Franz Kafka bibliography

First page of Kafka's letter to his father

This is a bibliography of works by Franz Kafka.

Fiction

Novels

English title	Original German title	Translations available	Notes	Cover first edition
The Trial	Der Process (1925)	Willa and Edwin Muir (1935); Idris Parry (1994); Breon Mitchell (1999); David Wyllie (2003); Richard Stokes (2005); John Williams (2008)	Includes the parable Before the Law
The Castle	Das Schloss (1926)	Willa and Edwin Muir (1930); Mark Harman (1998); J. A. Underwood (2000)	published in two version - Max Brod's 1926 edition and a "definitive edition" in 1951
Amerika or The Man Who Disappeared; Amerika: The Missing Person	Amerika or Der Verschollene (1927)	Willa and Edwin Muir (1938); Michael Hofmann (2004); Mark Harman (2008)	Includes the short story "The Stoker" as first chapter

Short Stories

the longer stories

English title	Original German title	Collected in:
Shamefaced Lanky and Impure in Heart	Der Unredliche in seinem Herzen	Letters to Friends, Family, and Editors
Description of a Struggle includes two dialogues originally published separately: Conversation with the Supplicant Conversation with the Drunk	Beschreibung eines Kampfes Gespräch mit dem Beter Gespräch mit dem Betrunkenen	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories; Both dialogues originally published in Hyperion (Munich, 1909); a different version of Conversation with the Supplicant appears in The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Wedding Preparations in the Country	Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande	The Complete Stories, Dearest Father. Stories and Other Writings
The Judgment	Das Urteil	The Complete Stories, The Sons, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Metamorphosis	Die Verwandlung	The Complete Stories, The Sons, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Stoker	Der Heizer	The Sons; first chapter of Amerika
In the Penal Colony	In der Strafkolonie	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Village Schoolmaster (The Giant Mole)	Der Dorfschullehrer or Der Riesenmaulwurf	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor	Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
The Warden of the Tomb (short play)	Der Gruftwächter	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
A Country Doctor	Ein Landarzt	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Hunter Gracchus	Der Jäger Gracchus	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China	Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
A Report to an Academy	Ein Bericht für eine Akademie	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Refusal	Die Abweisung	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes
A Hunger Artist	Ein Hungerkünstler	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Investigations of a Dog	Forschungen eines Hundes	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
A Little Woman	Eine kleine Frau	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Burrow	Der Bau	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
Josephine the Singer, or The Mouse Folk	Josefine, die Sängerin oder Das Volk der Mäuse	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces

First Edition of Betrachtung (Contemplation) (1912)

Contemplation (Betrachtung),
included in The Complete Stories and
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces

English title	German title
Children on a Country Road	Kinder auf der Landstraße
The Trees	Die Bäume
Clothes	Kleider
Excursion into the Mountains	Der Ausflug ins Gebirge
Rejection	Die Abweisung
The Street Window	Das Gassenfenster
The Tradesman	Der Kaufmann
Absent-minded Window-gazing	Zerstreutes Hinausschaun
The Way Home	Der Nachhauseweg
Passers-by	Die Vorüberlaufenden
On the Tram	Der Fahrgast
Reflections for Gentlemen-Jockeys	Zum Nachdenken für Herrenreiter
The Wish to be a Red Indian	Wunsch, Indianer zu werden
Unhappiness	Unglücklichsein
Bachelor's Ill Luck	Das Unglück des Junggesellen
Unmasking a Confidence Trickster	Entlarvung eines Bauernfängers
The Sudden Walk	Der plötzliche Spaziergang
Resolutions	Entschlüsse

shorter stories and parables

English title	Original German title	Included in:
A Dream	Ein Traum	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Up in the Gallery	Auf der Galerie	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
A Fratricide	Der Mord / Ein Brudermord	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Next Village	Das nächste Dorf	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
A Visit to a Mine	Ein Besuch im Bergwerk	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Jackals and Arabs	Schakale und Araber	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Bridge	Die Brücke	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
The Bucket Rider	Der Kübelreiter	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces, The Great Wall of China
The New Advocate	Der neue Advokat	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
An Old Manuscript	Ein altes Blatt	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Knock at the Manor Gate	Der Schlag ans Hoftor	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
Eleven Sons	Elf Söhne	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
My Neighbor	Der Nachbar	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
A Crossbreed	Eine Kreuzung	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
The Cares of a Family Man	Die Sorge des Hausvaters	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
A Common Confusion	Eine alltägliche Verwirrung	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
The Truth about Sancho Panza	Die Wahrheit über Sancho Pansa	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
The Silence of the Sirens	Das Schweigen der Sirenen	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
Prometheus	Prometheus	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
The City Coat of Arms	Das Stadtwappen	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
Poseidon	Poseidon	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes
Fellowship	Gemeinschaft	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
At Night	Nachts	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
The Problem of Our Laws	Zur Frage der Gesetze	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
The Conscription of Troops	Die Truppenaushebung	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
The Test	Die Prüfung	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes
The Vulture	Der Geier	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes
The Helmsman	Der Steuermann	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
The Top	Der Kreisel	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
A Little Fable	Kleine Fabel	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
Home-Coming	Heimkehr	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
First Sorrow	Erstes Leid	The Complete Stories, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The Departure	Der Aufbruch	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
Advocates	Fürsprecher	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
The Married Couple	Das Ehepaar	The Complete Stories, The Great Wall of China
Give It Up!	Gibs auf	Description of a Struggle, The Complete Stories
On Parables	Von den Gleichnissen	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Great Wall of China
Before the Law	Vor dem Gesetz	The Complete stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces; part of The Trial
A Message from the Emperor	Eine kaiserliche Botschaft	The Complete Stories, Parables and Paradoxes, The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces; part of "The Great Wall of China"
Peking and the Emperor	Der Kaiser von Peking	Parables and Paradoxes
The Great Wall and the Tower of Babel	Die Chinesische Mauer und der Turmbau von Babel	Parables and Paradoxes
Paradise	Das Paradies	Parables and Paradoxes
The Tower of Babel	Der Turm zu Babel	Parables and Paradoxes
The Pit of Babel	Der Schacht von Babel	Parables and Paradoxes
Abraham	Abraham	Parables and Paradoxes
Mount Sinai	Der Berg Sinai	Parables and Paradoxes
The Building of the Temple	Der Tempelbau	Parables and Paradoxes
The Animal in the Synagogue	Das Tier in der Synagoge	Parables and Paradoxes
The Watchman	Der Wächter	Parables and Paradoxes
The Coming of the Messiah	Das Kommen des Messias	Parables and Paradoxes
The Sirens	Die Sirenen	Parables and Paradoxes
Leopards in the Temple	Leoparden in Tempel	Parables and Paradoxes
Alexander the Great	Alexander der Grosse	Parables and Paradoxes
Diogenes	Diogenes	Parables and Paradoxes
The Building of a City	Der Bau einer Stadt	Parables and Paradoxes
The Imperial Colonel	Der Kaiserliche Oberst	Parables and Paradoxes
The Emperor	Der Kaiser	Parables and Paradoxes
In the Caravansary	In der Karawanserei	Parables and Paradoxes
The Cell	Die Zelle	Parables and Paradoxes
The Invention of the Devil	Die Erfindung des Teufels	Parables and Paradoxes
The Savages	Die Wilden	Parables and Paradoxes
The Green Dragon	Der Grüne Drache	Parables and Paradoxes
The Tiger	Der Tiger	Parables and Paradoxes
Couriers	Kuriere	Parables and Paradoxes
A Chinese Puzzle	Ein Geduldspiel	Parables and Paradoxes
Robinson Crusoe	Robinson Crusoe	Parables and Paradoxes
The Spring	Die Quelle	Parables and Paradoxes
The Hunger Strike	Die Unersättlichsten	Parables and Paradoxes
My Destination	Das Ziel	Parables and Paradoxes

Non-Fiction

Diaries and Notebooks

Title	Original German title	Translators	Notes
Diaries 1910-1923	Tagebücher 1910-1923	1910-1913 Joseph Kresh 1914-1923 Martin Greenberg	Originally published in two volumes
The Blue Octavo Notebooks		Ernst Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins	included in Dearest Father. Stories and Other Writings

Letters

Title	Original German title	Translators	Notes
Letter to His Father	Brief an den Vater	Ernst Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins	Included in The Sons and Dearest Father. Stories and Other Writings
Letters to Felice	Briefe an Felice und andere Korrespondenz aus der Verlobungszeit	James Stern and Elisabeth Duckworth	Includes Kafka's letters to Grete Bloch
Letters to Milena	Briefe an Milena	Philip Boehm	Includes Milena's letters to Max Brod, four essays by her and an obituary for Kafka
Letters to Ottla	Briefe an Ottla und die Familie	Richard and Clara Winston	Includes letters to Kafka's parents, sister Ottla, postcards, and drawings
Letters to Friends, Family, and Editors	Briefe 1902-1924	Richard and Clara Winston	Includes a selection from the slips of paper Kafka used to communicate in the last few weeks of his life when he was advised not to speak

Essays

Title	Original German title	Notes	Included in:
The Aeroplanes At Brescia	Die Aeroplane in Brescia	Report on the air show at Brescia	The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
The First Long Train Journey	Die erste lange Eisenbahnfahrt	Written by Kafka and Max Brod	The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Review of Hyperion	Eine entschlafene Zeitschrift	Review of the literary magazine	The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
Review of A Novel about Youth	Ein Roman der Jugend	Review of Felix Sternheim's Die Geschichte des jungen Oswald	The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces
On Kleist's "Anecdotes"	Über Kleist's Anekdoten	Review of a collection of Heinrich Kleist's anecdotes	The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces

Work-related writings

Title	Year	Included in:
The Scope of Compulsory Insurance for the Building trades	1908	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Speech on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the Institute's New Director	1909	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Fixed-Rate Insurance Premiums for Small Farms Using Machinery	1909	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Inclusion of Private Automobile "Firms" in the Compulsory Insurance Program	1909	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Appeal against Risk Classification of Christian Geipel & Sohn, Mechanical Weaving Mill in Asch	1910	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Measures for Preventing Accidents from Wood-Planing Machines	1910	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
On the Examination of Firms by Trade Inspectors	1911	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Workmen's Insurance and Employers: Two Articles in the Tetschen Bodenbacher Zeitung	1911	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Petition of the Toy Producers' Association in Katharinaberg, Erzgebirge	1912	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Risk Classification Appeal by Norbert Hochsieder, Boarding House Owner in Marienbad	1912	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Letters to the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute in Prague	1912-15	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Criminal Charge against Josef Renelt for the Illegal Withholding of Insurance Fees	1913	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Second International Congress on Accident Prevention and First Aid in Vienna	1913	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Accident Prevention in Quarries	1914	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Jubilee Report: Twenty-Five Years of the Workmen's Accident Insurance Institute	1914	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
Risk Classification and Accident Prevention in Wartime	1915	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
A Public Psychiatric Hospital for German-Bohemia	1916	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings
"Help Disabled Veterans! An Urgent Appeal to the Public"	1916/1917	Franz Kafka: The Office Writings

Collections

Schocken editions

Title	Year	Translators	Notes
The Great Wall of China. Stories and Reflections	1946	Willa and Edwin Muir
The Penal Colony: Stories and Short Pieces	1948	Willa and Edwin Muir
Dearest Father. Stories and Other Writings	1954	Ernst Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins
Description of a Struggle	1958	Tania and James Stern
Parables and Paradoxes	1961	Clement Greenberg; Richard and Clara Winston; Ernst Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins; Willa and Edwin Muir; Tania and James Stern	Bilingual edition
The Complete Stories	1971	Willa and Edwin Muir; Tania and James Stern	Reprinted in 1995 with a foreword by John Updike
I Am a Memory Come Alive	1974	Martin Greenberg and Hannah Arendt; Joseph Kresh; Gerald Onn; Willa and Edwin Muir; Tania and James Stern; Ernst Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins	Autobiographical writings selected from diaries, letters, and aphorisms
The Sons	1989	Willa and Edwin Muir	Translations revised and updated by Arthur Wensinger
The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories	1995	Willa and Edwin Muir	Includes all the stories published in Kafka's lifetime
The Zürau Aphorisms	2006	Michael Hofmann; Geoffrey Brock

Other editions

Title	Year	Publisher	Translators	Notes
The Basic Kafka	1979	Pocket Books	Willa and Edwin Muir Tania and James Stern Richard and Clara Winston	A selection from Kafka's short stories, diaries, and letters.
The Penguin Complete Novels of Franz Kafka	1983	Penguin Books	Willa and Edwin Muir	Includes The Trial, The Castle, and Amerika; republished by Vintage in 1999
Metamorphosis and Other Stories	2007	Penguin Classics		Collection of Kafka's works
Franz Kafka: The Office Writings	2008	Princeton University Press	Eric Patton; Ruth Hein	A selection of Kafka's professional writings
Kafka's Greatest Stories	2010	Vook		Enhanced with video providing historical background on Kafka's life and influences.)
Essential Kafka: Rendezvous with Otherness	2011	Authorhouse		Enhanced with video providing historical background on Kafka's life and influences.)

Collaborations

English title	Original German title	Written with:	Notes
Richard and Samuel	Richard und Samuel	Max Brod	Intended to be a novel; only the first chapter was completed.

List of selected works

Many of Kafka's works have uncertain dates of writing and/or were written over long periods of time. In such cases the year the writing of the work began is used. Year and place of first publication is used. Many works, including all novels, were never finished by Kafka.

For many works the German text is available, for several works also an English translation. It is linked in columns "de" and "en".

List of selected works

Standard English title German title Literal English title de en Genre Date of writing Date of first publication Place of publication Remarks Amerika or The Man Who Disappeared Amerika or Der Verschollene America de novel 1912 1927 Leipzig title Amerika by Brod, contains "Der Heizer" ("The Stoker") The Trial Der Process de novel 1914 1925 Berlin also spelled in German as Der Prozess and Der Prozeß The Castle Das Schloss The Palace de novel 1922 1926 Leipzig also spelled in German as Das Schloß Contemplation also known as Meditation Betrachtung de story collection 1904–1912 1912 Leipzig some stories from 1908 in Hyperion A Country Doctor Ein Landarzt de story collection 1919 1919 Leipzig A Hunger Artist Ein Hungerkünstler de story collection 1922 1922 Prague The Great Wall of China Beim Bau der chinesischen Mauer de story collection 1918 1931 Berlin The Warden of the Tomb Der Gruftwächter play 1916–1917 1958 New York in Description of a Struggle "Description of a Struggle" including "Conversation with the Supplicant", "Conversation with the Drunk" "Beschreibung eines Kampfes" including "Gespräch mit dem Beter", "Gespräch mit dem Betrunkenen" Urteil, Beter Betrunkener story 1904 1909 Munich dialogues first in Hyperion "Wedding Preparations in the Country" "Hochzeitsvorbereitungen auf dem Lande" de story 1907–1908 1954 London an incomplete work intended to be a novel "The Aeroplanes At Brescia" "Die Aeroplane in Brescia" de story 1909 1909 September Prague first in Bohemia "The Judgment" "Das Urteil" The Verdict de story 1912 22–23 September 1913 Leipzig in the literary yearbook Arkadia "The Metamorphosis" "Die Verwandlung" "The Transformation" de en story 1912 1915 Leipzig "The Stoker" "Der Heizer" de story 1913 1927 Leipzig in Amerika "Before the Law" "Vor dem Gesetz" de en story 1914 1915 Prague in the independent Jewish weekly Selbstwehr, in Ein Landarzt, in Der Process "In the Penal Colony" "In der Strafkolonie" de en story 1914 1919 Leipzig "The Village Schoolmaster" ("The Giant Mole") "Der Dorfschullehrer" or "Der Riesenmaulwurf" de story 1914–1915 1931 Berlin in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer "Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor" "Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle" de story 1915 1958 New York in Description of a Struggle "The Hunter Gracchus" "Der Jäger Gracchus" de story 1917 1931 Berlin in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer "A Report to an Academy" "Ein Bericht für eine Akademie" de en story 1917 1917 Prague in Der Jude "Jackals and Arabs" "Schakale und Araber" de en story 1917 1917 Prague in Der Jude "The Great Wall of China" "Beim Bau der chinesischen Mauer" At the building of the Chinese Wall de en story 1918 1931 Berlin in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer "A Country Doctor" "Ein Landarzt" de en story 1919 1919 Leipzig in Ein Landarzt "An Old Manuscript" "Ein altes Blatt" An old page, An old leaf de story 1919 1920 Leipzig in Ein Landarzt "The Refusal" "Die Abweisung" The Rejection story 1920 1970 Frankfurt title by Brod, same as a different earlier story by Kafka "A Hunger Artist" ("A Fasting Artist", "A Starvation Artist") "Ein Hungerkünstler" en en story 1922 1922 Prague in Die neue Rundschau, then in Ein Hungerkünstler "First Sorrow" "Erstes Leid" de story 1921–1922 1922 Leipzig in periodical Genius "Investigations of a Dog" "Forschungen eines Hundes" de story 1923 1931 Berlin in Beim Bau der Chinesischen Mauer "A Little Woman" "Eine kleine Frau" de story 1923–1924 1924 Prague in Prager Tagblatt, then in Ein Hungerkünstler "The Burrow" "Der Bau" de story 1923–1924 1924 in Ein Hungerkünstler "Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk" "Josefine, die Sängerin, oder Das Volk der Mäuse" de story 1923 1924 Prague in Prager Presse, then in Ein Hungerkünstler "Poseidon" "Poseidon" de story 1920 1936 in collection Beschreibung eines Kampfes Franz Kafka's Diaries Tagebücher diary 1910–1923 1948 New York The Blue Octavo Notebooks Oxforder Oktavhefte Oxford Octavo Notebooks notebook 1917–1919 1954 New York also known as The Eight Octavo Notebooks Letter to His Father Brief an den Vater de letter 1919 November 1966 New York Letters to Felice Briefe an Felice letter collection 1912–1917 1967 Frankfurt am Main Letters to Ottla Briefe an Ottla und die Familie Letters to Ottla and to the family letter collection 1909–1924 1974 Frankfurt am Main includes some letters to his parents and other family members Letters to Milena Briefe an Milena letter collection 1920–23 1952 Frankfurt am Main Letters to Family, Friends, and Editors Briefe 1902–1924 letter collection 1900–24 1959 New York most of the letters are to Brod Zürau Aphorisms, The Die Zürauer Aphorismen or Betrachtungen über Sünde, Hoffnung, Leid und den wahren Weg Reflections on Sin, Hope, Suffering, and the True Way de aphorisms 1917–18 1931 Cologne Title by Brod