-23

Franz Kafka's 1910-23 diary entries are essential reading for anyone who seeks a better understanding of the author's literary world. This 1988 printing contains all the surviving Kafka diaries in one comprehensive volume. More revelatory than any biography, the diaries remain as compelling as his fictional work.

I am now in love with Franz Kafka.......2005-07-27

The diaries reveal that Kafka was not only the one-dimensional character of the disturbed, alienated, and melancholic man that contemporary literary analysis presents him as, but a person with a complexity of feeling, humor, and distinct moments of happiness and joy.
The segment where he vacillates, through an organized list, as to whether he should marry his fiancé or not I found most enjoyable, and it is also fascinating to watch the diaries darken as Kafka ages, and to long for the unfinished fragments of stories and the gaps in narrative as he struggles against tuberculosis.
History claims that he was the prophetic bearer of images of totalitarianism and social suppression, but it is often forgotten that Kafka was also an ordinary man leading a rather ordinary, if not emotionally tempestuous, life.
These diaries are indispensable in understanding the underlying philosophy and thought behind his literary works, and in coming to know more intimately the author who created them, rather than relying upon a preconceived notion of Kafka as an isolated, miserable apparition.

Incredible, Underrated........2005-07-23

The Diares of Franz Kafka reveal him to not just be the disturbing and clever author, but a genuine philosopher in his own right. Because he never published huge tomes of philosophy, he is completely overlooked. Kafka tends to address only himself in his diary, but he grapples with universal problems of the human condition. My copy of the Diaries is underlined, highlighted, and circled on almost every page. He puts into words, even in the translation, so many important and elegant ideas that have not been adequately expressed before or after him. If you have even the slightest interest in Kafka or philosophy, or alienation, buy this book. Buy two copies, in case you lose the first one. Once you've read it, you will not want to be without access to it, ever. Incredible.

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Among the greatest of all literary diaries

Diaries of Franz Kafka 1914-1923
Franz Kafka
Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0805204253

Customer Reviews:

Among the greatest of all literary diaries.......2004-10-17

These diaries tell the story of a great writer's struggle with his life and work. They are filled with remarkable poetic lines and with great psychological perceptions. Kafka's genius is felt in every line he wrote, and it is a difficult pleasure but a real one which can be obtained from reading this work.

Diaries of Franz Kafka Vol. 1: 1910-1913

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Diaries of Franz Kafka Vol. 1: 1910-1913
Franz Kafka
Manufacturer: Pendulum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-1913

Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FIAYY4

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The Diaries of Franz Kafka 1910-1913

Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HAX8SE

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Diaries (1910-1913)
Franz Kafka
Manufacturer: Editorial Luman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007AU3X2

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Diaries 1914 1923
Franz Kafka
Manufacturer: SCHOCKEN BOOKS INC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000X18OJK

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Diaries 1914-1923
Franz Kafka
Manufacturer: Schocken Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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THE DIARIES OF FRANZ KAFKA
BROD
Manufacturer: SECKER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S2ZS7A

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The Diaries Of Franz Kafka 1910-1913
Max (editor) Brod
Manufacturer: New York: Schocken Books, 1949
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GVHN6M

Book Description

Culloden marked the end of the last and greatest of the Jacobite adventures - the '45 Rebellion - in which the Highland clans challenged the power of the Hanoverian King of England. It was at Culloden that Charles Edward Stuart's army was finally defeated. His tired Highlanders had little chance against the steady infantry and heavy artillery fire of the English. Peter Harrington examines all aspects of the battle, including its background, the earlier Highlander victories, the men and commanders of both sides, and the massacre that took place in its aftermath.

Customer Reviews:

Better than Stuart Reid.......2003-02-28

Although certain flawed presumptions are made, spelling mistakes are present and there are other minor errors, on balance this is a good resource.

Unlike Stuart Reid's anti-Highland hyperbole, there is a genuine attempt at objectivity here. Well worth the money.

A Balanced Campaign Summary.......2001-07-22

Peter Harrington provides a balanced summary of the famous Jacobin rising in the '45 in Scotland, which culminated in their defeat at Culloden in 1746. The account of the Culloden campaign and the events leading up to it are depicted in solid prose, which is supported by excellent illustrations and maps. The campaign maps alone are well-worth purchasing this volume, surpassing those in other more detailed accounts.

Like many of the Osprey titles, the section on opposing leaders is inadequate, focusing only on Prince Charles and the Duke of Cumberland. The subordinate commanders such as Murray and Hawley who actually fought the battle are given much shorter shrift. Jacobin reasons for fighting at Culloden are murky in this account. The author also gives too much stress to British modified bayonet tactics to deal with the Highland charge, but this exaggerates the effect of cold steel; the Jacobins were defeated by artillery and massed musketry. The order of battle on both sides is vague, with no strengths provided, which is odd considering that this information is readily available in secondary sources.

The illustrations are excellent but they tend to perpetuate the myth of the Highlander armed with broadsword and target. Information on Jacobin weapons captured at Culloden indicate that only one in five had a sword and that the Jacobins relied on muskets, not swords.

The author's conclusions are solid, with much good information on the aftermath of Culloden. There is no attempt to whitewash the truth here, that the British army which had won a great victory on the field at Culloden, then proceeded to tarnish its reputation with brutal retributions upon Scottish civilians. The author also takes a brief look at alternative options available to Charles. I used this volume as a handy reference when I visited the Culloden battlefield and found the photographs very useful for identifying key features in the engagement. This volume is one of the better early books in the Osprey Campaign series.

The story of Culloden told.......2000-05-25

I have been a historic re-enactor for over two years now, Studying Scottish history. I first picked this book up in a comic shop of al places. Since no one else has chosen to do so I will review this book. Peter Harington has written definitive guide to the battle of Culloden. he delivers an unbiased review of the history that leads to and the battle that wasthe last charge of the Highlanders. Perfect for the re-enactor, war gammer,or casual historian. A complete description of the field maneuverings gives the reader a good understanding of how the battle was won and lost. As well the insertion of unproven myths as well as what myths are pure fiction add dynamic flare to the book making it a bit more than your humdrum battle review. If you've ever wanted to know why Scotland is no longer free pick it up ye might learn something me boy.

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Bullseye!.......2006-06-24

Outstanding book for anyone who happens to be passionate about government, American history and association management at the same time. I can't remember the last time I read a book in three days, and haven't had my intellect stimulated at this level since college. To say that McKenzie doesn't hide his bias, or to suggest that this book was written primarily to warn us of the dangers or CID's is to miss the point. Privatopia is an outstanding, scholarly work that should be required reading for students of urban planning, local government, or anyone who aspires to become a real estate developer. I could go on but I need to start my online search for the sequel. Evan? (and no I am not his son, or one his lucky students) Mike Walker, Seattle, WA

frighteningly interesting.......2006-03-10

The book was excellent. From history, intent, current situation, this book covered it all. It was also written in an interesting format, not dry data. I bought the book as a reference guide for a school papaer, and ended up reading it cover to cover. Scary stuff, but everyone needs to know about it.

ouch!.......2006-01-09

too dry to get through. we need good helpful advice - not a dry political science book. oh well, will have to look for something else.

A great book from one of my peers........2005-08-12

This is it, the authoritive version. It is refreshing to see one of my peers step up to the plate like this.

It's all there, everything that you need to know. If Evan did not write this himself, I could almost say that I did, that is how close he came to covering everything.

Once again, great writing from one of my peers. (And there are not too many, though there should be)

The dark side of Homeowner Associations........2004-10-22

This is a fascinating book for a narrowly targeted audience. If you are engaged in any way in the governance of a homeowner association either as property manager, lawyer, or board member, this book is most interesting.

The author outlines in detail the history of the advent of common interest developments (CIDs) in the U.S. He explains why this form of residential ownership has taken on like wildfire in the past four decades. And, what this imply for society at large and local governments in particular.

The author indicates that there were only 500 homeowner associations in 1964; but, there were more than 150,000 in 1992. Nowadays, a significant percentage of the middle class and upper middle class lives in such associations. The factors that drove this explosion in the number of CIDs are:

1) Land economics. Developers were able to significantly increase the unit and population density within their housing developments. This increased the supply of private housing, and lowered their costs, making them affordable to a much larger segment of the population.
2) Lower municipalities costs. As CIDs maintain a good part of their infrastructure and also finance some of their municipal services, municipalities' revenues went up due to rising property taxes. But, their costs did not grow as much.

The author makes an eloquent case that the local governments' acceptance of CIDs to boost their revenues more than their cost was a Faustian deal. This is because the middle and upper middle class is becoming increasingly disenfranchised from the remainder of the community. If they are well taken care off by the private services they pay for through monthly assessments within their gated communities or condominium, they will become increasingly resentful of paying regular property taxes, and voting for parcel taxes, and local bonds to finance public services they don't use. The author mentioned that a few CIDs have already successfully obtained the right to tax rebates on a proportion of their property taxes to avoid "double taxation" for the same services. The liberal economist, Robert Reich, has depicted this phenomenon as the "secession of the successful."

The author is also deeply troubled with the governance of CIDs. He feels like Boards have way too much power on the private lives of homeowners. He thinks that developers have way too much influence on the shape of U.S. communities.

The author also depicts the shameful history of CIDs as being racists. They did it through their implementation of restrictive covenants forbidding ownership by any racial minorities to supposedly maintain property values. This went on until the Supreme Court deemed such covenants unenforceable in 1948.

For my part, I find some dissonance in some of the author's arguments. Are the CIDs such a dark development within U.S. society. I don't think so. First, the level of racial discrimination implemented within CIDs prior to 1948 was not specific to just CIDs. Such racial discrimination clause must have been frequent within apartments' lease agreements, and other forms of housing. In other words, there is a reason why the Judiciary passed a body of laws to forbid racial discrimination within housing, employment, and other aspects of our private or public lives. The author sees a cause and effect here. I don't. I see it as a simultaneous development. We all shared the same sins at the same time, whether we lived in CIDs or not.

The argument of the "secession of the successful" is open to contradictory facts. There is no doubt that CIDs by increasing population density on developed land, lowered the cost of private housing, and significantly boosted the homeownership rate over the past decades. Thus, CIDs have not become housing for the few but for the many. If it was not for CIDs, the homeownership rate in the U.S. would be far lower. Additionally, the author's prophecy that an increasing number of CIDs would lobby and obtain property tax rebates has not occurred a full decade later. There is a simple reason for that. The majority of CIDs do not come even close to fully substituting local municipal services with their own privatized services. As treasurer of a condominium, I know that the only true municipal service we pay for through our monthly assessment is garbage removal. And, this cost accounts for only 6% of our budget. This is not significant enough for us to petition City Hall for a proportional tax rebate of our property taxes.

Despite my differing views, I found this book very informative and interesting. Thus, I strongly recommend it. If you are interested in such issues, I also strongly recommend another book, with a broader scope: "Paradise Lost: California's Experience, America's Future" by Peter Schrag. It raises many common issues with this book. It is a study of the long-standing tax revolt in California since the passing of Prop 13 back in the seventies, and its impact on the deterioration of municipal services.

Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government (Political and Social Issues Posed by Housing Developments)

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government (Political and Social Issues Posed by Housing Developments)
Evan McKenzie
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWFU4A

Product Description

This book is the first comprehensive study of the political and social issues posed by the rise of common-interest housing developments and their private governments. Tracing the history of this type of housing from the nineteenth century to the present, McKenzie highlights the important but little-understood role public policy has played in advancing this large-scale "privatization for the few," and he concludes by considering the implications for civil liberties and for politics at all levels of government. Winner of the 1995 American Political Science Association prize for the best book on urban politics, lays it on the line and tells it like it is without sugarcoating. A very informative book that's full of facts that dispel some of the myths about what it's like living under the jurisdiction of a homeowners association (HOA), group of powerful neighbors, that has broad powers over your daily life. Examine these private governments and read expert descriptions of the bitter conflicts spawned by strict HOA regulations, and the apathy.

Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews): An article from: Government Finance Review

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews): An article from: Government Finance Review
John H. Tuohy
Manufacturer: Government Finance Officers Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Government Finance Review, published by Government Finance Officers Association on October 1, 1996. The length of the article is 776 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews)
Author: John H. Tuohy
Publication: Government Finance Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 1996
Publisher: Government Finance Officers Association
Volume: v12 Issue: n5 Page: p54(1)

Article Type: Book Review

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews): An article from: Utopian Studies

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews): An article from: Utopian Studies
Peter G. Stillman
Manufacturer: Society for Utopian Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Utopian Studies, published by Society for Utopian Studies on March 22, 1997. The length of the article is 1148 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government. (book reviews)
Author: Peter G. Stillman
Publication: Utopian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1997
Publisher: Society for Utopian Studies
Volume: v8 Issue: n2 Page: p158(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government

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Privatopia: Homeowner Associations and the Rise of Residential Private Government
Evan McKenzie
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OS77CW

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This book deals with a subject of the gravest importance---the destruction of the Earth. Kentucky's mountains and the creatures who live there are being devastated by the coal-mining technique known as mountaintop removal.

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