Author(s): Franz Kafka

Fiction

Josef K. awakes one morning to find himself arrested. The nature of his crime is not revealed to him, neither is the date of his trial. Despite his now criminal status, he is, however, granted the right to continue as normal, on the condition that he report to court on a regular basis. And so begins Josef K.'s new life. But as time passes, and as nothing is resolved, his fate, like the world around him, becomes increasingly uncertain. Stifled by the helplessness of his situation, he makes a desperate bid to regain control - little knowing that this can lead only to tragedy. 'Those who defend the process ...may offer absurd arguments but they also state the case as clearly as it can be stated. All the humour of Kafka lies here, in the logical pursuit of absurd arguments.' - from the Foreword by Zadie Smith