The metamorphosis and other stories

"More than almost any other writer, Franz Kafka has been credited with capturing the existential tragicomedy of the modern human condition. Now, for the first time in fifty years, the great short works - including "The Metamorphosis," "The Judgment," and "The Stoker" - are given new life in an English free of anachronism." "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories reflects Kafka's virtuosity in a wide range of forms - from prose poems, sketches, stories, and allegories to a three-act novelette ("The Metamorphosis") - and the deadpan humor, psychological acuity, and lyricism for which he is revered as a modern master." "This new translation preserves "The Stoker" and "Contemplation" as they were published during Kafka's lifetime. With a sensitivity to the Jewish traditions that influenced Kafka, prizewinning translator Joachim Neugroschel conveys the elusive music, delicate syntax, and almost juridical precision of Kafka's rich style - a rarefied monument to the timbre and cadences of Prague German, which succumbed to history after World War II." "In this vital English rendering destined to become the new standard, Kafka's masterpieces are as fresh and powerful as when they were written and will captivate a new generation of readers as well as those who already know and love them."--BOOK JACKET.