{"product_id":"kafkaesque-ten-great-writers-translate-the-twentieth-century-9780008768614","title":"Kafkaesque: Ten Great Writers Translate the Twentieth Century","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*A \u003cem\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e Best Summer Read*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A book to underline endlessly, to carry around until battered, and then to tell all your friends to buy because you're too reluctant to give up your own copy. A wonder’ \u003c\/strong\u003ePolly Barton\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eBrings a welcome freshness of vision and a dashing style … provocative and illuminating' \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e_______________________________\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhat happens to a writer's work when it's translated – specifically, what happens if his name is Franz Kafka?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter Kafka died young and unknown, a German-speaking Jew in Prague, ten writers rescued him from oblivion. For years, long before he became a much misused adjective, Kafka existed mostly through their wildly different readings of his words.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMany of his first translators would later be counted among the greatest thinkers and writers of the twentieth century – and they all found in Kafka’s writing a guiding light through the dark of their own tumultuous lives. Primo Levi translated Kafka into Italian from the German he had learned in Auschwitz; Milena Jesenská lovingly into Czech before she too was deported to the camps; Bruno Schulz into Polish before being shot by an SS officer; and Jorge Luis Borges into Spanish as he slowly went blind. Vladimir Nabokov annotated \u003cem\u003eThe Metamorphosis\u003c\/em\u003e in exile, having undergone his own transformation from native to foreigner, while Kafka’s translators back in Russia were condemned to perpetual anonymity by the Soviet censor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith inventiveness, spirit and wit, Maïa Hruska has written a celebration of the impossible art of translation, and a portrait of the tragic, absurd twentieth century that Kafka so presciently described.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Dazzling … one fine day, you open a book by an unknown writer, and a charge of pure talent blows you away’ \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003eLa Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9780008768614\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 20 Sep 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: HarperCollins Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 22.2(H)x14.1(L)x3(W)380\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 380\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eBorn to a Czech-French family in 1991, Maia 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.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e‘\u003cstrong\u003eRarely, if ever, have I read a book about translation so insightful, so wide-ranging, so romantic, so hard-hitting.\u003c\/strong\u003e A book to underline endlessly, to dog-ear, to carry around until battered, and then to tell all your friends to buy because you're too reluctant to give up your own copy. Maïa Hruska and Sam Taylor have created a wonder’ Polly Barton, author of \u003cem\u003eFifty Sounds\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'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' \u003cem\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Freewheeling and often fascinating … \u003cstrong\u003ea thoughtful, digressive and at times sensuous production.\u003c\/strong\u003e It thrives on Kafka’s sheer variety' \u003cem\u003eLiterary Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eCompelling, haunting\u003c\/strong\u003e … exposes the intimate and unstable nature of translation itself’ \u003cem\u003eNew Statesman\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eBrings a welcome freshness of vision and a dashing style … provocative and illuminating\u003c\/strong\u003e, thanks to Hruska’s insights and imaginative associations. Her engaging, elegant prose is deftly recreated in Sam Taylor’s beautiful translation. \u003cem\u003eKafkaesque \u003c\/em\u003eis bound to appeal both to Kafka devotees and to readers curious about how he became a global icon' \u003cem\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003e[S]uperbly provocative\u003c\/strong\u003e…allows for the universality that accounts for Kafka’s continuing appeal' \u003cem\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'The explorations in \u003cem\u003eKafkaesque \u003c\/em\u003eare ranging and free-associative… It is poignant that Ms Hruska’s book ends with a literal romance blooming from the act of translation' \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLively, lyrically inviting prose\u003c\/strong\u003e … \u003cstrong\u003eHruska’s approach makes Kafka fresh and revelatory again\u003c\/strong\u003e' George Prochnik, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Impossible Exile\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cstrong\u003eA joyful and mind-opening read for everyone\u003c\/strong\u003e’ Burhan Sönmez, author of \u003cem\u003eLovers of Franz K.\u003c\/em\u003e and President of PEN International\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cstrong\u003eDazzling\u003c\/strong\u003e … 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 … \u003cstrong\u003ethat gift that you don’t expect\u003c\/strong\u003e’ \u003cem\u003eLa Tribune\u003c\/em\u003e","brand":"Maïa Hruska","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50628759945433,"sku":"9780008768614","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9780008768614_28d42c1c-471a-4d8c-8ba9-ee45954917a9.jpg?v=1791458796","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/kafkaesque-ten-great-writers-translate-the-twentieth-century-9780008768614","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}