Someone must have been telling tales about Josef K. for one morning, without having done anything wrong, he was arrested.'A successful professional man wakes up one morning to find himself under arrest for an offence which is never explained. The mysterious court which conducts his trial is outwardly co-operative, but capable of horrific violence. Faced with this ambiguous authority, Josef K. gradually succumbs to its psychological pressure. He consults various advisers without escaping his fate. Was there some way out that he failed to see? Kafka's unfinished novel has been read as a study of.
Josef K is thirty years old. He lives in rented accommodation in a large town and works for a bank. One day, although he has done nothing wrong, he is arrested. Two guards appear and start to intimidate him. He is not told the nature of the charge. And so begins a nightmare of successive scenes -- an irregular magistrate's office, a bizarre court appearance, his arresting guards being flogged... Franz Kafka began this piercing vision of state control versus the individual in 1914 and, finished by a friend after his death, it became one of the most prescient and influential novels of the 20th century. Franz Kafka, born in Prague in 1883, is one of the most influential writers of the early 20th century. His writing tends to focus on individuals trapped in a nightmarish world. He worked as an insurance officer and factory manager as well as a writer. He died in Austria aged 40. Rupert Degas can be heard reading True History of the Kelly Gang, PS I Love You, Lord Loss and The Saga of Darren Shan. He has lent his voice to numerous cartoons, including Mr. Bean, Robotboy and Bob the Builder. He spent eighteen months in the West End performing in the comedy Stones in his Pockets. Excerpted from The Trial by Franz Kafka All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
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