On Kafka

This is a fine introduction to Kafka. The first two chapters cover his life and reception and how to read him; the latter three are thematic — bodies, institutions, religion — and those were the best, with the discussions of law and guilt the ones that most impressed me. The author does good work pushing back on the myths (that Kafka was wholly unknown in his lifetime, for one), and I found a lot here to relate to in my own life. I especially loved the discussion of Kafka’s “as if” constructions — I find them hilarious and so precisely descriptive. The book adds real dimension to the stories, and it let me appreciate his writing more than I had before.