Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

*The Metamorphosis and Other Stories*, by **Franz Kafka**, is part of the **Barnes some include illustrations of historical interest. *Barnes & Noble Classics *pulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.

Virtually unknown during his lifetime, **Franz Kafka** is now one of the world’s most widely read and discussed authors. His nightmarish novels and short stories have come to symbolize modern man’s anxiety and alienation in a bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized world. This vision is most fully realized in Kafka’s masterpiece, “*The Metamorphosis*,” a story that is both harrowing and amusing, and a landmark of modern literature.

Bringing together some of Kafka’s finest work, this collection demonstrates the richness and variety of the author’s artistry. “*The Judgment*,” which Kafka considered to be his decisive breakthrough, and “*The Stoker*,” which became the first chapter of his novel *Amerika*, are here included. These two, along with “*The Metamorphosis*,” form a suite of stories Kafka referred to as “The Sons,” and they collectively present a devastating portrait of the modern family.

Also included are “*In the Penal Colony*,” a story of a torture machine and its operators and victims, and “*A Hunger Artist*,” about the absurdity of an artist trying to communicate with a misunderstanding public. Kafka’s lucid, succinct writing chronicles the labyrinthine complexities, the futility-laden horror, and the stifling oppressiveness that permeate his vision of modern life.

**Jason Baker** is a writer of short stories living in Brooklyn, New York.