Kafkaesque
Ten Great Writers Translate the Twentieth Century
Published on 9. April 2026
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-00-876861-4 (ISBN)
Description
The untold story of Kafka through the eyes of his ten first and most famous translators
'Dazzling ... one fine day, you open a book by an unknown writer, and a charge of pure talent blows you away'
La Tribune
'An elegant reflection on how the act of translation itself brings about Kafkaesque diversions'
TLS
What happens to a writer's work when it is translated - specifically, what happens if his name is Franz Kafka?
After Kafka died young and unknown, a German-speaking Jew in Prague, ten writers rescued him from oblivion. For years, Kafka existed mostly through their wildly different readings of his words.
Many of his first translators would later be counted among the greatest thinkers and writers of the twentieth century. Primo Levi translated Kafka into Italian from the German he had learned in Auschwitz; Milena Jesenska lovingly into Czech before being deported; Bruno Schulz into Polish before being shot by an SS officer; and Jorge Luis Borges into Spanish as he slowly went blind in Buenos Aires. His French translator found new humour hidden inside Kafka's work, while his Russian translators were condemned to perpetual anonymity by the Soviet censor.
With inventiveness, spirit and wit, Maia Hruska has written a captivating history of the tragedies and absurdities of the twentieth century.
'At once brilliant and relevant, erudite and highly accessible'
Le Figaro
'Dazzling ... one fine day, you open a book by an unknown writer, and a charge of pure talent blows you away'
La Tribune
'An elegant reflection on how the act of translation itself brings about Kafkaesque diversions'
TLS
What happens to a writer's work when it is translated - specifically, what happens if his name is Franz Kafka?
After Kafka died young and unknown, a German-speaking Jew in Prague, ten writers rescued him from oblivion. For years, Kafka existed mostly through their wildly different readings of his words.
Many of his first translators would later be counted among the greatest thinkers and writers of the twentieth century. Primo Levi translated Kafka into Italian from the German he had learned in Auschwitz; Milena Jesenska lovingly into Czech before being deported; Bruno Schulz into Polish before being shot by an SS officer; and Jorge Luis Borges into Spanish as he slowly went blind in Buenos Aires. His French translator found new humour hidden inside Kafka's work, while his Russian translators were condemned to perpetual anonymity by the Soviet censor.
With inventiveness, spirit and wit, Maia Hruska has written a captivating history of the tragedies and absurdities of the twentieth century.
'At once brilliant and relevant, erudite and highly accessible'
Le Figaro
Reviews / Votes
'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' Times Literary Supplement'A brilliant, fascinating book ... Hruskova shows how, in the mid-1920s, ten authors fought to save Kafka's works from the oblivion to which the Soviet and Nazi authorities had condemned them. It is both brilliant and relevant, erudite and highly accessible ... It's not a long book, yet its breadth and depth make it feel like so much more' Le Figaro
'Many books have been dedicated to this Czech writer ... this is one of the most interesting ... Subtle and erudite, this captivating book is a literary panorama which follows Kafka across a century and several continents' Lire Magazine
'Dazzling ... 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. Dix Versions de Kafka is that gift that you don't expect' La Tribune
'Examines the 'Kafka question' with finesse and erudition ... this is unquestionably an important book about a universal literature' L'Arche
'Maia Hruskova sets out along untrodden paths that it is astonishing no one has ever thought of taking before. She follows and retraces them like an explorer, with unparalleled intuition' Analyse Opinion Critique
'Is it surprising that Kafka's work is experiencing such a craze among young people? [This book] has something of that youth about it: the zeal of not being afraid, and asking the right questions' Revue des Deux Mondes
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-876861-4 (9780008768614)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
William Collins
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Born 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.
Sam Taylor is a literary translator and novelist. He is the author of five novels and the award-winning translator of more than 70 books from French, including works by authors such as Laurent Binet, Leila Slimani, David Diop, Maylis de Kerangal and Marcel Proust. He was born in England, spent a decade in France and now lives in the United States.
Sam Taylor is a literary translator and novelist. He is the author of five novels and the award-winning translator of more than 70 books from French, including works by authors such as Laurent Binet, Leila Slimani, David Diop, Maylis de Kerangal and Marcel Proust. He was born in England, spent a decade in France and now lives in the United States.