The Trial (Everyman's Library Classics) |
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Franz Kafka
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Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 1857150759
Pub: Everyman's Library
Pub date: 1992-06-04
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 149057
Reader Reviews:
A classic (1/2 people found this helpful)
The Trial is, personally speaking, the greatest book ever written. Yes it's depressing, and the reason for this is simply that we feel this sort of injustice daily. It's not just the politicans and the system, but predudice and bigotry. The notion of majority decision when the majority are the law, state and jury. The fear of possibly being the next victim of a system that sees the individual as dispensable for the greater good.
For those of you who have seen 'Minority Report' (MR), this is the foundation. The falibility of human justice and the mere definitions of trial and retribution. As in MR, the perpetrator is un-aware of his/her actions and crime, however the freedom of choice and will is removed for the greater good, i.e. the majority. Where MR falls down is in it's hollywood ending. You do not have to worry about that with The Trial. Had Kafka finshed this book , as Albert Camus commented, it would have taken something from it.
The Trial is, in my mind, Kafka's best work. Some constantly suggest "Metomorphosis..." which is also worth a look. The Trial is the first of Kafka's books that I read and is the one I always come back to. It is the only book I've ever read more than once. I can't recommend it enough.
Psychologically thrilling and disturbing (0/3 people found this helpful)
Being a relation to Kafka some may say I am being biased by saying this book is fantastic but upon first reading this novel I did look at it subjecitvely. To read Kafka's novels, short stories etc one must read about his life to understand what lies beneath his words. He describes almost torture in the Trial and it is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Guilty until proven guilty (0/1 people found this helpful)
K wakes up one morning and is arrested. He does not know why. Has someone been telling lies about him? He soon realises that he is trapped in the mire of bureaucratic bungling. Escape from this nightmare becomes impossible - besides, deep down he feels he IS guilty after all. But guilty of what?
Fate is an important theme in this book. K feels fated to accept his vague and unspecified crime - his crime is to ask what his crime is. Franz Kafka's book is more depressing than 'Waiting for Godot'- and it lasts twice as long.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Fiction -> General
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Hardcover