Franz Kafka and Judaism

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) is one of the most important writers of the 20th century, although only a fraction of his texts were published during his lifetime. Many of his works, such as "The Trial" or "The Castle", remained unfinished and were only published after his death. The plots in his stories and novels are considered dark and enigmatic. In addition, their vagueness and openness leave room for various interpretations and make it difficult to give a clear interpretation. To mark the 100th anniversary of his death on 3 June 2024, we want to take a closer look at the German-language writer who was born in Prague. In particular, we will focus on Kafka's Jewish identity. This aspect was neglected for a long time, mainly because Kafka did not explicitly mention Judaism in his texts and non-Jewish Kafka interpreters usually missed corresponding allusions and references. At the same time, Kafka's close friend and estate administrator Max Brod emphasised the importance of reading Kafka religiously. And the great philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote in 1939: "I think that the key to Kafka would fall into his hands if he were to strip the Jewish tradition of its comic side". Literary scholar Liliane Weissberg and Jewish scholar Karl Erich Grözinger will talk about Kafka's life and work. To give the writer himself a chance to speak, Clara Walla and Max Faatz from the Otto Falckenberg School will read passages from Kafka's work that are revealing of his Jewish self-image.