Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 - 3 June 1924) was a German-language writer of novels and short stories who is widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work, which fuses elements of realism and the fantastic, typically features isolated protagonists faced by bizarre or surrealistic predicaments and incomprehen-sible social-bureaucratic powers, and has been interpreted

as exploring themes of alienation, existential anxiety, guilt, and absurdity. His best known work...