Kafkaesque

Nyhet

Ten Great Writers Translate the Twentieth Century

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

259 kr

Kommande

The untold story of Kafka through the eyes of his ten first and most famous translators ‘Dazzling … one fine day, you open a book by an unknown writer, and a charge of pure talent blows you away’ La Tribune 'An elegant reflection on how the act of translation itself brings about Kafkaesque diversions'TLS What happens to a writer's work when it is translated – specifically, what happens if his name is Franz Kafka?After Kafka died young and unknown, a German-speaking Jew in Prague, ten writers rescued him from oblivion. For years, Kafka existed mostly through their wildly different readings of his words.Many of his first translators would later be counted among the greatest thinkers and writers of the twentieth century. Primo Levi translated Kafka into Italian from the German he had learned in Auschwitz; Milena Jesenská lovingly into Czech before being deported; Bruno Schulz into Polish before being shot by an SS officer; and Jorge Luis Borges into Spanish as he slowly went blind in Buenos Aires. His French translator found new humour hidden inside Kafka’s work, while his Russian translators were condemned to perpetual anonymity by the Soviet censor.With inventiveness, spirit and wit, Maia Hruska has written a captivating history of the tragedies and absurdities of the twentieth century. ‘At once brilliant and relevant, erudite and highly accessible’ Le Figaro

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-04-23
Mått141 x 222 x 18 mm
Vikt270 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor240
FörlagHarperCollins Publishers
ISBN9780008768614
MiljömärkningProduced using independently certified paper to ensure responsible forestry management. (Certification is by FSC, PEFC or SFI.) Produced in the UK using 100% renewable electricity.

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Born to a Czech-French family in 1991, Maïa Hruska was raised in Germany and now lives in London, working as a lawyer, like Kafka. She is fluent in Czech, French, German, and English. Kafkaesque is her first book.Sam Taylor is a literary translator and novelist. He is the author of five novels and the award-winning translator of more than 70 books from French, including works by authors such as Laurent Binet, Leïla Slimani, David Diop, Maylis de Kerangal and Marcel Proust. He was born in England, spent a decade in France and now lives in the United States.

'An elegant reflection on how the act of translation itself brings about Kafkaesque diversions … offers poignant reflections on the Europe of yesteryear and its legacy today' Times Literary Supplement‘A brilliant, fascinating book … Hrušková shows how, in the mid-1920s, ten authors fought to save Kafka’s works from the oblivion to which the Soviet and Nazi authorities had condemned them. It is both brilliant and relevant, erudite and highly accessible … It's not a long book, yet its breadth and depth make it feel like so much more’ Le Figaro‘Many books have been dedicated to this Czech writer … this is one of the most interesting … Subtle and erudite, this captivating book is a literary panorama which follows Kafka across a century and several continents’ Lire Magazine‘Dazzling … one fine day, you open a book by an unknown writer, and a charge of pure talent blows you away… It's a rare occurrence, even when you read for work. Dix Versions de Kafka is that gift that you don’t expect’ La Tribune‘Examines the ‘Kafka question’ with finesse and erudition … this is unquestionably an important book about a universal literature’ L’Arche‘Maïa Hrušková sets out along untrodden paths that it is astonishing no one has ever thought of taking before. She follows and retraces them like an explorer, with unparalleled intuition’ Analyse Opinion Critique‘Is it surprising that Kafka’s work is experiencing such a craze among young people? [This book] has something of that youth about it: the zeal of not being afraid, and asking the right questions’ Revue des Deux Mondes