The Diaries of Franz Kafka

pallor, those cheekbones of hers, which stretch her skin so taut that scarcely more than a faint movement appears in her face, her big nose which rises as if from a hollow with which one can t make jokes like testing the hardness of the tip or lightly grasping it by the bridge and pulling it back and forth while saying come along now, her broad high-waisted figure in overly pleated skirts, who can find that appealing she almost resembles one of my aunts an elderly lady, many aging aunts of many people resemble her. But in the open air Eduardova reveals, apart from her very good feet, no compensation for these disadvantages, there s really nothing that would give rise to enthusiasm astonishment or even respect. And so quite often I ve seen Eduardova treated with an indifference that even gentlemen who were usually very adroit, very correct, couldn t conceal, although naturally they took pains to do so in the presence of a dancer as famous as Eduardova was all the same.


My ear felt fresh rough cool juicy to the touch like a leaf.

I write this most definitely out of despair over my body and over the future with this body

When despair presents itself so definitely, is so closely bound to its object so firmly held back, as if by a soldier who covers the retreat and for this purpose lets himself be torn to pieces, then it is not real despair. Real despair has immediately and always overtaken its goal, (At this comma it became apparent that only the first sentence was correct)

Are

complex and enigmatic literary prophet, whose very name has come to us as symbol and vision of innocent vulnerability in the face of irrational force. Yet warns: beware interpretation!
Cynthia Ozick, author of Antiquities

Franz Kafka s inner life has always been a bit of a mystery. The expurgated diaries in their original German and English versions hinted at his complicated, often confused relationship to sex, politics, illness, and being Jewish. This readable new translation of the complete German version of the diary transforms the silent Kafka of a century ago into a Kafka not only of his times but of ours.
Sander Gilman, author of Franz Kafka, The Jewish Patient
 
Thirty two years after their original publication in German, Franz Kafka's complete Diaries are here in Ross Benjamin's outstanding translation. A boon for the American reader! The previous edition of the Diaries was egregiously censored by Max Brod who eliminated whatever, in his misdirected view, could detract from the saintly image of his friend which he chiseled for posterity. Now we have in English some of the most intimate reflections and literary experiments of one of the towering geniuses of modern literature.
Saul Friedländer, author of Franz Kafka: The Poet of Shame and Guilt

A fresh, unadulterated translation of Kafka s notebooks, dense with introspection and writerly despair . . . The attraction of Kafka s diaries has always been his coruscating descriptions of his existential struggles as a writer and human being. He captures his frustration in ways that are wrenching, vivid, and highly quotable . . . Essential reading.
Kirkus Reviews

Finally! Three decades after the publication of the critical edition of Franz Kafka's diaries in Germany, English readers can now 'catch Kafka in the act of writing,' thanks to this monumental endeavor by translator Ross Benjamin. This new volume offers us Kafka's singular perspective and delivers an expanded window into Kafka's unique personality. The intricately researched and detailed Notes (75 pages of them!) provide us with a wealth of knowledge and context. For those of us in thrall to Kafka the Man as well as the Writer, the Notes add layers of life to Kafka's world and milieu and reveal a new depth and richness to Kafka's humanity. This new volume is an essential addition to the library of every serious student and reader of Kafka.
Kathi Diamant, author of Kafka's Last Love and director of the Kafka Project

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us, Kafka famously wrote. In his Diaries, we see him turning that axe on his own psyche, recording his dreams, jotting snatches of overheard dialogue, even drafting stories. For the first time, Ross Benjamin s new translation gives English readers access to the entirety of the Diaries, with Kafka s fragmentary structure and idiosyncratic grammar preserved. The result is the most intimate glimpse possible into the process of this singular writer.
Ruth Franklin

With this new rendition of Kafka s diaries, Benjamin escorts us inside the burrow, showing us the artist at work. At once disturbing and humanizing, these unexpurgated notebooks remind us that the achievements of this singular writer were unlikely, precarious, and paid for with great pain.
Bookforum

Mr. Benjamin s translation doesn t just supplant the previous edition it inaugurates a new phase of Kafka s afterlife in English . . . The writing glimmers with sensitivity, and openness to the world.
The Wall Street Journal

Ross Benjamin has given the literary world an incredible treasure in this thoughtful edition. Kafka has never been so fully present, both as a man and a writer."
New York Journal of Books