Kafka, Franz

WRITER (AUSTRIA)
BORN 2 Jul 1883, Praha - DIED 3 Jun 1924, Kierling, Niederösterreich (near Wien)
CAUSE OF DEATH tuberculosis?
GRAVE LOCATION Praha: Zidovské hrbitovy, Olsany (Section 21, Row 14, Grave 3)

Franz Kafka came from a Jewish middle-class family in Prague. He learned German as well as Czech and also some French. He attended the Altstädter Deutsches Gymnasium and afterwards entered the Charles-Ferdinand University of Prague, where he studied law. There he met Max Brod, who became his lifelong friend. He became a Doctor of Law in 1906. Kafka didn't take part in Jewish religion, but he always took interest in cultural Jewish matters.

In 1907 he started working for Assicurazioni Generali, but he left in 1908 and joined the Worker's Accident Insurance Institute. In 1912 he met Felice Bower. They considered marriagem but their relationship ended in 1917.

In 1918 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. In 1921 he started a relationship with the journalist Milena Jesenská and in 1923 he met Dora Diamant, with whom he lived in Berlin. After his tuberculosis grew worse he returned to Prague and then for treatment to the sanatorium in Kierling near Vienna. Their he died of starvation after he had been unable to eat. He was buried at the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague.

His work had hardly atttracted attention until his death. He wanted his manuscripts to be burned unread, but Dora ignored his wishes and kept notebooks and letters that were picked up by the Gestapo in 1933. Most of his work was published by Brod. He prepared Kafka's novels "The Castle", "The Trial" and "Amerika" for publication. Kafka's work was received well. The manuscript for "The Trial" was auctioned and is now at the Deutsches Literaturarchiv in Marbach.

Related persons
• had work illustrated by Fronius, Hans
• knew Werfel, Franz
• was published by Wolff, Kurt

Images

Franz Kafka's grave at the New Jewish Cemetery at Olsany, Prague.
Picture by Androom (18 Aug 2000)

 

Sources
Franz Kafka - Wikipedia


Kainz, Josef

Published: 05 Apr 2009
Last update: 25 Apr 2022