Writer · 1883 – 1924

Franz Kafka

Little-Known Facts

  • He asked his friend Max Brod to burn all his unpublished manuscripts; Brod refused and published them instead.
  • He worked for years as a lawyer and official at an insurance company.

Myths & Misconceptions

What does 'Kafkaesque' mean?

It describes situations that are bewildering, oppressive and absurd — especially involving impersonal, illogical bureaucracy or authority — as in Kafka's fiction.