The Trial
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
'Someone must have been telling tales about Josef K. for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.'
A successful professional man wakes up one morning to find himself under arrest for an offence which is never explained. The mysterious court which conducts his trial is outwardly co-operative, but capable of horrific violence. Faced with this ambiguous authority, Josef K. gradually succumbs to its psychological pressure. He consults various advisers without escaping his fate. Was there some way out that he failed to see? Kafka's unfinished novel has been read as a study of political power, a pessimistic religious parable, or a crime novel where the accused man is himself the problem.
One of the iconic figures of modern world literature, Kafka writes about universal problems of guilt, responsibility, and freedom; he offers no solutions, but provokes his readers to arrive at meanings of their own. This new edition includes the fragmentary chapters that were omitted from the main text, in a translation that is both natural and exact, and an introduction that illuminates the novel and its author.
ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Kafka's famed story, bank clerk Joseph K is arrested for a crime that didn't take place and put on a trial that never occurs. This faithful graphic novel adaptation depicts not just the comical, nightmarish and absurdist themes explored by Kafka but also his gravitation to and mistrust of women. Artist Montellier's heavy shadows cast The Trial in a dark world framed with detailed embellishments that spill out of panels, creating a dreamlike (albeit a nightmare) quality. The surreal feeling of the story, and Kafka's absurdist view of reality, make this adaptation a dense read, full of strange imagery and, overall, a bit overwhelming. Although a clear, visual rendering of the feeling kafkaesque, a new, grotesque element is added with every scene, making it difficult to digest the events of the plot. Likely good supplemental reading to Kafka's actual novel, this graphic novel may serve as a useful entry point to his writing for teachers and librarians.
Customer Reviews
Greatest book ever written
It is quite rightly claimed that there are many subjective, social, and historical factors at play when anything in the realm of the arts has the label of greatness attached to it. That being said, this is the greatest book every written, period. You can read about why elsewhere but I’m here to say that if you want to buy a copy from the iTunes store, this is the one to get. This is a modern translation based on the German critical edition and is far superior to the commonly available translation by the Muirs. The Muirs have a very important and valuable place in the history of Kafka in the English language but they have had their time in the sun and their translations, loaded with their own personal prejudices of what Kafka was ‘about’, need to be put out to pasture. So this is the one to get (and the Breon Mitchell translation from the Schocken publisher not available on iTunes and which is the equal to this translation).