Customer Reviews

The Trial

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Franz Kafka's "The Trial" is a fable, sadly relevant today, about the law perpetuating injustice instead of fighting it. The story concerns one Joseph K., who suddenly has two men show up at his door one morning, informing him he is under arrest. They do not identify which authority they represent, or tell K. what the charges are against him. Eventually the two men tell K. that he has to show up at a court on a particular day. From there, he tries in vain to figure out the Byzantine workings of the system that is apparently against him. The "court" is actually in an obscure building in a run-down neighborhood, for instance. Especially memorable in the story is the fable of the law- in which a man is waiting for entrance to the door of the law, but the doorman won't let him in.

Even if you never read graphic novels, this one is definitely worth getting. Mairowitz brings Kafka's nightmarish vision to life beautifully, along with all the absurdities of injustice in his world. One interesting little motif is a little skeleton that periodically pops up in the margins and comments on the events. If you've never read "The Trial", this is an excellent format in which to read it. I am of the opinion that graphic novels can be just as legitimate as traditional books in conveying literary themes. Although, if you're reading "The Trial" for a class, then read the traditional book, because you'll probably fail the quizzes if you rely on the graphic novel. Otherwise, this is highly recommended. Anyone who has been waiting for the absolute acquittal or entrance to the door of the law will love this.

Franz Kafka's classic tale of oppressive bureaucracy and lost humanity is the inspiration for a host of dystopian films and interpretations. Without The Trial there would be no Brazil, no Pink Floyd - The Wall, no Naked Lunch, not to mention its own 1962 Orson Welles' film adaptation The Trial.

In the story, Joseph K wakes up one morning to find himself under arrest. He is never told what for, but he goes through a sequence of meaningless events, including hiring a lawyer who does nothing but dither, an artist who attempts to sell him cheap paintings while promising valuable secrets on the inner workings of the court, and a collection of women who Joseph intends to seduce and use for his benefit. Every thing culminates in Joseph's eventual trial, and a parable in which he finds that the Door of Law will never open for him.

French artist Chantal Montellier (Un été algérien) and writer/translator David Zane Mairowitz (Introducing Kafka) did a magnificent job in adapting "The Trial" for the graphic novel format. Mairowitz boils down the story, leaving nothing important behind and capturing that all-important feeling of tumbling though circumstances beyond your control, while Montellier creates a harsh, stark, black-and-white world where everything is shades of grey. Just take a look at that cover. That staring Kafka face is an evocative image, and it is exactly the sort of thing that awaits you in "The Trial."

I have read Sterling Press's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations in Nevermore, and while well done I wasn't overwhelmed. "The Trial," however is a power house.

Tell me: what am I so disappointed about? Surely, I could not have thought that a graphic novel of THE TRIAL would be better than the original? Why is it, then, that I came out of the experience feeling as if I walked out of a museum with blank walls? Did the graphic novel not have good drawings? It did. Did the graphic novel not translate the story's prose into a visual experience? Yes, yes it did. Why is it, then, that I came out of the experience feeling as if I opened a large, ornate box with nothing inside?

Because the tone was not right. There is something absurdly comic about many of Kafka's works, but I never felt the overwhelming silliness this rendition ostensibly spots underneath the book covers. I never imagined such deranged faces speaking with the Josef K we are so familiar with; I never imagined smiling skeletons stalking the characters and winking at the readers.

But what pestered me the most was that, for whatever reason, Franz Kafka himself was chosen as the model for the main character. How distracting it was to continuously gaze at that one picture of the writer, that famed picture many see in their minds when his name is mentioned. Kafka's reserved face in the portrait reveals nothing; likewise, a number of Josef K's expressions reveal nothing. As a result, many of his thoughts are disastrously portrayed. I would have been lost through most of the graphic novel had it not been for the prose still fresh in my mind. Scenes like the one between K and Fräulein Bürstner in the first chapter show just how much important detail is omitted.

It would be unfortunate if you decide to rob yourself a wonderful experience by reading the graphic novel alone. If you really are curious, read the prose prior to flipping through the pictures.

This adaption pays great attention to one important feature of any Kafka story--atmosphere. The artist and translator skillfully illustrate the bleak existence of the suspect. The translation is loose, but the effect is acutely present.