A Letter to My Father

Written by Franz Kafka

Narrated by Deaver Brown

The struggle of an artist dealing with his businessman father.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Magazine Inc.
• Release date: Mar 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781614966517

Franz Kafka

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was a primarily German-speaking Bohemian author, known for his impressive fusion of realism and fantasy in his work. Despite his commendable writing abilities, Kafka worked as a lawyer for most of his life and wrote in his free time. Though most of Kafka’s literary acclaim was gained postmortem, he earned a respected legacy and now is regarded as a major literary figure of the 20th century.

Reviews for A Letter to My Father

[oldandnewbooksmell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dearest Father is a letter that Franz Kafka wrote to his father about the hardship and emotional abuse he went through as his son. His father never read it though as Franz had given it to his mother to give to his father but she never gave it to him, instead, returned it back to Franz. The letter, like most of Kafka's writes, wasn't meant for the public eye.

To read about what Kafka went through and how that formed him into the adult he was when he wrote it (36 years old) made me so sad.

“It is as if a person were a prisoner, and he had not only the intention to escape, which would perhaps be attainable, but also, and indeed simultaneously, the intention to rebuild the prison as a pleasure dome for himself. But if he escapes, he cannot rebuild, and if he rebuilds, he cannot escape.”

Because this wasn't intended for the public consumption, the writing is so raw and filled with the human experience. Kafka cries for both freedom and recognition from his father that he never did receive.

I always feel a little weird reading pieces that authors themselves never published because you never know if they ever wanted it out there. However, Kafka writes at one point,

"What do these children know? Nobody's been through that! Does any child understand such things today?"

And I think he would appreciate that he wasn't alone when it comes to it and that his letter might help others to see the same.

[stillatim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The genius of Kafka: he writes a letter to his father. His father comes across as a horrific human being. At the end of the letter, Kafka imagines his father's response--and it's just as convincing as Kafka's accusations. Nobody is innocent before the law.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an eloquent, and detailed, letter from Franz Kafka to his father. Through it, you are able to see the man behind the works that he is most known for. The depiction is sharp, and Kafka does not try to disguise himself (even with the fear of his father being present- a concept that comes up several times in his letter) in his rendition. It is a deep letter and one that now, having read it, feel that I have a slightly larger glimpse of the man behind the letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages that compose his oeuvre of work. 3.5 stars- worth it.

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Brief aan eigen vader. Zeer ontluisterend.Beeld van tirannieke, ambitieuse vader-zakenman die als een tempeest door het huis gaat. Franz ontwikkelt daardoor allerlei complexen: geen zelfvertrouwen, minderwaardigheidscomplex, compensatief voorkomend gedrag ten aanzien van andere mensenVerwijten aan vader : Geen opvoeding in jodendom, of in huwelijk en liefde, reden waarom : te hoge horde, wan dan gelijkwaardig met vader.