# Franz Kafka ![[50 Resources/51 Attachments/51.03 Public/2025-08-23_Franz_Kafka.jpg|400]] Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-language Jewish Czech writer and novelist born in Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature, his work fuses elements of realism and the fantastique, and typically features isolated protagonists facing bizarre or surreal predicaments and incomprehensible socio-bureaucratic powers. The term "Kafkaesque" has entered the lexicon to describe situations like those depicted in his writings. His best-known works include the novella "The Metamorphosis" (1915) and the novels "The Trial" (1924) and "The Castle" (1926). Kafka trained as a lawyer and worked in insurance while writing. He died relatively unknown in 1924 of tuberculosis at age 40. Only a minority of his works were published during his lifetime; most became famous posthumously. ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Franz Kafka]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Franz Kafka]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[Don't bend; don't water it down; don't try to make it logical; don't edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly]] - [[There are two cardinal sins from which all others spring. Impatience and Laziness]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[Franz Kafka]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC -->