Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor: Difference between revisions
+ image |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[File:40mm table tennis ball Celluloid.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Table tennis balls]] |
[[File:40mm table tennis ball Celluloid.jpg|thumb|right|500px|Table tennis balls]] |
||
''''Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor''''' ('''''Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle''''') is an incomplete story by [[Franz Kafka]]. Probably written in the beginning of 1915, it first appeared in ''Beschreibung eines Kampfes'' (''[[Description of a Struggle]]''). It relates part of the life of Blumfeld, an elderly bachelor, who upon arriving home finds two table |
''''Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor''''' ('''''Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle''''') is an incomplete story by [[Franz Kafka]]. Probably written in the beginning of 1915, it first appeared in ''Beschreibung eines Kampfes'' (''[[Description of a Struggle]]''). It relates part of the life of Blumfeld, an elderly bachelor, who upon arriving home finds two table glowing balls bouncing off the ground of their own accord. The balls follow him wherever he goes, and it clearly annoys him. The action continues into the next day, following his attempt to be rid of the balls. After finding an apparent solution, he goes off to work. Where he interacts with two exceedingly incompetent assistants. |
||
Like most of Kafkas story it ends abruptly with one of the assistance battling a servant for use of a broom. |
|||
<ref>Kafka, Franz. [[The Complete Stories of Franz Kafka|The Complete Stories]]. [[New York]]: [[Schocken Books]], 1971.</ref> |
|||
An entry from [[Franz Kafka's Diaries|Kafka's Diaries]] dated February 9, 1915 could refer to "Blumfeld": |
An entry from [[Franz Kafka's Diaries|Kafka's Diaries]] dated February 9, 1915 could refer to "Blumfeld": |
||
Revision as of 00:03, 31 March 2012
'Blumfeld, an Elderly Bachelor (Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle) is an incomplete story by Franz Kafka. Probably written in the beginning of 1915, it first appeared in Beschreibung eines Kampfes (Description of a Struggle). It relates part of the life of Blumfeld, an elderly bachelor, who upon arriving home finds two table glowing balls bouncing off the ground of their own accord. The balls follow him wherever he goes, and it clearly annoys him. The action continues into the next day, following his attempt to be rid of the balls. After finding an apparent solution, he goes off to work. Where he interacts with two exceedingly incompetent assistants. Like most of Kafkas story it ends abruptly with one of the assistance battling a servant for use of a broom.
[1]
An entry from Kafka's Diaries dated February 9, 1915 could refer to "Blumfeld":
Just now read the beginning. It is ugly and gives me a headache. In spite of all its truth it is wicked, pedantic, mechanical, a fish barely breathing on a sandbank.[2]
A re-imagining of the story by Carter Scholz is featured in Kafka Americana.
Footnotes
- ^ Kafka, Franz. The Complete Stories. New York: Schocken Books, 1971.
- ^ Kafka, Franz. Diaries 1910-1923. New York: Schocken Books, 1988.
