Letter to His Father

By Franz Kafka

Book Overview

Letter to His Father (Brief an den Vater, 1919) by Franz Kafka is one of the most revealing autobiographical letters in twentieth-century literature. This powerful existential classic exposes the deep conflict between father and son, capturing the tension, guilt, and emotional paralysis that shaped Kafka's life and work. Written in 1919 but never sent, the letter stands as a key document in German modernism and remains one of the most important psychological memoirs of the modern era.

In this English translation, readers encounter Kafka's precise and penetrating analysis of family trauma and personal alienation. The letter unfolds as a study of psychological conflict, exploring the crushing weight of paternal authority and the fragile struggle for individuality. Those familiar with The Metamorphosis, The Trial, or The Castle will recognize the same sense of powerlessness and existential dread, here rendered with complete honesty and without the veil of fiction.

This edition of Letter to His Father is essential reading for anyone interested in European literature of the early twentieth century, modernist classics, or the psychology of family relationships. It will appeal to readers who study literary analysis, autobiographical writing, and philosophical fiction, as well as those exploring introspective memoirs and psychoanalytic literature. A cornerstone of modern European literature, this work provides an intimate look into the mind of the author of The Metamorphosis and reveals the origins of the existential questions that define Franz Kafka's enduring legacy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1918305382
• ISBN13: 9781918305388
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Lost Book Project
• Length: 52 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the most moving and revealing works of Kafka

This is a letter never sent. It is written from Kafka the tormented son to his father Hermann. It tells of the relationship of father and son, as seen by the son. But a good part of the son's seeing is his understanding of his father, and his father's perception of and disappointment with him. It is an analysis of his father's life also , and in a way an attempt to make a kind of connection with the distant father the son has not really had in life. For anyone who has had a difficult father whose love and approval they so much longed for , and did not have - this work will be a soul- opening one. It is painful, deep, true and as with all Kafka somehow mysteriously deep and beautiful . A great great work of a great great genius.

Do not miss it!!!! Look for it everywhere!!

This little book, actually, "letter" will get to your heart. Its one of the most human prose I have ever read, the intimate conflits in a father-son relationship. No not stop until you find it, you will not regret it.

Captures the universal relationship between father and son

Definitely read this book if you can ever find it and if you like Kafka. It's a deeply personal, open-minded, unapologetically contradictory analysis of the relationship between one over-bearing, opinionated father and his timid son. One of the best books I've read