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I believe Kafka's never saw this letter. I believe Kafka gave it to his mother. In it though he unravels the relationship which more than any other shaped his life and his work. Kafka was the only son in a family in which there were three daughters. There were tremendous expectations of him, many of which he details in the letter, which he by his nature and character could not respond to and realize. His father was a giant of energy, a masterful strong rude and overpowering business- person. Beside him Franz Kafka was the perpetual child and weakling the paralyzed one. In this letter Kafka not only interprets his father's expectations and understanding of the son- he indicates how and why his own path must necessarily diverge from that of his father. He is on the surface explaining the relationship to his father but he is also unraveling it to himself. He is trying that is to come to terms with who he himself is, and put this in a form that his father would be able to understand. But again Kafkalike the letter is not delivered and the writer is never to be understood. And yet what aching and beauty what wisdom and depth of thought there is in the analysis. For myself this letter opened in some ways a gate to understanding my relationship with my own father. The Letter has always meant a tremendous amount to me, and seemed to me one of the truly great personal communications in world - literature. A masterpiece in its revelation of the father- son relationship, in all its pain difficulty fear, guilt and love.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
This translation should be required reading for anyone interested in the works of Kafka. It contains the keys to unlock a new level of understanding; how Kafka's relationship with his father shaped both Kafka himself and everything that he wrote. Kafka sees his father as a raging authoritarian figure from whom he can never escape, and whose strength of character and sense of irreproachableness leaves Kafka crushed. In Franz's own words: "my writing dealt with you."
On another level, the letter carries a thought-provoking message to fathers everywhere. Kafka ably demonstrates how in both small incidents and in traits of character, the way that a father relates to his son can have a profound impact on the son that may affect him for his whole life.
On a third level, this new translation succeeds wonderfully in conveying the emotion and hurt that Kafka feels. It is hard not to be moved when reading it. The spirit of the letter is perfectly captured, and the flow of the prose allows it to shine through the logical arguments presented. For many of us, this is as close to Kafka as we're ever likely to get.
See also the following independent review in the New York Sun:[...]
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I'm about a 3rd of the way through Kafka's "Letter to my Father" and I'm curious to know what others think about my developing theory regarding Gregor Samsa.
I think it's possible that Gregor's transformation into a hateful (by his family) insect was a device that Kafka used to show how his father "unloaded" his own self-hatred and despair onto his son instead of having to experience it himself...and psychologically speaking, Gregor, at some point in his life, agreed to this arrangement.
After all, neither Kafka or Gregor had to remain living with his tyrannical father, but both did, seemingly out of a sense of love and obligation. And in this way, Gregor "agrees" to take on his father's self-hate and despair, which is represented perfectly by becoming a cockroach. I guess it's a way of describing how a child chooses to introject - or identify - with an abusive parent but then suffers greatly as a result because the child is now strapped with the parent's negative feelings.
"Letter to my Father," which of course Kafka never actually handed to his father, seems to be an attempted protest of all of this, and an attempt to return to his father the self-hatred that he dumped onto his son. Kafka seems conflicted in the letter. He levels really stinging criticisms at his father, but then back-pedals with compliments and praise.
I'd like to hear what others think.
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Kafka opens up in this personal letter where he reveals the troubled relationship he had with his father. So deep was this emotional wound that he wasn't able to speak directly to him and had to put it down in words. His father is described as a tyrannical figure, who placed himself above every member of his family, and whose opinions had a huge influence on Kafka's life and decisions, mostly discrediting his achievements and skills. He writes from the perspective of a person who has suffered a lot and who is paying a high price for his upbringing. It's short but powerful. Worth reading to understand Kafka's work and also from a psychological perspective to be aware of the damage that parents can cause to the self esteem and happiness of their offspring.
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If you want more insight into Kafka's relationship with his father then this is a must read. It will definitely put his other writings into perspective.
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As always, Kafka writes with a searing razor cut to the gut--but this time it's not a fiction. He writes an actual letter to his fatthe condemning both father and son. Although the father never read it, we can and should!
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